Looks like brown patch. It's a fungus.

6/16/2013 7:20:15 PM

^agree. Not certain, but looks like brown patch.

Obviously look causes up for yourself, but I think in many cases is caused by overwatering

6/16/2013 8:22:03 PM

I looked up symptoms for brown patch, and it seems like this is more a random pattern and not a horseshoe pattern. Also, I never watered the yard until this past week.

Could it still be brown patch?

[Edited on June 16, 2013 at 8:40 PM. Reason : .]

6/16/2013 8:40:41 PM

I enjoy killing Japanese beatles.... I hate them. That is all.

6/17/2013 10:24:08 AM

Don't put your Japanese Beatle traps near your garden. Put them as far away from your garden and as close to your neighbors yard as possible

6/17/2013 9:24:01 PM

cross-posting from teh garage lawn equipment thread for MAXXXX exposure:

Any recommendations for a tow-behind (lawn tractor) sprayer (note: not tank + wand, but at least tank + spray nozzles). All I can find are $bermuda or horrible reviews (cracked tanks).

6/20/2013 1:43:36 PM

Quote :

" I looked up symptoms for brown patch, and it seems like this is more a random pattern and not a horseshoe pattern. Also, I never watered the yard until this past week. Could it still be brown patch? "

Yeah, but what else logically would cause this horseshoe pattern? Its likely just a coincedence yours is shaped a certain way unless you put a lot of fertilizer in that same pattern...

IIRC, brown patch is a fungus that sometimes gets out of control based on too much moisture, nitrogen (fertilizer), and probably some other causes. I think we've had a rather wet month, so whether you watered or not this might have happened anyways. Thats also not to say you even caused it, or that its not due to something else.

I think its brown patch, but I'm not sure. You can probably find some good photos online of a close up grass blade with brown patch. Go pull some of yours up if you still have any in the dying phase.

Its possible you just stressed it out with the fertilizer, but I would expect the entire yard to yellow. Again, not sure with fescue lawns, but I dont think youre supposed to fertilize fescue much in hot weather (but I could be totally wrong here)

2-4D can also burn your yard if applied in hot weather....but again I would expect the entire lawn to yellow. It usually wont cause problems up to 85-90 degrees.

[Edited on June 21, 2013 at 4:18 PM. Reason : aa]

6/21/2013 4:09:59 PM

John Deere Landscapes puts out some sort of schedule that generally outlines what should be done when for our area and climate. 2-4-D and fert is fine during summer, just so long as you dont have brown patch

I got some fungicide from John Deere Landscapes and applied that to the front. 12.5lbs now, 12.5lbs in 2 weeks.

Poor Yard




On the bright side, I did get a new ballin ass push mower. My less than 1yr old Home Depot Toro shitted out on me, so I went and got this 22" Toro Super Recycler from the local ACE. It was a demo unit from 2004 Cuts sooooo much better than my old crap.


[Edited on June 21, 2013 at 5:24 PM. Reason : .]

6/21/2013 5:23:51 PM

what fungicide did you spray on your yard? just wondering because I would suggest making sure that the fungicide gets pythium blight as well as brown patch

what is the mowing height for your tall fescue?

[Edited on June 21, 2013 at 6:01 PM. Reason : .]

6/21/2013 5:56:10 PM

It was a granular product, dont remember the name.

I used to mow at 3.5", but this mower only goes up to 3".

6/21/2013 6:05:52 PM

Never heard of pythium blight, but google image suggests that might be a possibility.

Good call

6/22/2013 12:07:32 AM

dude you are killing your grass.

6/22/2013 12:21:55 AM

^^Yeah this granular covers that as well.

^Why do you say that?

6/22/2013 6:48:36 AM

Posted this in the other thread, but figured I'd post it here too.

Just walked out to the garden. Everything looks great, so I figured I'd post some sample pics. Already harvesting cucumbers, squash, jalapenos, and banana peppers. Everything else is getting real close.

Full Garden:


Tomatoes (16 plants total, various types):


Bell Peppers:


Banana Peppers:


Jalapeno Peppers:


Cucumber:


Cantaloupe:


Squash:


Spaghetti Squash:


Okra:

6/24/2013 11:33:34 AM

My god, please.

6/24/2013 11:37:20 AM

6/24/2013 11:46:18 AM

Looks good man, wish I had the space for something like that.

6/24/2013 8:20:35 PM

Thanks man. We actually scaled back this year, I've got enough room and soaker hoses for 2 more rows. We scaled back because it pretty much became a part-time job taking care of it. Plus we found we were getting so many veggies that we were giving away/throwing away more than we were actually eating.

My only regret is that I didn't do a row of corn. I completely forgot about it.

The idea is to run 2 barbed wires where the 2 rows of orange tape are around the top to make the deer prevention permanent, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I do have a slight rabbit issue do to some gaps at the bottom of the gate, but it hasn't been bad enough to motivate me to do something about it. That'll be my fall project unless it gets worse.

[Edited on June 25, 2013 at 9:30 AM. Reason : a]

6/25/2013 9:26:45 AM

We were in Connecticut for a week and were really worried that our garden/lawn/flowers might struggle in the SC heat. Came back and they all exploded! Apparently it rained heavy every other day while we were gone (and sun was shining on the days in between). We've been eating the most delicious tomatoes from our garden this whole week and will be picking some peppers this weekend.

Funny thing is that the herbs are struggling a little...which is the exact opposite of last year. We had trouble with pests on our tomatoes/peppers last year. This year we planted dandelions around the garden and that seems to have done the trick.

I also might have to bite the bullet and get an electric/gas powered lawnmower. I had a friggin workout mowing my bermuda with my reel mower yesterday. I definitely let it get a little too tall...but I was struggling pushing it through on the 2nd go-round. Never had any troubles with my centipede.

Any recommendations for an electric lawnmower? Although lush, my lawn is small. So I'm trying to avoid anything gas (all over lawn appliances are electric).

6/25/2013 10:47:31 AM

^ How big of a space are you mowing? I almost always vote against an electric mower unless you literally only have a strip of grass to mow. It's just a pain in the ass keeping the cord out of the way (the same reason I hate vacuuming). I use a lawn tractor on most of my property, but I have a few areas I can't get to with it. So, last year I bought the cheapest gas powered lawnmower Lowe's had, I think it was around $150 with bag.

Also if you are going the Lowe's route, I always recommend looking at the mowers they have sitting out front. A lot of them have been returned, thus are cheaper. Plus you can negotiate on the price. I got a $200 lawn sweeper last year for $140, and the only reason it was returned was because it was too small for the guy that bought it.

6/25/2013 11:15:29 AM

Its this big. I weed-eat my whole yard with an electric and the chord doesn't bother me much at all. I just don't want to get some shitty electric that will struggle to do the job and I'll have to replace every year. Same goes with gas I guess. My shed isn't huge either...so I'm looking for something small.

6/25/2013 11:41:42 AM

Oh yeah, I guess I could have done a little research and found a pic of your yard. lol

You're gonna pay about the same for gas or electric, considering the size you're talking about. They'll be around the same size as well. You'll have less maintenance with an electric, and won't have to worry about keeping gas on hand/running out. Although with a yard that size, a full tank would probably last you all year.

I don't know a whole lot about electric mowers so I can't speak to how long they last, but my el-cheapo gas mower still starts on the first pull. I did have to clean out the carb this year, but that was my fault for not draining the gas before storing it for the winter.

6/25/2013 12:03:46 PM

Just go on craigslist and find a used gas push mower for like $50 or so since your yard is small, you don't need to drop $300 on a good mower that will only get like 20 hours of run time per year.

6/25/2013 6:16:25 PM

The reel mower was hard because the grass was too tall?

If thats your entire yard, Id try to stick with a reel mower. Borrow a friends rotary and use it...see if it scalps your lawn. If your lawn is at all uneven, you may scalp it pretty badly with hybrid bermudas...which would be no good and kill your grass.

I know nothing about electric mowers, so cant recommend anything.

6/26/2013 10:29:15 PM

At first I thought it was because the grass was too tall, but then when I went through it the opposite way after the first cut...and it still struggled to get through about 1/2 the lawn. It probably tripled the time it usually takes to cut my lawn (which is still not that long...but takes its toll when its 90+ degrees outside).

I'm going to cut it again this weekend on about 5 days rest (company coming into town next week and want the yard looking sharp) and see how it handles. If not, I'm going to make the change. I do too much yard/garden work to have my small lawn taking up this much of my time. I researched some electric mowers yesterday and came away surprised at all the glowing reviews. Only negative thing that came up was dealing with the chord...which I've been doing with my edger/weedeater/blower for the past three years.

6/27/2013 7:56:30 AM

uh, every reel mower I've seen always struggles on tall grass. even after a first pass, there is normally enough tall grass left to make things difficult.

[Edited on June 27, 2013 at 8:51 AM. Reason : .]

6/27/2013 8:50:28 AM

My reel mower never struggled on my tall centipede. I shouldn't have to back my mower up a couple feet to go over a thick (not tall...thick) patch of grass for the 3rd time.

I've been mowing this lawn for three years...I've never even come to close to the struggle I had this past week.

6/27/2013 9:49:14 AM

Quote :

"Just go on craigslist and find a used gas push mower for like $50 or so since your yard is small, you don't need to drop $300 on a good mower that will only get like 20 hours of run time per year."

This. I sold a push mower on CL that was only a year old for $50 a couple years ago.

Also, I doubt it will even get close to 20 hours a year, even if you mow weekly. I can't imagine it would take longer than 10 minutes to mow that space with a gas powered mower, 20 minutes tops. I'd say even 10 hours of run time per year is a stretch. But the point is still valid, get something cheap but in decent shape.

Something like this is all you'd need:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/grd/3890162971.html
Although that one says it needs service, you get the idea.

[Edited on June 27, 2013 at 9:54 AM. Reason : a]

6/27/2013 9:50:22 AM

^^ah, thick not tall. I've always dealt with taller grass vs. thicker grass. Do your blades need sharpening? Bent blade/shield? Something binding the roller? I don't see why you'd have issues with bermuda if you didn't have them with centipede. I cut a bit of my neighbor's bermuda with my crappy reel mower and it did fine.

I've seen several people be happy with electric mowers; though all were on fescue/weeds

No clue on longevity though. My first question would be about the battery (lifespan, cycle time, replacement, expense). I'd almost say go with a gas push mower from CL just to keep it cheap, but then you can run into ethanol and small engine issues.

I think it's a push.

[Edited on June 27, 2013 at 9:57 AM. Reason : .]

6/27/2013 9:53:57 AM

If you do buy something on CL, make sure you flip it up and check that the blade is in good shape before you buy it. If the blade is FUBAR, you're better off just buying something new. Replacement blades are about $20.

6/27/2013 9:56:43 AM

My reel mower is self-sharpening.

^^ I'm all about finding stuff on craigslist, but I'm slightly weary of buying a mower because I feel like there's a higher probability of people trying to get rid of broken shit. I know you should "test-drive" it and all of that...but I'm still a little skeptical. I also don't want a gas powered mower.

If I had a big lawn and already had gas powered lawn equipment...then I wouldn't hesitate. But I'm running all electric right now and would like to keep it that way.

6/27/2013 9:58:46 AM

how old is your reel mower? even self-sharpening don't last forever. The sharpening shield and blade both wear down.

6/27/2013 10:00:20 AM

I noticed there are several electric mowers on CL too for around the same price. Same deal though, check the blade before you buy it.

6/27/2013 10:00:22 AM

^ Will do.

^^ I guess that coule be it. I've had it for about three years and mowed weekly during the spring summer. I guess I just don't remember having any trouble with it until I re-sodded with this Bermuda and it's finally all grown in. It cut my centipede quick and easy.

6/27/2013 10:02:38 AM

The reel mower may be over tensioned. The tension between the sharpening shield and the blades may be making it hard to push.

Reel mowers work like scissors which is better for the grass because it doesn't tear the blades when it cuts it. Even if they are self-sharpening, they still need maintenance.

6/27/2013 10:06:15 AM

One of the advantages of Beekeeping if you have a garden. My bees are loving the cucumber flowers this year.

6/27/2013 11:05:39 AM

Had you posted this a few weeks ago, id have given you my mower.

Old, but worked great. Gave it away for free on CL

6/27/2013 11:15:50 AM

Any recommendations for a tow-behind (lawn tractor) sprayer (note: not tank + wand, but at least tank + spray nozzles). All I can find are $bermuda or horrible reviews (cracked tanks).

6/28/2013 8:58:58 AM

I'll see if we still have our old mower. Front yard has a super steep section and it wasn't self propelled so it had to go.

I need to figure out what kind of ground cover to plant on the steep part so we can ditch the grass there.Most of the yard is flat, it's just a small section right next to the road.

6/28/2013 11:18:36 AM

^^ I'd also be interested in this. Currently I just have my GF sit in the trailer with a hand spraryer and I pull her around. It works ok, but it sucks having to refill so often.

6/28/2013 12:39:25 PM

^^^

http://www.agrisupply.com/gallon-trailer-sprayer/p/32995/



Agri-supply in Garner most likely will have these in stock. I have used Fimco sprayers a lot and can testify that they are great but you have to take care of them. By taking care of them I mean not letting residual chemicals sit in the lines and motor for weeks and months at a time. With any sprayer when you are done using it you really need to clear the motor and lines of chemicals because that is pretty much the number one cause of sprayers not working anymore and it can get messy trying to fix it. The biggest problems with Fimco sprayers is that the diaphragm can go bad in the motor but most people end up buying a whole new motor ($100) when they could have just replaced diaphragm in motor ($15). This shouldn't be a problem if you keep it clean. I can't emphasize enough that if you don't intend on using a sprayer for a while then you need to clear the lines with water.

Another thing about sprayers is learning how to calibrate them because otherwise you can destroy your lawn, get ineffective results, and waste money. Everyone who reads this message board is smart enough learn how to calibrate a sprayer just by using google. If you got a sprayer like this calibrated perfectly (knowing how many gallons/acre it sprays) and know the proper chemicals to spray you could probably also make some easy coin and get the sprayer to pay for itself (if your neighbors see you spraying your yard with this I can promise you will get some inquires about doing it for them). You can buy colored dyes to add mix in with pesticide to ensure even coverage. Just be careful that you know what you are doing (if you are spraying a post emergent herbicide on your Bermuda yard and your neighbor has a tall fescue yard there is a good chance you will kill their yard). When using pesticides ALWAYS READ THE LABEL!

6/29/2013 9:34:31 AM

Another vote for Fimco sprayers. I just purchased another one from agrisupply on Saturday. I use it in the back of a Polaris ranger. I can cover 30 ft with the boom on the back. It replaced my 20 year only Fimco that fell out of the back of the Polaris and broke the tank and pump.

6/29/2013 11:24:06 AM

Has ANYONE discovered a way to kill/control/nuke Yellow Nutsedge?

I have that crap everywhere...and it always comes up in different areas each year.

Buy a ton of expensive Segdehammer, apply every time you see it sprout, and pray?

6/29/2013 2:12:02 PM

Sedge hammer works great, make sure you use a surfactant or adjuvant (can buy this at agri- supply) with it so it sticks to the leaf. Make sure it is allowed to dry on the leaf for a couple hours (if you water it or it rains within a couple hours later it is washed off the leaf and will not work as is the case with about every post emergent herbicide). The key to nutsedge control is killing it before the summer solstice (June 21st) because after June 21st nutsedge produces tubers underground that allow it to reproduce for next year even if you kill what is above ground. It is still a worthwhile cause to kill nutsedge this year but I try my best to kill it all before June 21st.

6/29/2013 6:54:03 PM

surf-ac 820 this is a great non-ionic surfactant to mix with herbicides used for nutsedge

6/29/2013 9:01:28 PM

Just use this http://amzn.com/B007PHNUOE. It's all in one.

6/30/2013 2:28:19 PM

Getting some brown spots in new Bermuda. Is this because of all the rain?? It became noticeable when I cut my lawn last week after it rained the entire week I was out of town. It's pretty much rained ever since and it appears to have gotten a little worse. They don't seem to be "circular" or horseshoe shaped like is mentioned with Brown Patch...just more random.

Should I be going out and purchasing a fungicide immediately? I've read where it spreads quickly with warm weather.

7/1/2013 1:23:31 PM

Can you take a picture of it?

If it seems worse right after or a day after you mow there is a good chance you are scalping it with the mower which is not uncommon right now with the overcast weather. If that is the case you may want to mow it more often because Bermuda scalps really bad if it grows too much between mowings.

scalped Bermuda looks something like this



[Edited on July 1, 2013 at 8:00 PM. Reason : .]

7/1/2013 7:41:59 PM

Im gonna guess scalping as well.

How often do you go between mowings? Did you mow with a rotary mower?

[Edited on July 1, 2013 at 8:43 PM. Reason : aa]

7/1/2013 8:42:04 PM

I think it was only my third cut with this new grass. I laid sod a few months ago and this was probably the first time that the whole yard had filled in for me to have a good cut. That being said, I think I cut it about a week too late, but we went on a week long trip and I just didn't have the time to get around to it before we left.

I have a reel mower.

7/2/2013 7:11:18 AM