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Green's Lawn Journal

372K views 2K replies 63 participants last post by  Green 
#1 ·
I guess it's finally time to start one of these, and keep everything in one place...
 
#452 ·
Green said:
ruxie88 said:
What are grass trays and why?
A tray that I plant seed in to transplant later. I can grow a lot more than in individual pots that way. Plus, with TTTF and PR, you really need sod. Plugs won't cut it unless the holes you're fixing are very small.
Understood. Thanks.

I think i want to continue introducing KBG to my lawn via plugs and overseeding/ dormant seeding during the right time of year.
 
#453 ·
Green said:
Finally got mosquito dunks for the flood-prone area until I can fix that issue since it holds standing water. (Thanks @Chris LI !). Unfortunately, while most of the recent water had dried up (still soggy but not currently ponding), there were a lot of mosquitoes around. I wish I'd known about and gotten these things a month ago. I broke one in half and put the halves in each side of the area.
You're welcome! Good luck. I hope you reduce the population significantly. They act as a larvacide and it is good to drop the dunks once you notice some pooling. I forget the exact timing, but I think it's about a week to develop into adults from larvae. You have to monitor frequently to stay on top of things, but I know that's not an issue for you, from past experience. Our county Vector Control would monitor traps at least twice weekly for the facility where I used to work.
 
#454 ·
@Chris LI, what do you have to monitor with the dunks? To make sure they're working?
 
#455 ·
@tgreen, my Velocity program from 2017:
(I went way too low and too often, and started too early, but had some positive results.) The g/gal entries were spot sprays. I'm only going to do blanket sprays this year.

4/20/17: 0.7g/gal Velocity (note: roughly 1oz/acre)

4/24/17: 0.4g/gal Velocity

4/27/17: 0.55g/gal Velocity

5/1/17: 0.7g/gal Velocity

5/9/17: 1.0g/gal Velocity

5/16/17: 1.2g/gal Velocity (note: roughly 1.75-1.85oz/acre)

5/30/17: 1.3g/gal Velocity

6/7/17: 1.62g/gal Velocity (main front)

6/15/7: 0.4g/gal (main front)
..........2.0g/gal (side front and back, and side blanket spray)

6/21/17: 2g/gal (main front)
6/25/17: 2.3g/gal (all except main front; side: blanket spray)

7/3/17: 2.94g/gal (front including blanket on main front)
7/4/17: 2.94g/gal (back spot and side blanket)

7/17/17: 2.94g/gal (back spot and blanket on main front and side)
7/25/17: 2.94g/gal (spot sprays on side and a bit on main front to use up mixture from 7/17)

8/3/17: 2.94g/gal (blanket on main front and side. Spot on side front and some parts of back)
 
#456 ·
Green said:
@Chris LI, what do you have to monitor with the dunks? To make sure they're working?
Once you have enough standing water to be able to see it pool, look up close for larvae swimming around. They'll look like tiny worms. If you had recently applied one of the dunks and you can see the larvae, it's time to toss another one (or part of one in for a small area, as you did). If the water is clear of larvae, continue to check on it every day or so, to keep an eye out for hatched larvae and apply the dunks as necessary.
 
#457 ·
@Chris LI, thanks, I just threw them onto the ground. The package said no issue if it dries out.
 
#458 ·
Sprayed 2nd round of Glyphosate today, including a few more patches. I also merged some areas that were a few inches apart by spraying the green between them. That way, if any Triv was there, it doesn't come back in the same spots.

Pulled up a few Timothy tillers in the upper back.

Mowed grandfather's lawn (overgrown; it was 10 days. I should really get there in 5-7 days the next time based on that).
 
#459 ·
Mowed today. Mowed the front and sides plus the lowest and highest parts of the lower back. Mowed the upper back for the very first time this year. Mowed the far part of the low input area (at 3.75 in since it was a bit high) for the first time plus a lot of the rest of it including the overseed from last year. Almost everything has now been mowed at least once.

Hand trimmed in front.

I find that the first mow causes an increase in growth rate, so I was putting off doing that soggy, far end of the low input area. The ground is so uneven now from all the rain. Crazy.

@social port, I'm having basically the same situation you had a month earlier. Are you still getting too much rain? I think we had rain every day for 3-4 weeks. That's what someone said! Too bad I couldn't put my seed down on the areas I'm killing, yet. It's been perfect for that, and just my luck it'll be drier once I'm ready to seed.

Also threw some Green Max on the opposite end of the low input overseed area to help thicken the extremely thin grass. And on that area that I dug up back in March where the rocks were as well.

Scraped that dead gypsy moth egg mass off the wall finally and into soap.

Opened the irrigation system.
 
#460 ·
Hey @Green , yes, I'm still getting lots of rain down here. It has pretty much been raining all day today. I had planned to take advantage of that by applying some products that need to be watered in, but I didn't get the opportunity. Once Sunday passes, I am headed into a solid 5 days with no rain, so at least I may be able to get a post emergent spray down early next week.
Temps are conducive to disease. Locals say that we had a short spring.

Daily rains complicate mowing and postM plans. It makes me wonder how LCN and other Florida lawn hobbyists get things done.
 
#461 ·
social port said:
Hey Green , yes, I'm still getting lots of rain down here. It has pretty much been raining all day today. I had planned to take advantage of that by applying some products that need to be watered in, but I didn't get the opportunity. Once Sunday passes, I am headed into a solid 5 days with no rain, so at least I may be able to get a post emergent spray down early next week.
Temps are conducive to disease. Locals say that we had a short spring.

Daily rains complicate mowing and postM plans. It makes me wonder how LCN and other Florida lawn hobbyists get things done.
It's already getting hot there?

A far as Florida, I don't know. Good question. One idea though is that the almost daily rain tends to occur in the late Spring through early Fall (that whole period is Summer there), when it's typically 80-95 degrees for daily highs, and the sun is really strong in South Florida during those times of year as well, so I would guess it tends to dry out quicker as well, considering that and also that the rain often only lasts a half hour. During the late Fall through early Spring, it's typically cooler (60s and 70s for highs are common), but there is also less rain in general. Fort Myers, for example, gets about the same amount precipitation per year as my area (50 or so inches), but mine is evenly spaced out over the entire year and some of it is snow. Your area seems to get a lot spaced out over the whole year, too.

What you and I have been having the past 6 months, is more like the PNW from what I hear! How do they get anything done?
 
#462 ·
I've seen temps of 89 degrees already, but projected highs for next week fall in the low 80s. Definitely humid. Seeing probable signs of disease in lawns around town.
Green said:
What you and I have been having the past 6 months, is more like the PNW from what I hear! How do they get anything done?
I have no idea, but they seem to be able to make it work. That makes me think of PNW George (or a name close to that) who has an amazing lawn with stellar landscaping to match. I believe he grows creeping bentgrass. He won, or was at least nominated for, LOTM last year.
 
#463 ·
@social port, 89 is crazy. I remember one year in early or mid May a few years ago here, it was in the low 90s for like 4-5 days, and there was no rain at all. Everyone (who cared about their grass) was going crazy trying to water to keep everything from burning out. That is not how you want to start the Summer off.

Today's high was about 45 with the rain, I kid you not. You could see it when you breathe. Quite a way North of us in Northern CT and Mass, there was apparently some snow, and the Mass DOT was actually plowing on the highways. I'm not complaining about the weather here, that is for sure! Grass is acting like it's under PGR. That means root growth is happening.

Yeah, PNW_George, Shindoman (Vancouver), etc. Apparently, they also hit 89 already this year.
 
#464 ·
Got 1 inch of rain yesterday.

Had my irrigation guy here first thing this morning to change some things up in the front. One of the heads was set too far in from the boundary and was moved. Another was too close my tree, which has gotten bigger, so it was moved and interchanged for a 6-inch pressure regulated head (which should also help overall coverage since it's more centered between two others now). Along the road, he moved the center head 3.5 feet to the left, and then added a head at the right corner (also a 6-inch pressure regulated head; I never had a corner head there). To top it all off, while he worked on those, I worked on one on the opposite side of the driveway near the curb, and swapped it out for a 6-inch regulated head, and him check what I did before I filled it back in. So, lots of upgrades today.

Note to self: the head near the tree had a 3.5 LA gray nozzle, and the front sidewalk one had a 0.75 black nozzle. I'll need to replace the current ones with those when I adjust the heads. I think I'll put the 1.0 in the new head.

And it started raining again.

Guess what I just saw in the cracks in the road starting to come up...crabgrass. It's that time of year.
 
#465 ·
Got 0.42 inches of rain yesterday.

Sprayed glyphosate today for the 3rd time. I used 1.5-2oz per gallon this time. Each time, I've been finding new Triv areas to spray. But I can't do any more new ones the next time. I already have too many. I'm going to have to start reseeding soon. I hope the spots that were sprayed 3x will be dead soon. I lightly raked before spraying to expose more of the green. Been using AMS and NIS each time.
 
#466 ·
Got this today. New mower! Toro Recycler 22-inch with Honda GCV-160 engine. :mrgreen:
Started up on the first pull.
Photos before using it for the first time:









Put it together, set it to 3.25 in, and tested it out by mowing the Side-front, lower back, and side. First impression: Pretty powerful engine! I like it. It decimated a couple of small sticks I forgot/neglected to pick up because I was so excited to mow.

Watered the areas where the sprinkler work was done the other day.

Ran the mower for 15 minutes on the driveway before using. Then mowed for about 40 min. Have to keep track, and change the oil after the first 5 hours.
 
#468 ·
social port said:
Oh Nice!!

I can't wait to hear about your experiences with it.

Congrats!
Thanks! I wanted the Honda engine so badly...$349 before tax. May is the best month overall to buy mowers...they have the most sales.

The old mower will be used for leaf mulching, which is messy, as well as some other things.
 
#469 ·
Nice mower green you will love it. I got my Toro super recycler last year with the honda engine always first pull start everytime. Btw, grass is looking lush in the mower pics 👍👍
 
#471 ·
@SNOWBOB11, yeah, especially with all the pollen this week!

@JDgreen18, so far I'm pretty impressed. The only negative is the large rear wheels somehow make it harder to push and turn. But that's nitpicking. There was no Toro 22" with Honda engine and smaller wheels currently available. Thanks. I haven't shown the Roundup spots yet...a necessary evil. Though you can see one small one in one or two of the photos.

Used it about another half hour, so about 1.5 hours so far. Took my foam grip off. Still adjusting everything. Mowed the main front.
------------------------------

Watered the install areas.

Mowed and trimmed at grandfather's. Took 80 min to mow and extra time to trim. Wasn't overgrown from a week ago, thankfully. Picked up some sticks.
 
#473 ·
social port said:
Green said:
large rear wheels somehow make it harder to push and turn.
I take it that the mower isn't equipped with the personal pace system?
No, it doesnt. And I have fairly strong feelings on this topic. It was a hard decision and I actually started researching all these models last year. In the end, I actually didn't want a Personal Pace system after talking with my neighbor who bought one a couple years ago, because I wanted to be able to easily go manual and push on demand, and opening the grip to release it it fairly natural. The Personal Pace is nice, but is always on, and was a deal breaker due to that. The ideal system would probably be a Personal Pace system that also allowed locking the system off on demand with a quick motion to go fully manual. But that doesn't currently exist. Every mower available now is a compromise in that regard.

I'm really liking the 2-bail system, though, because I can go manual on demand. It's a good alternative. This is the first self propelled mower I've used. The front wheel drive on it is pretty good; you just don't want to set it too fast or it goes all over the place and you can't mow straight. I also rarely bag mow. For someone who goes slow and hardly bags, FWD is a fine system. I also like being able to make turns without releasing the drive. There were also no Toro Honda engine mowers currently available around here with Personal Pace (except the more expensive 21" Super Recycler), which made the decision easier. But yes, I prefer the standard handle due to ease of going manual, and also the hand position comfort (No plastic handle). Being average height, it's also at a good level. My neighbor with the Personal Pace is a bit on the tall side (3-4 inches taller), so his hand position may be slightly different with respect to comfortable level. Allyn Hane, who is slightly shorter than me, sometimes comments that the handle on the Personal Pace is a bit high for him, especially on the higher setting. And he doesn't have hills to go up.
 
#474 ·
Good luck with the new mower! It's always nice to be able to start it and go. I replaced a really good second hand 21" mower, because I got tired of replacing all sorts of parts and having to band aid it, just to mow the lawn. I saved it for a future restoration project.

If you have any bumps or unevenness in the lawn, the larger wheels will help reduce wheel hop and provide a smoother ride.
 
#475 ·
@Chris LI, yes, there are definitely bumps and uneven ground!
-------------------------------------------------------
Today, watered the sprinkler work areas.

Then, mixed up my seed and started reseeding the Roundup patches in the front, starting from near the driveway and front walk. Also did the two small spots on the side front near the driveway.

Before seeding, I raked the dead grass and clipped it down to about 2 inches using the hand shears, and then put down the seed, lightly raked, and stepped on it. The dead grass will act as straw to keep moisture in. I'm not even bothering with peat moss at this point...no need for it. It might be too much covering, actually. Believe it or not, some of the dead grass still had a hint of green.

Then, watered it. I'll have to water by hand 2-3x per day for a few weeks.

My seed mix for the front was composed of:
-80% TTTF
-10% TTPR
-10+ percent KBG

-2.5 lbs Bullseye
-1 lb Firecracker SLS
-0.5 lb total: Titanium 2LS, Flame, and Summer

-0.5 lb total: Apple SGL, Karma, and Fiesta 4 (going a bit higher on the Apple SGL than the others)

-0.3 lb Bewitched KBG
-0.45 lb sod cert. Rugby II KBG (germination test with paper towel showed zero germination after 2 weeks, so just threw some in as extra)

All seed was 0.00 weed and 0.00 other crop. The Bewitched and Rugby II were old (2013), but the Bewitched still tested well. Maybe because it was stored in a plastic bag instead of a mesh bag?

I also went a bit heavy on the seed, maybe 10 lbs per thousand (threw it down by hand), to compensate for the fact that some of the seed was a bit old, and that the old dead grass might inhibit some of the germination by shading it out. I can always overseed lightly later in August if needed. I used slightly less seed, plus extra straight "Summer" TTTF on the areas closest to the front walk like I did the last time I seeded (it's a finer textured grass than most).
 
#476 ·
Also, we've been getting a little rain almost every day still, but it looks like that's dwindling down lately. There are now days or even two in a row here and there with none.

Lots of spraying needed over the upcoming days. Not sure how I'm going to do it all:
-1st app of PGR on the front
-Second app of Tenacity on the main front and front hill
-First app of Biofungicide
-Bt spray on Hickory tree (I noticed a few small gypsy moth caterpillars munching away the other day.)
-Tenacity second app on low input overseed area
-Final(?) app of Roundup on a few areas
-Spoon feed app on low input overseed

Also need to get the garden fence somewhere, and research more about mosquito control and decide if I'm ordering that other stuff.

*It's a little less than 2 weeks since the second Tenacity app to try to thin FF out some more on the side front along the driveway, and it's whitening. Sometime in the next week, I'll spray the third and final app on those areas, at 5oz/A again. The Tenacity is also whitening the Poa Triv that I discovered in the top of that area last week.

Lawn photos coming soon.

Reminder: check soil temps tomorrow. Been a while.
 
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