# Centipede Reel Mowed, GrassAndWater12 Lawn Journal



## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

This will be my first full year of reel mowing with my newly acquired California Trimmer.



Since their are very few centipede lawns on TLF my hopes are to assist others along with improving my knowledge as well.

My lawn journey started with a drainage issue in my driveway.



Then once I found a contractor to run a French drain I thought I may as well get him to install the irrigation I have always wanted.



I've been addicted to grass every since and I have a good friend that owns a lawn spraying company that I can always rely on for advice. 
This is how I ended the year last year. 

So here we go... Here is to another great growing season. This photo was taken today, will be scalping soon!


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Following


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Done a lot since my last post but failed to take pictures so I guess it doesn't count!

But I scalped,
Changed oil/tuned up all equipment 
Backlapped CT for the first time shout out to @SGrabs33 for the kit and handle extension. 
Installed handle extension on CT. Never imagined how difficult and aggravating it would be! But it looks great and definitely was much needed since I'm 6ft.

More posts and pics to follow. Will be putting the CT on grass soon!!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

First reel mow of the season and with the new handle extension. Cut at 3/4 and will cut it around 1" for the remainder of the year. Going to hold off a few weeks on the first round of fertilizer.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

very nice, mowing centipede with a reel will reely make it look amazing. I mow mine at 3/4" and if I can be honest it almost stripes better than the bermuda.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Jacob_S said:


> very nice, mowing centipede with a reel will reely make it look amazing. I mow mine at 3/4" and if I can be honest it almost stripes better than the bermuda.


Thank you, I've always thought the opposite though. I'm anxious to see the results of mowing the entire year with it. Will be doing another aeration and sand leveling later this year as well.

I just looked at your journal, it's looking great and has came a long way as well. I like that JDalso, but definitely not on that level yet. Thanks again.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Second mow, completed last week. A few days later I applied Humic and Iron. It definitely brought out the dark green and is due to be mowed but with this 32 degrees we are seeing tomorrow I've decided to hold off a few more days then it'll be back to the 80's!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

So I was about to go out of town, was losing daylight, but had to get a cut in. What can I say other than "When you gotta mow, you gotta mow!"

I am officially "that weird grass guy" in the neighborhood. Well what I find weird is people going out of town and already have a 12" HOC.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Neighbors- Hey look that weird guy that mows in the dark with that funny looking mower is spraying his lawn in the rain!

I can hear them now! But I'd like to think of it as utilizing Gods gift of precipitation while keeping it safe with my high vis jacket. Jokes on them!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Last week applied 16-4-8 at .5 rate, had some yellowing, sprayed of iron and it's starting to blend together.

That one dry spot always gives my troubles. There is a head to the right of it so I know it's getting water. Last year I aerated, leveled with sand, sprayed hydratain, and nothing seems to help. Seeing a good bit of brown stolons with a a little green so my next step is to dethatch that one area. I'm open to suggestions though.


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## AFBiker2011 (Jun 3, 2020)

Have you tried the screwdriver test before and after irrigation? Or placed some cups on the lawn to see how much water your irrigation is applying at those dry spots?

Also, you can use that a screwdriver for another test to see what is underneath the top layer of soil.

I had 2 areas where I couldn't get my sod to root well. I used a screwdriver to puncture a couple of holes in those places, and noticed that after a couple of inches down into the soil it turned into gravel mixed with larger rocks. After digging out that area and using dirt fill to about 10" deep, I haven't had any more problems in those spots.

Some other places this is common is along roadways or driveway/sidewalks, and near foundations.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

AFBiker2011 said:


> Have you tried the screwdriver test before and after irrigation? Or placed some cups on the lawn to see how much water your irrigation is applying at those dry spots?
> 
> Also, you can use that a screwdriver for another test to see what is underneath the top layer of soil.
> 
> ...


I did a slight adjustment on one of the sprinkler heads and have been only watering that spot by hand for a few days and it's looking better. I'm aerating next week so Since I'll be putting holes in everything I'll investigate a little deeper. I would hate to have to pull out cinderblocks and rocks but that might be the issue. Thanks.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Core aerated and sprayed .5 N along with 1 oz Bifenthrin for Mole Cricket activity right before a down pour. Dry spots were super compacted but didn't hit any bricks or rocks etc.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Put down 2 bags of organic fertilizer (Pro Care) and mowed some stripes. It's getting close to where I'd like it just a few bad spots.


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## dubyadubya87 (Mar 10, 2020)

Following for the mower.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Put the CT on the 6th notch and mowed what I refer to as my "hell strip". Kept the same HOC on the biggest part of the front lawn, Ouse the strip as a test area. Put .5 N on the strip and will cut it on the 5th notch next time. Definitely winning the grass game on both sides lol.

Also had a loose chain on CT but with some great advice from SGrabs33 I had it back on the lawn in no time.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Sprayed 16-4-8 a week ago. Continuing to cut on the 4th notch. Still have a few trouble spots but overall happy with where I'm at.


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## Ccnewton (Apr 29, 2020)

Looks great. I feel late June and early July is when centipede really comes into its own.


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

It is looking good!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Thanks everyone. This is probably my best picture so far. I just installed the new drive roller chain bracket from CT. It looks cleaner than a zip tie or bolt and is easy to adjust!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Ccnewton said:


> Looks great. I feel late June and early July is when centipede really comes into its own.


Thanks I appreciate it. I would agree with that statement about the timeframe. Centipede is always a little lighter (unless spraying iron weekly) than I would like in order for it to stand out even more from the rest of the neighborhood. But I'm the only one, probably in the county, that is reel mowing and sometimes I feel like the only one that takes pride in their property at that, so it's definitely standing out. Zoom in and look at the yard beside mine. No it's not a foreclosure!!


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

The last shot has a nice domination line in it!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

SC Grass Loon said:


> The last shot has a nice domination line in it!


Thanks I'm crushing the other side too lol!


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

GrassAndWater12 said:


> SC Grass Loon said:
> 
> 
> > The last shot has a nice domination line in it!
> ...


Keep it up!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Some people see a beautiful ocean view. 
I see some mighty fine leveling sand!!!
Panama City Beach, Florida


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Got it looking about as good as it'll get for the moment. I raised the HOC from the 4th notch to the 3rd on the CT.

Also the owner of the property to the right of mine has just contacted me wanting me to take on his lawn!! I agreed and will def start a new thread on that lawn!! Pretty anxious to get it going even though my work is definitely cut out for me.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

My lawn is looking great and this year I've done less than usual to it! Either that's the key or I've finally got it in maintenance mode rather than renovation mode. I've only spot sprayed MSM maybe three times but have continued to spray Bifen 7.9% once a month. The once daily Ga rain has also definitely helped!


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## Ccnewton (Apr 29, 2020)

Looks great dude. I feel you on the maintenance part of it. Other than scheduled mowing and irrigation, once you've got the foundation going, maintenance needs of centipede are superior compared to other warm turf grass types. As much as I love Bermuda, I can't commit the time that it needs vs centipede


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Ccnewton said:


> Looks great dude. I feel you on the maintenance part of it. Other than scheduled mowing and irrigation, once you've got the foundation going, maintenance needs of centipede are superior compared to other warm turf grass types. As much as I love Bermuda, I can't commit the time that it needs vs centipede


Thanks, and I agree 100%.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

So…. I was going to try to go for the fairway look and I cut a small circle at .43. The circle looked great, like 100% astroturf (or like a lot of the reel guys on the site). With that being said I decided to put the grass catcher on and take it all off! In one pass I would fill the catcher up so it ended up being quite the task. Scalped in a few spots but on the next mow when I raise it up to the next notch I'm expecting great results.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Finally feeling better as my house took its turn battling Covid. Still mowed but it was more like a maintenance hurry up and get back to laying in the floor covered up. Anyway, thankfully everyone is back to normal and lawn didn't take a hit. Just received some Greene Effect in the mail, took a "spill" getting here but Yard Mastery has already apologized and they are going to make it right. Will def take some before and after photos as this is the first time applying it.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Sprayed 7-0-0 Greene Effect for the first time the other day. The two pictures are 4 days apart, overall happy with the product and price.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

It's from a different angle but this is that small strip I'm always fighting with. Huge difference one year can make. I also edged where the grass meets the street. It was hard to do because the street wasn't poured in an exact straight line. So I either had to keep moving back into the grass to keep it straight or just run the edger blade down into the asphalt to make it straight without going 6 inches or more into my yard. I need a new blade to say the least but it looks good.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Text from my neighbor across the street. 
Mission accomplished!! I would say it was a successful season.


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## Aircooled (Sep 20, 2021)

Following. Centipede grass with a newly purchased used reel mower here.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Installed some permanent Christmas lights and controller.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Starting to green up! So far this year I have only put down my pre-e, Humic, and scalped.


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## TheNeighbor (Mar 19, 2021)

Looking at this journal is so inspiring. I recently purchased a house that has centipede. My old house had zoysia so I was a little disappointed…..until now. Thanks for sharing!!!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

TheNeighbor said:


> Looking at this journal is so inspiring. I recently purchased a house that has centipede. My old house had zoysia so I was a little disappointed…..until now. Thanks for sharing!!!


Glad I can help. PM me with any questions. I've learned a lot throughout my journey.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Lawn is looking pretty good, but with the heat and rain it'll look even better soon. Installed two Giraffe hose reels, so far I'm happy with them.


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## stevenjmclark (Sep 25, 2019)

Great thread and I'm always happy to see another reel mowed centipede lawn!

Curious, you mention sand leveling. I've always been curious to try and level mine but never pulled the trigger. How did your centipede recover from sanding and how long was the recovery?


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Yes the centipede is rare on the site especially reel mowed. It recovered just fine and looked completely normal without seeing any sand spots in maybe 2-3 weeks. I highly recommend doing it as well as, paying a few teenagers for moving sand, a gorilla dump cart, and a nice leveling rake.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)




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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Very Nice! 95% of the lawns in my neighborhood are Centipede. I have one of the few bermuda lawns in my neighborhood. Out of 40-50 centipede lawns, maybe 2-3 of them look decent. They mostly look like your neighbor's lawn prior to you cutting it. It can look great if taken care of... Nice lawn.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side!!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Next year I'll plan better and spray some marker dye on the stripes, but turned out pretty good.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Threw down some Independence Day Milorganite and it's looking pretty good. Probably hit it with some green effect soon, its just so hard to compete with the neighbors!


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Finally pulled the trigger on the Chapin 97902. Haven't used it yet, just trying to get my pace down right now. I have noticed that it drips a good bit once you turn it off. Going to call Chapin tomorrow or look into a diaphram or tip replacement. But other than that everything looks to be just what I was looking for.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)




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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

It’s time to move on…. We have brought the property a long way, but we just need a bigger house. Sad to see it on the market but anxious for the next project.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

It sold two weeks after the sign went up! I went from 5,500 sq ft of centipede to 12k of Celebration Bermuda at the new house. It has been neglected for a few years but it has great potential and an awesome irrigation system. Still moving in so haven’t done much with it but I’ll start a new Journal once I do.


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