Mowen da lawn

[Scorpio64 5,145]

1 hour ago, gleninjersey said:

Scorpio, you are thinking of midseason applications.

Actually, I was thinking weed and feed, like you posted.

 

3 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

Well the weed and feed definitely got watered in last night.

If you had said "fertilizer with crabgrass control", my reply would have been different.  Why would crabgrass control need to stick to mature broad leaf weeds when crabgrass is not even present yet?

We put down Lesco 18-0-4 with Dimension three weeks ago, just prior to soil temps reaching 50 deg.  It gives the herbicide time to dissolve into the soil and form the pre-emergent "barrier" that you mentioned.   What's great about Dimension, is that it also gives several weeks of early post-emergent protection on most annual grasses, including crabgrass, and a  broad spectrum of weeds as well.

I been doing this shit for a long time brah.

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Scorpio, yeah I mixed up the terminology.  It's a pre-emergent.  Says it provides up to 5 months of crabgrass and weed control (prevents up to 200 weeds).

Where did you pick up the Lesco?  None of the Lowes near me had it in stock.  I've used it in past and worked well.

[Scorpio64 5,145]

1 minute ago, gleninjersey said:

Where did you pick up the Lesco? 

Home depot has a 19-0-7 consumer version of what we use.  We get the pro grade stuff at landscape supply companies like SiteOne or Raycroft.

[Sniper 6,372]

6 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

We put down Lesco 18-0-4 with Dimension three weeks ago, just prior to soil temps reaching 50 deg.  It gives the herbicide time to dissolve into the soil and form the pre-emergent "barrier" that you mentioned.

I'm seeing a bunch of new weeds popping up this year that I hadn't seen in previous years. Problem is, I can't put out a herbicide like you mentioned, as my 4 legged knucklehead must have been a goat or woodchuck in a previous life. He loves to "graze" on what ever he finds in the yard, and based on what I've got invested in him, I can't take the chance of poisoning him. So I've been hand pulling a bunch of the weeds.

When an occasional dandelion yellow flower pops, it's a race to see who gets to it first. Maybe I should just train him to pull the whole damn weed, and have him earn his keep.

[Scorpio64 5,145]

2 minutes ago, Sniper said:

4 legged knucklehead must have been a goat or woodchuck in a previous life.

As long as your knucklehead does not eat dirt, he will be fine.  Pets have to be kept off the yard for a few days to give the granules time to work their way down to the soil.  It's not so much eating grass that is a problem, it's them walking around and then licking their paws.

You can try one of the tree hugger organic weed killers, but they are basically broad spectrum herbicides, so you can only spot treat.  They usually contain a salt or a citric acid as the active ingredient.  If the lawn is more or less healthy, grass will eventually grow back in the spot where the weed was.

Also, an often overlooked way to prevent weeds is lime (not the fruit).  Using lime to sweeten the soil helps grass take in nutrients.  If the pH is too low, you are basically starving your lawn.  You can get a test kit at HD for about ten bucks.  Use it to determine how much lime to put down.  Thick healthy lawns choke weeds to death.

[gleninjersey 2,139]

18 hours ago, Zeke said:

My lawn popped in 3 days. Stuff is magical 

I still haven't mowed.  This week for sure though.  I can already see the grass has greened up from two days ago. 

The grass in many yards in my neighborhood just recently seem to have started growing .  From walking the dog around I can only see 3-4 homes that have mowed.  Many years by this time I had mowed 2-3 times already.  I guess it's just been colder than usual?

[silverado427 10,661]

What type / brand grass seed are you guys using.  

[Zeke 5,504]

Scotts ky blue!

[Sniper 6,372]

58 minutes ago, silverado427 said:

What type / brand grass seed are you guys using.  

Sod, it's quicker.

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Decent educational read for new home owners or those new to lawn care.

https://igin.com/article-6373-Prevention-is-the-Best-Medicine.html

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Got the mower going but it's been too wet to mow.  Lawn is soft and soggy all over

[NJSigfan 218]

On 4/14/2019 at 2:36 PM, Scorpio64 said:

Easy peasey. 

No screwing with 2 cycle, no gummed up carbs, no spilled gasoline, no difficult cold starts.  I bought one of these last year, going to expand it this year with a 4Ah battery pack and a hedge trimmer.  They are just as strong as gas powered.  I prefer this for home over the 2 cycle gas powered equipment I use at work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-58-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-String-Trimmer-2-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-Included-CDST-58V2AH/303172889

So I’m tired of dealing with gas powered trimmers and bought a Kobalt 40 volt trimmer this weekend AFTER losing hours fiddling with the idle.   Then I read some reviews that stated the bump feed knob tends to crack...so that has me wondering what are some  opinions on good electric weed trimmers.  

I live on just shy of 2acres of land that’s fenced lined by a split rail fence with a drive that’s about 50 yards long.   I know most of the stuff sold at Lowe’s or HD are “pro-sumer” models that lag behind in performance to the more expensive Pro grade models.  So my question is which model is a good brand to get?  Echo, Milwaukee, worxs, ryobi, toro, ego, green works?  

I already have the kobalt hedge trimmer which works great and the reason why I got the kobalt weed trimmer, but like I said its suspect base on reviews.  Ideally I’d like to move to one platform for future yard tool needs so the batteries need to translate to other tools. 

Thanks for the help.  If anyone can help fix my gas trimmer I’d be willing to pay for time or trade for Ammo...

[Krdshrk 3,877]

My buddy says Echo is good quality.  What gas trimmer do you have?

[Maksim 1,504]

1 hour ago, Krdshrk said:

My buddy says Echo is good quality.  What gas trimmer do you have?

Stihl..which is apparently the Dillon of the power tools world.

Bought the Stihl FS 56 RC last year and quite happy.  Easy to start, lasts for a damn long time and powerful enough for anything I needed it for.  

[Scorpio64 5,145]

1 hour ago, NJSigfan said:

2 acres of land that’s fenced lined by a split rail fence

Sounds like a pain in the ass to trim all that.  Trimming around wood fence posts tends to chew up the posts too.  Wherever I can get away with it, I spray herbicide around the base of the post.  Less trimming and less wear and tear on the posts.  Nobody will notice a little dead grass around 2 acres of fence posts. 

We have a couple of customers with very large fenced properties that we talked into putting  a 3" strip of gravel along the fence line.  It cuts down on maintenance, but more importantly, it saves the fence from a weekly beating  I also kill a two to three inch strip along stockade fencing for the same reason.  Fences are expensive, especially the nice vinyl fences.

 

[Maksim 1,504]

2 hours ago, NJSigfan said:

So I’m tired of dealing with gas powered trimmers and bought a Kobalt 40 volt trimmer this weekend AFTER losing hours fiddling with the idle.   Then I read some reviews that stated the bump feed knob tends to crack...so that has me wondering what are some  opinions on good electric weed trimmers.  

I live on just shy of 2acres of land that’s fenced lined by a split rail fence with a drive that’s about 50 yards long.   I know most of the stuff sold at Lowe’s or HD are “pro-sumer” models that lag behind in performance to the more expensive Pro grade models.  So my question is which model is a good brand to get?  Echo, Milwaukee, worxs, ryobi, toro, ego, green works?  

I already have the kobalt hedge trimmer which works great and the reason why I got the kobalt weed trimmer, but like I said its suspect base on reviews.  Ideally I’d like to move to one platform for future yard tool needs so the batteries need to translate to other tools. 

Thanks for the help.  If anyone can help fix my gas trimmer I’d be willing to pay for time or trade for Ammo...

With 2 acres... forget batteries.  We have just under 2 acres and needed a string trimmer for a few spots that are too steep for the lawn tractor and quite frankly my nerves... Wanted battery but the battery issue is an issue... you would need multiple batteries and do you really want to come back to get spares?  Also, the big 40 volt units are pretty damn heavy vs a gasser.  With gas, just keep it filled and finish the job.  If battery runs out, do you go recharge it?  Take a 2 hour break?  No one is going back to finish it then, lol. 

[Scorpio64 5,145]

17 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Stihl..which is apparently the Dillon of the power tools world.

I ain't never seen no landscapers using Stihl 2 cycle string trimmers.  We all use RedMax.   Now, if ya wanna talk chain saws, yeah, Stihl.

Just now, Maksim said:

Wanted battery but the battery issue is an issue... you would need multiple batteries and do you really want to come back to get spares? 

I have no doubt, zero, that the 58V Echo trimmer I posted, with a 4Ah batter would tackle 2 acres no problemo senior.

[Sniper 6,372]

20 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Fences are expensive, especially the nice vinyl fences.

I agree with that. I have a vinyl fence, and I have to be real careful when I get in tight, it can get hacked up really easy.

[Maksim 1,504]

Just now, Scorpio64 said:

I ain't never seen no landscapers using Stihl 2 cycle string trimmers.  We all use RedMax.   Now, if ya wanna talk chain saws, yeah, Stihl.

Really?

Around here there are always FS 94 or FS 91 on every landscape truck I see parked on our street.

And 90% of lawn tractors are John Deere.

I suppose that is what happens when there are Stihl dealers all around and you see a sea of green machines on the farms around. 

[Sniper 6,372]

2 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Wanted battery but the battery issue is an issue... you would need multiple batteries and do you really want to come back to get spares? 

So, just go get your load out vest, and instead of loading it with 30 round mags, you could load it with batteries.

Problem solved!

[Maksim 1,504]

5 minutes ago, Sniper said:

So, just go get your load out vest, and instead of loading it with 30 round mags, you could load it with batteries.

Problem solved!

hehe, if it was Milwauke 12 volt... sure... those 40 volt things are YUGE!

I do have a Green works or something 40 volt leaf blower and it does the job.... 

Tried a 20v ryobi.... lasted all of half of front yard. lol.  I put on big boy pants and went down to the John Deere/Stihl store and bought a FS56...

 

[Scorpio64 5,145]

4 minutes ago, Maksim said:

And 90% of lawn tractors are John Deere. 

Around these parts, Bobcat and Scag are kings and only the illegal aliens with a line of credit at Casa Depot run JDs with cheap stamped decks.

[remixer 1,645]

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Broke the lawn tractor out, dropped the mower chassis, pulled out the blades and sharpened them all, put it all back and cleaned the mower, mowed the lawn, almost got stuck in the muddy area 2x and kicked up a ton of mud on the mower and had to wash it down again... then got the gas trimmer out and went to town..

 

Mower deck out:

Dull Blades

Before:

After:

60 grit flap disc with the angle grinder does a phenomenal job.

Went muddin...

[10X 3,296]

1 hour ago, Krdshrk said:

Broke the lawn tractor out, dropped the mower chassis, pulled out the blades and sharpened them all, put it all back and cleaned the mower, mowed the lawn, almost got stuck in the muddy area 2x and kicked up a ton of mud on the mower and had to wash it down again... then got the gas trimmer out and went to town..

 

Mower deck out:
 

Dull Blades
 

Before:
 

After:
 

60 grit flap disc with the angle grinder does a phenomenal job.

Went muddin...

 

Spent a good chunk of the day doing similar work on my 52" Bobcat walk behind.  Pain in the back to tip that up on it's side for service--it weighs over 700 lbs--but I got the blades sharpened on the mower (I remove them and sharpen/balance them every third year or so).   Got it lubed, too--takes a full tube of grease for the grease gun every spring.   Changed the oil, filled it up, and the beast started on the first pull.

[silverado427 10,661]

A little edging , Some mulch and some shrubs.  And I'll be good to go. Just a plain old craftsman mower.

[Scorpio64 5,145]

On 4/27/2019 at 11:48 PM, 10X said:

Spent a good chunk of the day doing similar work on my 52" Bobcat walk behind.  Pain in the back to tip that up on it's side for service--it weighs over 700 lbs

Do yourself a favor and buy a 1 ton hydraulic floor jack.  That's what we use when we need to get under a deck to change blades or scrape it.  Don't believe I've ever seen anyone tip a commercial mower on it's side to change the blades.  That's just asking for a hernia.

Another good investment is an impact wrench/driver if you are changing multiple blades. 

[Maksim 1,504]

So best investment I made at Harbor Freight... is the mower/atv lift.

https://www.harborfreight.com/300-lbs-atvlawn-mower-lift-61523.html

$75 with the coupons. 

[10X 3,296]

52 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Do yourself a favor and buy a 1 ton hydraulic floor jack.  That's what we use when we need to get under a deck to change blades or scrape it.  Don't believe I've ever seen anyone tip a commercial mower on it's side to change the blades.  That's just asking for a hernia.

Another good investment is an impact wrench/driver if you are changing multiple blades. 

The landscaper from whom I bought my original 48" Bobcat showed me the tip-on-the-side trick.  It balances nicely on one drive wheel and the handlebar on that side, and you've got easy access to everything underneath.   My current 52", while not much bigger, is a LOT beefier, and it doesn't balance as well when on it's side, so the jack would make sense.

I just cut only my own lawn with it, so I only sharpen once a year, usually with blades on the mower, taking care to remove metal from each side evenly.   Every third year I take the blades off to sharpen and balance, and so far, they've been remaining pretty well balanced through the off years.

[Scorpio64 5,145]

2 minutes ago, 10X said:

, so I only sharpen once a year, usually with blades on the mower, taking care to remove metal from each side evenly.

Are you sharpening the blades from the bottom (flat side) of the blade?  Blades that are sharpened on both sides (like a kitchen knife) will dull faster.  It's a bad, bad, BAD shortcut.  Not only that, but you cannot possibly ensure the blades are well balanced.  Unbalanced blades cause excess vibration and shorten the life of a mower.  The only way to properly balance the blades is to take them off the deck.

Blades should be sharpened at least twice a year.  A dull blade will make grass shorter, but it isn't exactly cutting it.  It's more like ripping it to shreds.

If your lawn looks brown a day or two after you mow, your blades are dull.  Not only does it look terrible, but you are stressing the plant and also exposing your lawn to risk of fungal disease.  Dull blades can also rip the grass (roots and all) right out of the soil.

A nice clean cut heals, whereas a ragged smashed blade of grass may not recover.  Over time, dull blades just make the situation worse with every cut.  I'm not saying you need razor sharp blades all the time, but there is a threshold.  If your lawn is small, then the interval between sharpening is longer, you can get away with sharpening only 2x every year.  If you have a 1/2 acre or more, then maybe every 6th cut check the blades.  They should be at least as sharp as a butter knife.

Blades should be sharpened to a 45 degree angle, only on one side.  The sharper the blade, the more healthy your lawn will be.  Your grass will be spending it's energy on growing instead of healing and fighting off infections.  Yes, lawns can get sick too.