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Alabama Dave's Lawn Journal

21K views 134 replies 20 participants last post by  Getting Fat 
#1 ·
I decided to start my lawn journal. 2019 should be the year I get my 419 lawn the best it's been. Could not have done it without all the help from TLF members! I plan to add pictures from last year to show the progress.


This was how the lawn looked in June of 2018, before I scalped and started cutting with a reel.
 
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#4 ·
Toward the end of the 2018 year I ordered a Swardman Reel mower and had to do a complete scalp so I could start cutting low with my new reel. Some of the neighbors thought I was crazy because I had a decent looking yard and then did this to it :lol:
























Finally I have a low and somewhat level lawn!
 
#9 ·
walk1355 said:
Where did you get your sand? How much did you buy and how many sf did it cover?
I got the sand at Reseda Nursery & Stone Yard on Hwy 72. I had 4 yards delivered, I think roughly 6 tons. It covered my front yard roughly 4K. I believe from TLF that the general rule is about 1 yard per 1k sq ft. There are some leveling threads on here that I looked at to get the amounts figured out. Purchased a recommended drag mat from amazon. It took me all of a 14 hour day start to finish and I had two helpers for about half of that time. I will need to add more sand this year to get it where I want it, but I plan to verticut and sand dress several times this season. I'm guessing I will add another 2-3 yards over the season to get it where I want it.
 
#10 ·
I just received my verticutter for my Swardman reel, so as soon as Noah's flood stops here, I plan to thin out the canopy and remove as much thatch as possible. May do a light sand dressing after the vertcut. I only plan to go down to just above soil level with this pre green up verticut. Trying to get as many new growth points as possible.



 
#11 ·
dtillman5 said:
I also started using pgr and was amazed by the results. This is a clipping from my lawn after a couple doses of pgr and a clipping from my neighbors lawn, same 419 put down roughly the same time.



Obviously the one on the right is pgr treated :D
Wow! That's a great testament to the PGR and how it promotes lateral growth. I have St Augustine and I'm really curious to see if it will have the same affect.
 
#15 ·
bbbdkc79 said:
I've seen it mentioned a few times, and I'm new to the site. What is pgr? I just got done scarifying, verticutting and scalping my celebration bermuda here in central FL, so I'm wondering if this is the time for pgr.
PGR is plant growth regulator. There are specific pgr's for turf. Golf courses use them to slow vertical growth and encourage lateral growth. I follow a growing degree days (GDD) calendar based on temperature for each application during the growing season. There are threads here on PGR and GDD. PGR is generally applied when grass is actively growing so it would depend on temps. How often are you having to cut your grass now?
 
#17 ·
We have litteraly had what felt like Noah's flood for the past week. The whole lawn was like soup so I rented a roller yesterday and rolled the front to try and level it a little more. Hit what few weeds I had with glyphosate, then I scalped to 1/4 inch today and bagged everything. Plan to verticut on Tuesday and do a very light sand top dress.
 
#19 ·
There are micro climates in my lawn near my front door, where heat reflects off the wall and is absorbed by the sidewalk. There is a little Bermuda there that never went dormant this mild winter. Also most of my plants in the bed there never went dormant either..
 
#25 ·
kur1j said:
Where did you get your sand for your leveling and roughly how much was it if you don't mind me asking?
Reseda Nursery on hwy 72. I got 4 yards for a little under $200 delivered. It was clean sand no rocks or gravel.
 
#26 ·
Took the sides down to .25 today and bagged everything. I may try to get it to .2 or a little lower if I can. The sides of the front were left taller bc I was nervous about last years late season scalp. Now I know it will recover just fine. Should have done the whole front but I'm new to this reel low mowing. Now I have the entire front including side yards at .25 hoc and will try to go just a little lower to see how low I can maintain it this season. I don't mind cutting it every other day if need be, but with pgr I doubt I'll need too cut it that often. Will need another full sand level this year, and I plan to tackle the back yard this year too so I can cut it low instead of 1.25 up to 2.5 by the end of last year.
 
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