# Advice Needed... Golf Course Turf Dreams



## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Hello!!
Great community here... Long time lurking, first time poster.

Been a closet grass nutt for some time now and wanted to take my lawn to the next level. Picking up a JD 220 reel mower in hopes of achieving that golf course/ ball park turf in a section of my lawn ~(30'x25') to start. Installed a irrigation system last year. This was my lawn in the middle of summer 2017:




Here is where I need some advice.

April 1st I applied Crabgrass Control Plus 0-0-7 with 0.37% Prodiamine and starter fert. This was before I decided to take my lawn to the next level and pick up a JD reel mower Long story short I decided to regrade and lower that section of my lawn about 1.5" so it sat flush with my driveway and walkways.




Put all the pieces back and top dressed with 1/4" of buiders sand and a bag of milogranite. Here is how she sits now:


Is it possible to overseed with perennial rye even thou i applied that prodiamine on 4/1? Thinking to topdress 1/4" of topsoil then overseed entire area with perennial rye. I have read some people have had some success with growing perennial rye even thou an application of prodiamine was put down. Hoping to fill in those cutt lines along with any thin areas i may have damaged during my regrading process...

Cheers!

Thoughts?


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

It's possible to have some PRG germination with Prodiamine down, but I question how well it will germinate with out lightly loosening the soil ("breaking the barrier") prior to seeding. You could likely do this in a controlled manner in small areas with success.

But, it looks like you have KBG and PRG right? If so, why not just let the KBG fill in the areas (other than quicker gratification)?


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

By the way, the yard looks great. Looks like you rented a sod machine, how did it work?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Welcome.

I'm with probasestealer, seeds after prem will yield low to no germination.

I also think you don't need to do anything else than fertilize. The kbg will fill the spots. It looks great and the reel does make a difference. What hoc are you planning?

Also, in imgbb, you could get the bbcode and paste it into the thread. It makes the pictures show up in the thread. Click about, then select the full image bbcode.

Like this:


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

probasestealer said:


> By the way, the yard looks great. Looks like you rented a sod machine, how did it work?


Thanks for the quick response... Yep I rented the claussen sod cutter from home depot. It worked great! It was very easy to use. It allowed me to set the depth of cut from about 1"- 2 1/2" if i had to guess. I set the cut to go as deep as possible hoping not to cut off to much of the roots. My neighbors thought I had purchased new sod to lay down. When I told them it was my existing lawn and that I just wanted to lower it a bit they thought I was crazy.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> Welcome.
> 
> I'm with probasestealer, seeds after prem will yield low to no germination.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip :thumbup: I fixed my earlier post... Thats what I figured about the germination... I may just pick up a bag of perennial rye throw it down and hope for the best. Will see if anything happens and report back. Otherwise I will just wait for the KBG to fill in.

I am planning on a 3/4" HOC with this new to me JD220


My plan is to drop it down to 1/2" to scalp it on its first cut and raise it back to 3/4" going fwd. I am just worried how the lawn will react since i did just stress her out quite a bit with sod cutter. Going to wait 1 week from this sat before I give her a try.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I would not scalp our cool season lawns. More so after the sod cutter stress. I've been lowering mine to 1in in slow steps. I dropped mine 1/4in, let is recover and get all nice and green again and then drop it another 1/4in.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Subscribing. Can't wait to see the results! What part of Chicago are you from? I used to live in the NW burbs and had KBG that was reel mowed at 9/16"-3/4". It is going to look beautiful!


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

g-man said:


> I would not scalp our cool season lawns. More so after the sod cutter stress. I've been lowering mine to 1in in slow steps. I dropped mine 1/4in, let is recover and get all nice and green again and then drop it another 1/4in.


This. Drop the HOC slowly, it's not bermuda.

I'd hit the yard hard with organics also (Milorganite, cracked corn, alfalfa, etc).


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

I live in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago right near Ohare...

Before I used to the sod cutter I lowered my honda rotary as low as it would go... Looks to be about (HOC 1 1/2"). It Scalped in few areas but was not as bad as I thought it would be.

After putting back my lawn I hit that 750 sq ft area with 1 full bag (36lbs )of milogranite 5-4-0 and 1 yard of sand to top dress.

I'll raise the hoc as high as it will go with this JD 220 and go from there for my first cut next sat 5/12.

From this point on I will be watering a total of 1 hour (3 - 20 mins sessions) a day for the next 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Seeking_Turf said:


> I live in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago right near Ohare...
> 
> Before I used to the sod cutter I lowered my honda rotary as low as it would go... Looks to be about (HOC 1 1/2"). It Scalped in few areas but was not as bad as I thought it would be.
> 
> ...


My previous home was in Mt. Prospect, not to far from Ohare..

I agree with others, take it down slowly. Slowly bring it down below your intended HOC and then raise it up alittle. At my last place I started out with a rotary at 2" and then slowly brought it down. You can see some of the progress Here.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Pete1313 said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > I live in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago right near Ohare...
> ...


Sweet! Im right next to Mt. Prospect in Des Plaines... Your lawn in Mt Prospect looked great :thumbup: Nice to see a lawn in my neck of the woods being able to achieve such perfection. The JD 220 will be my first attempt with a reel. I am picking it up this sat. Will see how hard it is to maintain ect before i stepup to a newer JD toy like the one you have


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Well gave the the old gal a shot and cut a section of my lawn to 1 1/8" today... Here is how it turned out:



Not to bad knowing my mower needs to be sharpened... Will drop her down to 3/4" tomorrow and see how she hold up. No scalping and no yellowing yet. :thumbup:


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Brought her down to 3/4"... Still waiting on my Pinhigh sharpening compound (120 grit) to arrive so i can back lap my reel. Not to bad for a reel that doesn't even cut paper yet :lol:


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Not bad at all! Nice work! :thumbsup:


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Pete1313 said:


> Not bad at all! Nice work! :thumbsup:


Thanks Pete! Next on the to do list is to top dress a full 1/2" of builders sand in the next 2 weeks along with a shot of starter fertilizer. I was surprised how 1/4" of top dressing improved that small section in my front yard last week. All the sand has already worked its way to the bottom.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

Looks good


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

probasestealer said:


> Looks good


Thanks! :thumbup:


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Welcome to TLF and was the lawn is looking good. I'm interested to see how this progresses.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Togo said:


> Welcome to TLF and was the lawn is looking good. I'm interested to see how this progresses.


Thanks!
My original plan was to just do that small square section in front of the house but now I am getting the itch to do the entire lawn including the back :lol: Debating about leveling off the other sections with sand now.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Togo said:
> 
> 
> > Welcome to TLF and was the lawn is looking good. I'm interested to see how this progresses.
> ...


I completely understand that itch. I'd be lying if I said I haven't recently looked at reel mowers to use in my backyard. After seeing some of the reel cut lawns on this forum it's hard not to imagine doing it yourself. I have a golf course down the street from me, maybe a case of beer and some money and they would sharpen reels for me?


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

The addiction is REEL!


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> The addiction is REEL!


Quote for the next round of TLF Shirts?


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Togo said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Togo said:
> ...


Its worth a shot! I may do the same thing... My backyard backs up to a small par 3 18 hole course. Once I start on the back I will be constantly trying to "dominate" the golf course and not just my neighbors :lol: Unfortunately my backyard is more of a frankenlawn with every grass type imaginable.



Pete1313 said:


> The addiction is REEL!


It sure is!!!


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower... 


Just did my first application with T-NEX PGR this morning... Hoping the rain stays away :?


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Lawn looks great! Love how flat it is and the stripes the reel lays down.

I'm really thinking I need/want to do the same with mine! My wife would kill me!!!!


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Harts said:


> Lawn looks great! Love how flat it is and the stripes the reel lays down.
> 
> I'm really thinking I need/want to do the same with mine! My wife would kill me!!!!


Thanks Harts! I have to be honest... The wifey shakes her head everytime and just laughs at me when im out working on the lawn... BUT its soooo worth it :lol: :lol:

Once you go reel there is no turning back!


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Oh she doesn't mind as long as I'm working on "her" garden. She could care less about the stripes I lay down with my Checkmate. Every time I bring up the lawn, I can see her eyes roll and all she hears is blah, blah, blah.

Twice this Spring I heard, "how much is this new lawn addiction going to cost us?????"

I keep trying to tell her that you can't put a price on domination.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Harts said:


> Oh she doesn't mind as long as I'm working on "her" garden. She could care less about the stripes I lay down with my Checkmate. Every time I bring up the lawn, I can see her eyes roll and all she hears is blah, blah, blah.
> 
> Twice this Spring I heard, "how much is this new lawn addiction going to cost us?????"
> 
> I keep trying to tell her that you can't put a price on domination.


 :lol: :lol: Spoken like a true lawn addict!!! love it!


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> 
> 
> Just did my first application with T-NEX PGR this morning... Hoping the rain stays away :?


Looks great


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## GlennBlake (Feb 28, 2018)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> 
> 
> Just did my first application with T-NEX PGR this morning... Hoping the rain stays away :?


Looks fabulous @Seeking_Turf


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

wardconnor said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> ...


Thanks Connor :thumbup: Hoping to get on your level one day 



GlennBlake said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> ...


Thanks GlennBlake :thumbup:

Hopefully the other sections of the lawn start to catch up with my front patch :lol:


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

You are well on your way.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> 
> 
> Just did my first application with T-NEX PGR this morning... Hoping the rain stays away :?


Beautiful! T-Nex will be good as long as it doesn't rain within an hour after you apply. I had it rain within an hour after applying (more like 30 minutes) and still had good results.


Seeking_Turf said:


> Once you go reel there is no turning back!


This is the truth!


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Pete1313 said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Just a quick update pic on my first season attempt with a reel mower...
> ...


Thanks Pete! I lucked out and it was just cloudy all day not a drop of rain. Excited to see what this PGR is all about. I know I am late to the party with the PGR this year but hopefully I will get a few applications down to thicken her up before my fall over seeding.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Wow. It looks great mowed tall. It looks great mowed short. You can't lose :thumbup:


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

social port said:


> Wow. It looks great mowed tall. It looks great mowed short. You can't lose :thumbup:


Thanks Social :thumbup: This little golf course turf experiment has definitely converted me to a sub 1" HOC kinda guy.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

What PGR rate did you started with? Are you planning on using GDD (Greenskeeperapp)?


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> What PGR rate did you started with? Are you planning on using GDD (Greenskeeperapp)?


I went straight to .75oz per 1k sq/ft. Figured since im late with my first PGR application this year I would just start with the full recommended dose and go from there in 3 weeks.

GDD? I am not familiar with the app. Will definitely look into thou since you mentioned it :thumbup:

Are you using the GDD?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

A lot of discussion in this thread: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1670&hilit=gdd

The short version
Go to https://www.greenkeeperapp.com/ and create an account. Setup your "golf course" location and size. Then record an application of t-nex for today with the rate you applied. It will then track your weather and recommend when to reapply (based on the GDD 0C model).


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> A lot of discussion in this thread: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1670&hilit=gdd
> 
> The short version
> Go to https://www.greenkeeperapp.com/ and create an account. Setup your "golf course" location and size. Then record an application of t-nex for today with the rate you applied. It will then track your weather and recommend when to reapply (based on the GDD 0C model).


Sweet deal!! Thanks g-man!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

What is your hoc? I think 0.75 rate might be high. I'm at 0.55 in a no mix @25mm. I could go higher, but it still want some grow.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> What is your hoc? I think 0.75 rate might be high. I'm at 0.55 in a no mix @25mm. I could go higher, but it still want some grow.


HOC right now is at 3/4" (19mm). I just went by the label on the bottle for (KBG/Fescue/Rye). This was my first time ever applying any type of PGR. The lawn is mostly KBG/Perennial Rye. It maybe to soon but the lawn doesn't seem to be showing any discoloration from yesterday application.

My hopes are to dial in an application rate for the longest growth suppression possible so when I verticut and over seed with KBG in the fall I increase my chances of germination. T-Nex claims that doubling the max application rate (.75) will ensure extended growth suppression of up to 8 weeks. I maybe able to successfully achieve over seeding with straight KBG with that kind of suppression.


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

Nice work on this. When you re-graded, how much of the lawn did you have to cut? Also how much soil was removed?


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

LIgrass said:


> Nice work on this. When you re-graded, how much of the lawn did you have to cut? Also how much soil was removed?


Thanks LIgrass. I cut that entire front square section in the pictures (700 Sq/Ft) at the deepest setting the sod cutter allowed ~1.5"-2" deep. I removed roughly 3 yards of soil from that section of my lawn.


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