Lawn care?

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by hudson, Apr 17, 2015.

  1. The Hebrew Husker

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    Its going to be like 55-60 degrees all week here, I would imagine we still have some more normal winter left (snow/below freezing) before Spring gets here. Hoping this week doesn't throw anything off though as far as when to put down pre emergent
     
  2. Hail Southern

    Hail Southern GATA Eagles!
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    Any suggestions on the best edger?
     
  3. stringmusic24

    stringmusic24 Iconoclast, Aspiring Misanthrope
    Auburn Tigers

    A good string trimmer turned up on edge is the best. No need for a dedicated tool IMO. It might take a season to become decent at it, but you’ll never look back after that.
     
  4. ThirstyAltarBoy

    ThirstyAltarBoy Well-Known Member
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    This. I had been using an electric black & decker edger but recently switched to using my string trimmer. It’s much faster and does a better job. Although I beat the shit out of the strings to where I am constantly reloading it. Still working on that part.
     
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  5. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    Completely disagree.

    I have had only a string trimmer and then at times both a string trimmer and edger.

    My yards look better when edger.

    1 caveat- When dealing with interior lines eg a flower bed with no divider, a trimmer works fine.
     
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  6. Cabs

    Cabs eatin' fried okra with Oprah
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    This. Using a string on a flower or pinestraw bed is fine, but need to use an actual edger on a sidewalk/street
     
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  7. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck I'm a Boss

    Sold my zero turn Friday. Time to start shopping for a new (to me) mower.

    Staying with a 60” deck and have picked out a couple commercial John Deere and Exmarks, and one diesel Kubota.
     
    bigred77 likes this.
  8. stringmusic24

    stringmusic24 Iconoclast, Aspiring Misanthrope
    Auburn Tigers

    See, that’s where I think a trimmer is at its best. The learning curve is steeper than with other lawn equipment, but once you get the skill down it’s the fastest, cheapest, and best way to edge. How often do you see landscaping crews using an edger? Save your money, take a little time to learn how to do it, and you’ll have an ability that will make taking care of your lawn easier for however long you choose to do so. Just my opinion. Carry on.
     
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  9. Cabs

    Cabs eatin' fried okra with Oprah
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    All 85 of our landscaping crews use edgers instead of weed eaters to edge. Edgers just make a better/cleaner edge. If It’s just for your yard then yea a weed eater is fine but you’ll get better looking results using a blade.
     
    stangd likes this.
  10. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck I'm a Boss

    What kind of mowers do you run and how many hours do you put on them before selling? How many hours on a mower would make you pass on purchasing?

    I mow four acres fwiw and want to stay with a commercial grade
     
  11. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    I bought this for $269 and added the blower attachment for $80.

    The blower is slightly underpowered, but my needs are very much so met. I grew up using the backpack blower my dad had at the house which is roughly 50% more powerful based on published CFMs. That piece would be about $350-$400 on its own.

    I need a shopvac more than I need a full/overpowered blower.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. stangd

    stangd I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch
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    What model number, is it just gas or gas/oil?
     
  13. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    standard 2 stroke (so gas + mixture)

    ECHO PAS-225 is the model for just the head/power source - https://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Pro-Attachment-Series/PAS-225

    They have a commercial grade variant that didn't make sense for me. The increased fuel capacity and slightly higher CCs didn't warrant the increased cost.

    If you see PAS225 with some letters afterwards, it just refers to a bundle with certain attachments. You can get one with head + blower + trimmer or a different bundle with head + trimmer + edger. There might be other bundles and you generally get a better price when buying the bundle.

    I bought when I was renting, now we own and I will consider some of the other attachments (pruner, maybe tiller, etc)
     
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  14. stangd

    stangd I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch
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    Thanks, I’ll have to research it a little more... I’m looking for a gas only... hate that has/oil mix. If I can find it in a gas only I’ll buy one.
     
  15. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    team edger. Bought a ryobi last summer that so far has done a great job. I have a sidewalk in front of my house so it ends up being a solid amount of edging. Plus, I have zoysia which is thick and as careful as I could be at least once per mow it was going to grab that string and make it jump and scalp that area.
     
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  16. Cabs

    Cabs eatin' fried okra with Oprah
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    exmark for zero turn and walk behinds. Not too sure on hours but I think it’s usually around 2500
     
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  17. webbi

    webbi Well-Known Member
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    Hey guys.. My nephew bought a house and the backyard looks like crap, no grass on 80% of the yard, just dirty. what can we get to make this thing grow? He has patches that look like weeds the rest of the yard. I’ve never had to build a yard from nothing just maintained it. Any help will be appreciated.
     
  18. stangd

    stangd I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch
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    Rip it up and sod IMO
     
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  19. Marbles

    Marbles Trudging the road to happy destiny
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    Just cut my yard. Had to weed eat a portion of it due to how wet it is. My father in law asked me to cut his cause it’s too wet for his riding mower. Thank God though cause his yard looked like shit.
     
    bigred77 likes this.
  20. infected donkey

    infected donkey Arkansas Razorbacks
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    Just put out pre-emergent on the yard since I got back from vacation, thought I had enough time however, poana has popped up like a mofo in my backyard over the past week while I've been gone. A couple days of warm temps, cold front/dusting of snow/ and now I'm behind on putting pre-emergent out thinking I had an extra week.
     
  21. ThirstyAltarBoy

    ThirstyAltarBoy Well-Known Member
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    What do you guys use to on your lawns for bugs as a general treatment? In the past I’ve just used spectracide or ortho granules but wasn’t sure if there is something better or more effective to use.
     
  22. ramszoolander

    ramszoolander Known for Buns
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    My $30 greenworks plug-in trimmer has a swiveling head that makes it into an edger, complete with wheel. It's pretty badass for a small yard with sidewalks if you get the right kind of string.

    The Lesco Weed & Feed has always been good for me as a general thing. Can't you use diatomaceous earth for the bugs?
     
  23. Louis Holth

    Louis Holth but we also just might be those motherfuckers
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    I sprayed 24D last week and the weed are starting to die. When can I lay pre emergent down?
     
  24. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    Where do you live/what are your soil temps?
     
  25. LetItSoak

    LetItSoak Well-Known Member
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    For sod to be installed I've seen $1-$2/sq ft based on a quick google search. Does that sound about right ?
     
  26. The Hebrew Husker

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    Is it possible to put pre-emergent down too early? As in, if there are still some overnight lows of 25-30 in the forecast will that make it ineffective? It has been way warmer than normal here, I tried to use a thermometer and see how the ground measured, but I dont think my meat thermometer did a great job. Everything I find online suggests mid-40s still.

    I have just noticed I have some Lily's popping up through the ground and also my lawn is starting to green up a little in some spots, so wasnt sure if I should just throw some down now to be safe. Then come back for a 2nd application in 60-90 days for the back end of summer.
     
  27. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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  28. The Hebrew Husker

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    This claims 24 average 57 (because we got up to like 70+ temps yesterday), 5-day average of 49.

    I didn’t apply yet because this weeks forecast shows lows ranging from 24-30 degrees. Think I’m still OK?

    I guess I don’t know how quick the ground temps move with air temps, or if an overnight low of legs say 30 is enough to “halt” any possible germination.
     
  29. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    Technically speaking it's better to be too early than too late. A good general rule of thumb is to put it out after Forsythia's start to bloom, they reach full bloom around 55 degree soil temps which is when crabgrass seed and other summer weeds will start to germinate.
     
    The Hebrew Husker likes this.
  30. The Hebrew Husker

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    Sounds good, I’ll keep an eye out and see how the cooler temps effect soil. My plan was apply now then in 2 months just to make sure, so maybe I’ll just time it with the next rain to be safe.
     
  31. The Hebrew Husker

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    70+ yesterday, now it’s been raining all day and has been freezing rain for the last hour. Seems like the warm temps + rain has caused my lawn to start to green up though. Overnight lows in 20s so we’ll see what happens.
     
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  32. dahldennsull

    dahldennsull Living in the best state
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    How often do y’all aerate? Did it last fall and they were bringing a guy out today without even asked me.

    in a perfect world with endless funds I would do it as often as a golf course, but damn I’m not draining $100 every time you guys feel like it. A phone call asking if I wanted it would have been nice.
     
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  33. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I have my own aerator and I usually do it once a year
    How often do golf courses do it?
     
  34. Gritty Badger

    Gritty Badger Well-Known Member
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    I'm actually jealous, I can't even find a service that will do it in my area, they all want to do the liquid version only.
     
  35. The Hebrew Husker

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    My plan is fall right before I overseed. I’m in the same boat, rather just pay once a year and hope for the best.

    I did see you can rent one from home depot for a pretty fair price, so my friend and I may split it this fall and just try it ourselves.
     
  36. Long Ball Larry

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    There's a dad package arriving this week. Brush killer, 2,4D Amine, Surfactant, Lazer blue dye, and some 13-1-2 fertilizer I've read good reviews on.
     

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  37. Cabs

    Cabs eatin' fried okra with Oprah
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    late spring to early summer. after the first round of turf fert. its going to look like absolute shit if you aerate while the turf is still dormant
     
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  38. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Really
    I thought one of the big advantages is to get the fertilizer deep down in
     
  39. DrTomOsbourne

    DrTomOsbourne Fully Husked
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    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Spent the weekend social distancing and working on the lawn. Loving it.
     
  40. Beachy Toast

    Beachy Toast He wants you too, Malachi.
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  41. Baron

    Baron Well-Known Member
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    Do any of you guys have a bagged mulch you like? I normally just fill up my truck bed with it from the local landscape place, but sometimes the bags are easier, but quality is usually inferior to the bulk mulch. Scotts from HD fades really quick IMO.
     
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  42. Cabs

    Cabs eatin' fried okra with Oprah
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    We use Evergreen mini pine nugget bags for flower beds
     
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  43. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck I'm a Boss

    Bulk

    My in-laws also own a garden center so that helps. But they mix their own mulch with the waste produced by local cotton gins. So it’s mulch and nutrients.
     
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  44. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck I'm a Boss

    F413B7D9-DA00-488A-9458-9726DE08D629.jpeg Finally got a new to me mower. Compared to my old one this thing is fast as shit.

    925a
    60” deck
    27hp
     
  45. xec

    xec Well-Known Member
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    When that child becomes a teenager you’ll show this pic and say, “I remember when you tried to help around the place”.
     
  46. BleedinGreen

    BleedinGreen Detroit, Michigan State, and Celery
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    About 18 months into a hydroseeded lawn and looks like I probably kept it too long during the winter. First day over 60 here (MI) this spring, any issue with cutting at the highest setting to get stuff under control?
     
  47. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I'm no expert, but it probably depends on grass type
     
  48. LSU90

    LSU90 Well-Known Member

    Are yall team pine needle or bark mulch for beds?
     
  49. stringmusic24

    stringmusic24 Iconoclast, Aspiring Misanthrope
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    It’s borderline sacrilegious here in the south, but I’m firmly on team mulch - pine bark mini nuggets to be exact. I moved into a new house about 9 months ago and I’m currently stripping all the pine straw and replacing with mulch. The initial cost is higher, but mulch looks better for longer IMO. Plus, you can make the mulch look good as new by adding a thin layer over top.
     
  50. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
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    Any recommendations for a quality string trimmer? I got a TroyBilt about 3-4 years ago and it seems about done now, so I’m ready to invest in one that’ll last. Is Stihl the way to go?