[Kledbetter]

Well the big weekend is here. I will be leveling this weekend. I got a 6 yards (full dump truck) of masonry sand. I will likely need close to another full truck but I wanted to get one and get all my gnarly big spots filled in first then probably wait a month or so and come in and do the whole yard with a true layer. I more like spot leveling in bulk this weekend. Went with straight masonry sand.

It's been raining for 3 days in a row here but stopping today and no more likely in the 10 day forecast so should be a good time to do it.

Since it has been raining I took the time to start my manual to electric earthwise reel mower project. Spent a couple hours on it yesterday and so far so good. I realistically will likely only ever use it on my front yard as the backyard is sloped pretty big and manual pushing even that 50ish lbs up hills is not pretty.

Yard is looking pretty good. I did some tidying up and removed some bushes etc and put some AMS out last weekend. The PGR should be on the downslope now and should allow me to hit the N hard after the level to get the fill in going. I mowed last Sunday and will scalp on Friday presand. We are also supposed to start hitting 90 degrees late next week so all that combined is good news for the growth and fill in. I will make sure to get before and after pics

Reel mower electric conversion pics.

 

[24kfeet]

Well the big weekend is here. I will be leveling this weekend. I got a 6 yards (full dump truck) of masonry sand. I will likely need close to another full truck but I wanted to get one and get all my gnarly big spots filled in first then probably wait a month or so and come in and do the whole yard with a true layer. I more like spot leveling in bulk this weekend. Went with straight masonry sand.

It's been raining for 3 days in a row here but stopping today and no more likely in the 10 day forecast so should be a good time to do it.

Since it has been raining I took the time to start my manual to electric earthwise reel mower project. Spent a couple hours on it yesterday and so far so good. I realistically will likely only ever use it on my front yard as the backyard is sloped pretty big and manual pushing even that 50ish lbs up hills is not pretty.

Yard is looking pretty good. I did some tidying up and removed some bushes etc and put some AMS out last weekend. The PGR should be on the downslope now and should allow me to hit the N hard after the level to get the fill in going. I mowed last Sunday and will scalp on Friday presand. We are also supposed to start hitting 90 degrees late next week so all that combined is good news for the growth and fill in. I will make sure to get before and after pics

Reel mower electric conversion pics.

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Are you scalping with a reel? What HOC are you scalping at? Im a week behind you in schedule and my biggest source of nerves is coming from only being able to get the HOC down to 1.5". Im scared that is going to make it tough to get the sand down to the soil.

 

[Kledbetter]

Are you scalping with a reel? What HOC are you scalping at? Im a week behind you in schedule and my biggest source of nerves is coming from only being able to get the HOC down to 1.5". Im scared that is going to make it tough to get the sand down to the soil.

Nope just setting Honda to its lowest setting. I maintenance mow on second to lowest. The Honda gets to just under an inch on lowest.

It's fine just means you need dry sand and make sure you work it in well with a lawn leveling rake or broom. I will go over mine with drag mat day after as well before I water in.

 

[GreenFeet]

Well the big weekend is here. I will be leveling this weekend. I got a 6 yards (full dump truck) of masonry sand. I will likely need close to another full truck but I wanted to get one and get all my gnarly big spots filled in first then probably wait a month or so and come in and do the whole yard with a true layer. I more like spot leveling in bulk this weekend. Went with straight masonry sand.

It's been raining for 3 days in a row here but stopping today and no more likely in the 10 day forecast so should be a good time to do it.

Since it has been raining I took the time to start my manual to electric earthwise reel mower project. Spent a couple hours on it yesterday and so far so good. I realistically will likely only ever use it on my front yard as the backyard is sloped pretty big and manual pushing even that 50ish lbs up hills is not pretty.

Yard is looking pretty good. I did some tidying up and removed some bushes etc and put some AMS out last weekend. The PGR should be on the downslope now and should allow me to hit the N hard after the level to get the fill in going. I mowed last Sunday and will scalp on Friday presand. We are also supposed to start hitting 90 degrees late next week so all that combined is good news for the growth and fill in. I will make sure to get before and after pics

Reel mower electric conversion pics.

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Nice, what's the lowest you can cut with that reel and kit?
Also what kit is that?

 

[Kledbetter]

Nice, what's the lowest you can cut with that reel and kit?
Also what kit is that?

I got this kit as was on sale during winter.

16" Electric Conversion Bracket Kit - Stage 1 PRE-ORDER - Reel Mower Mods

Our base level bracket kit, includes everything you need for an electric conversion except for the motor, controller and battery system.

reelmowermods.com

I sourced the motor and controller from AliExpress and am doing all the wiring and boxes myself (have 4 3d printers)

It's the same as the standard Earthwise HOC (0.5 to 2.5 inches) for this kit. You can get other mods that let you go lower to .25.

 

[Kledbetter]

Ok I feel like I'm never going to be able to move again but the leveling is done and went well. I put 12 yards out. I had 3 neighbors helping first day. Finished up with another 5 hours solo this afternoon. I am very happy so far to get those multi inch "regrading" type spots done. Even if not perfect I know it will be much better. Hopefully if I have to do again I can rent an ecolawn and give it a "normal" topdress leveling. I won't do all that by hand again. To much work for a 50 year old, even with 3 other 50 year olds helping . It looks like I have my own private beach now.

The drag mat proved the winner tool wise. Don't get me wrong lawn leveling rake worked well also as well as the back side of a rake but the drag mat was more useful than I would have guessed.

 

[GreenFeet]

Ok I feel like I'm never going to be able to move again but the leveling is done and went well. I put 12 yards out. I had 3 neighbors helping first day. Finished up with another 5 hours solo this afternoon. I am very happy so far to get those multi inch "regrading" type spots done. Even if not perfect I know it will be much better. Hopefully if I have to do again I can rent an ecolawn and give it a "normal" topdress leveling. I won't do all that by hand again. To much work for a 50 year old, even with 3 other 50 year olds helping . It looks like I have my own private beach now.

The drag mat proved the winner tool wise. Don't get me wrong lawn leveling rake worked well also as well as the back side of a rake but the drag mat was more useful than I would have guessed.

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That's so much work, oh my goodness. Bravo for getting it done!
So how's it look like now a week later?

 

[Kledbetter]

One week update. Sections are growing in nicely. The front yard especially I think with a few spot exceptions will only be another 4 to 6 weeks before you won't be able to tell. Back and side are where I had multi inch spots and of course those will take time. I will say I'm happy with how it's holding and the major regrading parts look good. I will for sure need to touch them up late in the season but mission accomplished as far as major reworks. What is growing in looks great. Super dark green and looks healthy. I did put down 0.5lb/1000 of N P and K last Tuesday. Will hit it with another .3 or so of N later this week. I tried to take pictures from roughly the same spots. Totally different time of day (10am compared to 6pm) but gives a decent comparison.

Also did another interesting experiment. I had one flower bed that Bermuda was overtaking so I thought why not sprig it in the areas where I did massive sand but didn't put plugs. So I pulled the runners up and just stuck a hole in the sand with my finger and buried them. I have watered the areas twice a day for 5 minutes and they seem to have in large part taken really well. Time will tell of course but so far I'm happy. Pictures of just after I planted sprigs and then today.

And today

 

[Kledbetter]

Made a first cut with my electrified Earthwise 7 blade today and man I'm sold. I've never reel mower before and I have to say could already totally tell how much better the cut is. It's difficult to show with all the sands spots still but cut at 1.25 inches probably 5k of the 8k I have and only used roughly half of a battery. I left where I had super thick sand and sprigs to let it grow in more but honestly I'm not sure I'll use the rotary again this season unless I scalp for a leveling touch up later in the year. Tomorrow going to spray another 0.25 of N with Ammonium Sulfate.

 

[Kledbetter]

This evening I sprayed enough AMS to put down 0.25lb/ 1000sqft of N. I also added Feature at 2 oz per 1000sqft since it has been 2 months since I added any iron or macros. I'll water in tomorrow morning. We have had zero rain in the last 2 weeks. Next week looks promising for at least a little. Overall happy with where I'm at. I'll certainly need to mow again early next week. I'll get 2 week pictures early next week before I mow. The sprigged areas are looking great. I know will be months before filled in but they are all green and growing in straight sand. I'll probably spring a couple more area next week since my experiment went well. Just pulling them from flower beds and random plants in pots.

 

[Kledbetter]

Well we finally got rain and as usual here when it rains it pours. We received about 3 inches in 24 hours. 2 different lines of thunderstorms. Fortunately the yard overall faired fairly well. Some sand washout but only one significant area. I'll likely go get a 1/2 yard of topsoil later this week and fill in and then come back a week or so later with a half yard of sand to fill in the cracks and level.

Like I say otherwise I'm very happy. Sprigs are really really growing in big time and are at least 3 times their size in just a couple weeks. I was very worried this are would washout as it's sloped and like 8 inches of sand in places but it held well l.

And some shots from the same angles as before. Front yard is filling nicely and probably needs another month and will be super nice again.

Back has several large patches that will take time but overall happy with progress.

Same with left side yard. Some washout from the gutters I'll have to deal with but nothing major.

The neighbors on my right are building a boat dock and so there is a section I share with them that will get destroyed. Luckily they let me talk to contractor with them and they agreed to level everything back. Bring in 419 sod and sand after that so I'm confident that will be OK when all said and done. I knew they were likely to do it so I didn't level much on that side anyway. Really glad now I didn't waste the time or money. I'll take some pics of that as they are starting today.

Going to try to get a mow in tomorrow if the rain will hold off as we are supposed to get another round tomorrow but it needs mowed in a bad way.

I'll spray another round of AMS at 0.3 lb/1000 either late this week or early next just depending on the weather.

 

[Katodude]

Enjoy that earth wise for a long as you can, but you are now hooked on reel mowing.

Your next step will be getting a real reel mower.

 

[Kledbetter]

Enjoy that earth wise for a long as you can, but you are now hooked on reel mowing.

Your next step will be getting a real reel mower.

Not this season for sure. We'll see next season. Hell I still have a lot of growing in to do to get the yard back to presentable before I'm even tempted to do that!

 

[Kledbetter]

The fill in continues nicely. Front is probably 75% there. Back closer to 50% I cut it with my electric reel mower on Saturday then lowered to 1" today. Some minor scalping in back but nothing that won't grow out with next mow. The good news is that a consistent scalp, not from the unevenness from before. I'm pretty pumped about that. I'm itching to put PGR on it but I'm going to hold out until at least July to grow in as much as possible.

Plan is to spray another 0.3N/1000 of AMS on it tonight.

There were two very small beds with bushes in the back I pulled out right before the level and then leveled with sand that have at least 2 inches there. There are growing in fine but both are full of sedge as being beds they didn't get any preemergent and honestly not any post emergent except and occasional glyphosate spot treatment. I hit those areas with a Celero (imazosulfuron)/sulfentrazone combo on Saturday. Side note I have basically zero spurge and neighbors have tons so I am 100% sold on Gallery (isoaxben) and will use that again in the fall and the spring.

I have not done anything with the washout by the back tree yet. I am contemplating getting some quotes to relocate a pop up drain that's there along with running my side gutters underground and tying them into some existing drainage but we'll see. That may be a fall or next year. I could do it myself but I just don't feel like doing that much digging so I'll likely hire that out. Proper equipment can knock it out in a day.

Back

Side

Front

The sprigs continue to amaze. I have cut the water back to 5 minutes every other day . It's probably 30ish percent coverage of inches of bare sand in just 3 weeks

Today

 

[Kledbetter]

I'll hit it tonight with 0.3lb N/1000 of AMS and then water in good in morning. Just a quick comparison shot of week 1 vs week 3


Front week 3. Week 1

Back

 

[Kledbetter]

Note to self: 7.5lbs of AMS in 4G resulting in 0.375 lb of N per/1000 is to much to spray when it's hot. Go back to 6 lbs AMS per 4G tank.

Not a huge deal but certainly got some tip burn with the last AMS app. Will be gone in a week with a mowing I'm sure but went a little 🔥. Doesn't help that it's 96 with a 104 heat index here today

 

[Redtwin]

I've done the same with AS. It'll mow off next mow.

 

[Kledbetter]

I've done the same with AS. It'll mow off next mow.

On the plus side it's growing like crazy and I'll have to mow again tomorrow and I'm sure again Sun or Monday so will likely be unnoticeable by this time next week. I don't like mowing more than once a week but at this point glad to be as I'm pushing the grow in.

 

[Kledbetter]

Nothing really new to report. The little fert b tip burn I had indeed mowed right off in 1 mow and you can't even tell anymore. Had pop up thunderstorms here the last 3 days. Yard needed a mow bad and I got 80% done today before the bottom fell out. Front was done and back about 2/3rds or so. You can see the line near the lake in the back where I didn't finish. I'll try to finish that up in the morning. Plan to hit it with another 0.3 of N/1000 late this week is weather will cooperate. Front yard is probably 80 to 90% filled in with only spots that get some shade and 2 really deep spots not filled in yet. Back probably more like 70% as there were more big areas that needed significant sand. But all in all still pretty happy. Seems to be doing well, no disease or insect issues or note so just humming along. I did treat my back flower bed this evening with bifenthrin and acephate as I saw a few mealybugs as well as some leaf roller damage on the cannas. Those things are voracious here so I wanted to get ahead of any major issues.

 

[Kledbetter]

Small update.

I wanted to share a few picks before I mow. It has rained 7 out of 8 days here and I haven't mowed for a week and it's probably at least 2 inches tall. This afternoon was dry and it's not supposed to rain until at least tomorrow afternoon so I am going to lower the mower to 3/4" and basically scalp it then raise the mower back up to 1" since I am going to cut of like 50% plus of the blade. It will be fine and the first real test of my electrified manual reel. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Front is looking really good at this point. Over 90% recovered. Now just pushing the thickness but happy where it is. Back is coming along fine but had so many more gig areas and holes that will just take longer. I'll take better pics later this week but the sprig sections are at least 80% covered. Been almost exactly a month since the level. Like I say I'll try to get exactly same angles pics later in the week to have a one month in comparison but depending on how bad it looks after the mow may not be a good comparison.