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Thread: Lawn Weeds

  1. #31
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    Yes, where we have yard type grass, it's either Centipede, or Bermuda, and does get cut low.

    The only thing that I know will effectively kill plants through the roots, is Imprazar. It's first common names were Powerline, and Arsenal. Power companies sprayed it under powerlines (probably still do, although I see they must be mixing it with something to kill Pines now in the same spray), and Arsenal was used on new stands of Pine timber to kill Sweet Gum. It won't kill a Pine tree, and I'm not sure about other evergreens, but it will kill about everything else. It doesn't take much either.

    Weeds like Wisteria, or Johnson Grass are spot sprayed. It does leave a little dead spot, depending on how you have the spot sprayer adjusted, but Bermuda will fill it back in next year.

    Sometimes a Sweet Gum will come back the next year, but the leaves will be tiny. Hit again, any time in the growing season, and it won't come back the next year.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nathan Johnson View Post
    I've settled on between 3.5 and 3.75 as the sweet spot for cutting height. 4 inches seems just a tad high for me partially for reasons you stated.
    Keep in mind too that not all mowers are created equal. The higher you cut the better suction you need under the deck and a good blade won't matter if the grass won't stand up.
    Water is more important than fertilizer, and always mulch your clippings back into the yard.
    A good core aeration and overseeding would probably fill in quite a bit.
    I have two different 60" commercial mowers. One is rear discharge only and the other is mulching only. The mulching one seems to cut a bit better.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    I have two different 60" commercial mowers. One is rear discharge only and the other is mulching only. The mulching one seems to cut a bit better.
    I wonder if it has something to do with the rear discharge. I recently bought my second 60" Kubota and the new one can be ordered for rear discharge. The guy I deal with (and trust) said he didn't recommend the rear discharge version. I think he said it tends to clog up which might affect the air flow and the quality of the cut but maybe it's just the difference in the air flow path. Just wondering.

    JKJ

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    I wonder if it has something to do with the rear discharge. I recently bought my second 60" Kubota and the new one can be ordered for rear discharge. The guy I deal with (and trust) said he didn't recommend the rear discharge version. I think he said it tends to clog up which might affect the air flow and the quality of the cut but maybe it's just the difference in the air flow path. Just wondering.
    I bought the mower used so I didn't have a choice on the type of deck. I would prefer mulching. The mower is made by Jacobsen. I found out Jacobsen will fabricate just about any metal part they don't stock since they fabricate everything in house. I have not called to see if the mulching kit for the rear discharge deck can still be ordered.

  5. #35
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    I've been looking at getting a 72" zero turn mower lately, and had settled on wanting the Ferris because of the nice suspension system. Some of the stuff that would be cut with it gets fairly long, so we don't have to cut it so often. For cutting longer grass, I was thinking that a rear discharge would be better, since it doesn't throw grass out to one side to be cut over again. Ferris has a 72" rear discharge deck that is only available in Europe. Here, their only 72" deck is a side discharge, which seems a bit odd to me.

    I don't really want mulching, since most of what will be cut with that mower will be cut as fast as possible, and some of it not cut so often, as one would a lawn.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I've been looking at getting a 72" zero turn mower lately, and had settled on wanting the Ferris because of the nice suspension system. Some of the stuff that would be cut with it gets fairly long, so we don't have to cut it so often. For cutting longer grass, I was thinking that a rear discharge would be better, since it doesn't throw grass out to one side to be cut over again. Ferris has a 72" rear discharge deck that is only available in Europe. Here, their only 72" deck is a side discharge, which seems a bit odd to me.

    I don't really want mulching, since most of what will be cut with that mower will be cut as fast as possible, and some of it not cut so often, as one would a lawn.
    You might want to try the mower first. As mentioned above, my dealer said the rear discharge mower deck tended to clog more. I think he said it was worse with tall and wet grass.

    I usually cut in a counter-clockwise path that throws the grass clippings away from the uncut grass.

    I thought about the 72" deck but it wouldn't work for me. I plant and build things with the mowing in mind, leaving at least 6.5-7' clearance for the 60" deck plus side discharge chute.

    JKJ

  7. #37
    Hard to tell from the photo, but if it is either nutsedge or nutgrass, I've had fairly good luck with Image herbicide over Bermuda. Not sure what it might do to your KBG, etc.?

    Best chemical option I've ever used was MSA, but Uncle Sugar deemed it unsuitable for use by the unwashed. Once upon a while ago, it hammered an old wheat field I turned into a lawn, totally eliminating Johnson grass (>1" a day growth!!), nutsedge, nut grass, thistle, clover, and eleventeen other broadleaf weeds.

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    I like the meadow treatment and our city used to encourage it. But they will also fine for growth over 12 inches.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    The meadow motif doesn't need to mean "long/tall"...there are so many low growing options available if one is planting as well as a lot of natural diversity like I mentioned with my own lawn that is down low, too.
    Look into strains of Buffalo Grass - some as 'Turffalo' (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/communicat.../turffalo.html). It grows to 3"H only, so generally NO mowing. No idea of it's growing range or wet tolerance, but I know it does well in Texas' summer droughts and winter blue northers.

    Edit: Sorry, Turffalo source may be TKO'd. Look at 'Prestige' or 'Sundancer' - from U. of Nebraska, if sources are accurate.
    Last edited by Malcolm McLeod; 08-24-2019 at 12:02 PM.

  9. #39
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    Nutsedge.

    It is difficult, but you can selectively kill that without damaging the grass. I'm using a product called tenacity. It is most certainly not cheap, but it works beautifully. In one more season with this stuff, I'll have the place looking like a golf course.

    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Does this topic depress you as much as me? Spray, compost, crouch-and-pick. The more time I spend on it, the more they thrive.

    I have this ONE light green, tall grass that I just can't get rid of. I tried picking them out manually, repeatedly, but they grow back. Does anyone know what this is and how I may eradicate it?

    I am in Central New Jersey and use a typical Mid-Atlantic seed mix: KBG + rye + fescue.

    I realize there's crabgrass and other weeds in there, but these have been easier to get under control than that bright green stuff. It starts coming up mid July, and augments through August.

  10. #40
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    Thanks William. That's a new one for me. I ordered some. I see it goes on with an incredibly small dilution. What do you apply it with?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    You might want to try the mower first. As mentioned above, my dealer said the rear discharge mower deck tended to clog more. I think he said it was worse with tall and wet grass.

    I usually cut in a counter-clockwise path that throws the grass clippings away from the uncut grass.

    I thought about the 72" deck but it wouldn't work for me. I plant and build things with the mowing in mind, leaving at least 6.5-7' clearance for the 60" deck plus side discharge chute.

    JKJ
    I wish I could try them. The dealers for the ones I'm considering don't even keep the 6 footers in stock, so would be a special order anyway. Someone sent me this link, and I think this will do what I need to anyway.https://www.advancedchutesystem.com/ I'm used to a side discharge, but think this would solve a couple of problem spots where we don't like to keep throwing the grass in one direction.

    Our yard doesn't need much cutting. It's mostly moss. Everywhere that would need this mower if pretty open, but I'm just trying to cut down on the mowing time. We keep up several historic museum house properties, and they're pretty open, but too much trouble to load up the tractor and 7' rotary cutter, and I don't let any of my helpers drive that rig anyway. I had a guy that could take a regular riding mower, with 48" deck that I provided, but he's having health problems, and I've ended up doing more than I wanted to myself lately.

    A 72" zero turn would cut what is an all day job into a half day for the properties, and be used about half the time here.

    I had left on my list the Ferris 3200, or Scag Cheetah, either with the 37hp EFI gas burner engines.

  12. #42
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    Jun 2017
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    Landenberg, Pa
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    Just a hand carried sprayer. Next season I’m going with a 30 gallon tank and sprayer I will tow behind the mower.

  13. #43
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    I don't know how much you want to cover, but that boom welded on the back of my 7' rotary cutter (post 17 in this thread) is a replacement boom for an "ATV sprayer" that covers a 30 foot swath. The tow behind mower sprayers typically cover 80". The two pumps are so I can flip switches on the tractor dash, and either spot spray, or cover the 30 foot swath. I'm planning to put better quality tips on that boom for next year. I don't know if they put wheels on any of those ATV rigs.

  14. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I've been looking at getting a 72" zero turn mower lately, and had settled on wanting the Ferris because of the nice suspension system. Some of the stuff that would be cut with it gets fairly long, so we don't have to cut it so often. For cutting longer grass, I was thinking that a rear discharge would be better, since it doesn't throw grass out to one side to be cut over again. Ferris has a 72" rear discharge deck that is only available in Europe. Here, their only 72" deck is a side discharge, which seems a bit odd to me.

    I don't really want mulching, since most of what will be cut with that mower will be cut as fast as possible, and some of it not cut so often, as one would a lawn.
    The issue with rear discharge is the grass gets everywhere under the mower. Mine has a radiator since it is diesel and the radiator was plugged with grass when I got it and overheating. I cleaned up the radiator and keep it clean and no more overheating, but it is a constant battle to clear the grass out of everything.

    My 60" mulcher also is diesel and it will cut just about anything.

  15. #45
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    Sep 2016
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    Modesto, CA, USA
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    I notice that home lawns do not have clover in them anymore. Only school lawns seem to have clover in them these days. Do they even sell lawn seed mix with clover in it. I would like to get some lawn daisies but I can not find the seed locally.
    Bil lD.

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