First time verticutter

13435 Views 85 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Suaverc118, Oct 17, 2017

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · Sep 14, 2017

8

Thanks to @concretestorm for helping with verticutting my whole lawn. Pictures here are before and after the cut. So I had a lot of dead and live stolons that made up for most of my lawn. When we cut the lawn, it exposed a lot of the ground. And So you know, this is a sod lawn. Now that it's been nearly stripped, I need some experienced suggestions on what to do next. Oh, and I put out Lescos 15-15-15 fertilizer on my lawn which is about 5,200 sqft and it covers 7,500 sq ft. So, any opinions from people who have had this done would be great.
Thanks

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Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #61 · Oct 10, 2017

5

Hey fellas, haven't posted here in a while. Just an update. My yard is coming along really well, just a few spots that are stubborn that are very slow, but it's coming. Oh, and there are spots along the house that are still kinda bare and I'm thinking of eventually just making that a walk way. So here are some pics, including a pic of some brown mounds that look like ants but am not sure, and maybe y'all can help me out.

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Colonel K0rn

· #62 · Oct 10, 2017

Might be like what I was experiencing when I put the Mirimichi Green on my lawn, and saw dirt like that. Turned out it was earthworms, and they're still going crazy.

One sure way to find out whether or not it's ants is to poke it with a stick :lol:

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #63 · Oct 11, 2017

Well if it's worms then I need to put out some more bifen

Movingshrub

· #64 · Oct 11, 2017

Suaverc118 said:
Well if it's worms then I need to put out some more bifen

Worms are good for the soil. If you aren't having issues with the armadillos, you may not need to put out the bifen. Granted, the bifen will also take out things like ants and roaches, so up to you on that one.

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #65 · Oct 11, 2017

No issues over the last few weeks, so I'll hold off then.

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #66 · Oct 12, 2017

So I'm mowing again tomorrow. I put out that pre emergent as well as of Tuesday. What are the next few steps to do between now and when it gets colder, which may be at least another 2 weeks to a month? I still want more lateral growth/fill in less thick spots, in some areas, but not sure what else to do. Thanks

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #67 · Oct 12, 2017

Should I keep fertilizing and etc???

Mightyquinn

· #68 · Oct 13, 2017

When was the last time you fertilized? And with what?

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #69 · Oct 13, 2017

I fertilized it with lesco 15-15-15 on Sept 21. 2 days ago I put out lesco pre-emerg 5-0-17

Colonel K0rn

· #70 · Oct 13, 2017

2

Since it's near the end of the growing season, and the grass is going to start slowing down, then you might have to live with the thinner spots until Spring. What I highly suggest is that you get in on the Spring Group Buy for PGR when I do it in March 2018.

Ware has some pictures of his turf compared to his neighbor's turf in the PGR thread. Here's two pictures of my common bermuda that's growing in my back yard. Top one is treated, bottom is untreated. You can visibly see how much more leaf tissue is on each stem, and the distance between crowns is much shorter. This is going to exponentially increase your turf density, and you'll be surprised with the results. I started seeing results in about 2 weeks, mainly because I didn't have to mow the back yard as much, but when I looked at the areas that were treated compared to untreated areas, it made me a believer in PGR.

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Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #71 · Oct 13, 2017

Yes I would like to get in with the group for the pgr. So I think I've kinda given up on the thin areas for now.
So Ck0rn, what should my next steps be for now? My grass has just stopped growing after my last mow. We still have plenty of days of high 80 degree temps

Colonel K0rn

· #72 · Oct 13, 2017

By looking at your profile, it just says you're located in Texas, and that's a mighty big state :lol: If memory serves me, you're somewhere near Austin.

I like to use Weather Underground to see trends in historical weather to predict when the seasons are going to change. Here's a historical chart of the weather at this particular station in Austin. Looking at it, the weather last year didn't really start getting into the low 70's - high 60's until November, and there wasn't much rain at all this time last year. Use the calendar's history to tell you what to look for seasonally.

Other than that, keep mowing, get the weeds you can get, then clean your tools. There's always work that can be done in preparation for next season, even if you're not working directly on the lawn. Check out my renovation thread, where I added a flowerbed, and then today added drip irrigation to the whole front.

Don't be afraid to take a day off either. It's not going to go to heck if you do that. You deserve a break, your yard has come a long way since you started working on it! Step back, and admire the work you've done, and what you've accomplished, and your efforts show.

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Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #73 · Oct 13, 2017

Great info! So I'm done with fertilizing correct?
Also, I've been working on remulching my front bed and all the trees. Man it's tougher than I thought. I have so many roots that were growing out above the ground and in the mulch. For me, at least, takes a few hours to remove those roots and the baby ones, remove all the dirt and mulch, because they put so much. I'll have pictures tomorrow.

Colonel K0rn

· #74 · Oct 13, 2017

Look into getting some of the biodegradable mulch. One of the first videos that I saw of Pete's from GCI Turf was his video of him planting his raised flower bed. I learned so much by watching this video. I had to use the mulch that was available to me, but when I find a source for the "Soil Enhancer" product that he puts on top of his beds when he is done, then that's what I'll be using here on out. Just keep adding to it every year, and raising the bed. Here's the video.
https://youtu.be/sOZrFAHVlmU

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #75 · Oct 13, 2017

Thanks for the video. Can't wait to add on to my yard.
So 8 don't think 8 ever got a definitive answer... Can I still fertilizer after using my 5-0-17 pre emergent and if so which can I use? Example, 10-10-10 or whatever is best. we still have a lot of warmth left and I want to k ow of I can still improve the thickness. I also wonder if I put too much Celsius in certain spots since there is some discoloration in certain areas, not as green.

J_nick

· #76 · Oct 13, 2017

Being so far south you should be good for some fertilizer. Ideally you should stop Nitrogen about a month before your first frost date. Excess N before dormancy has shown increase in spring dead spot. How many #s of the 5-0-17 did you put down over how many sqft?

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #77 · Oct 13, 2017

I have about 5,200 sqft combined and used 3/4 of the bag

Colonel K0rn

· #78 · Oct 13, 2017

If the bag was a 40# bag like what I get, and you put down 30#, for your yard size you applied .29lb/k. I'm going to point you to this spreadsheet that g-man made. This will help you keep a log of what you've done to your yard. Not all of the tabs are going to be applicable, because you're not going to want to put Tenacity on your bermuda. I've been using this since August to keep track of what I've done, and color-coding it helps out a lot. I can see what was an herbicide, what was fertilizing, and what was amendments (top-dress, lime, gypsum).

If you have any questions, fire away. Let's say your yard in the front is 2,000 ft², and the back is 3,200 ft². On each sheet, you'll put 2.0 and 3.2 respectively in the size of the yard column. Then put in the ratio for the fertilizer, and how many pounds you applied. By magic, your lb/k will show up, and show you how much you applied to that portion of the yard. Helps you out a lot.

Suaverc118

Discussion Starter · #79 · Oct 14, 2017

I believe the bag was 50 lbs.

That spread sheet is really going to help out. My front with the side yards (corner lot) is bigger than the back yard. Combined front with side is about 3,000 and the back is 2,200.

So if I'm to fertilizer and not use any nitrogen, which would be the best kind to use?

FATC1TY

· #80 · Oct 14, 2017

Suaverc118 said:
I believe the bag was 50 lbs.

That spread sheet is really going to help out. My front with the side yards (corner lot) is bigger than the back yard. Combined front with side is about 3,000 and the back is 2,200.

So if I'm to fertilizer and not use any nitrogen, which would be the best kind to use?

Nitrogen is your fertilizer. You wouldn't effectively be adding anything but P and K if you left out the nitrogen.

You just need to not put any down 30 days before you could experience your first frost. For here in Atlanta that's roughly safe to assume by Halloween to give up the nitrogen and let the yard go to sleep. Nov could bring some frost late in the month

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