chill_dog

Looks great!

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Wow, lots of progress, yard looks good!

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys!

So far so good...it's still green .

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

After about a week, it's still lookin' pretty good!



The farm I bought the sod from says to mow it and fertilize it 7 days after install. Fertilize, sure, but mow...really? I've pulled on some areas and it seems like the grass has rooted into the soil, but I'm still nervous about it. I'd hate for a section of grass to get sucked up and destroyed.

Should I mow?

Can I fertilize without mowing, or is it better to fertilize after it's freshly mowed?

chill_dog

Mow it when it needs to be mowed. It certainly doesn't look like it needs it in that pic. I would fertilize it, though. Just be sure to follow the watering instructions on the fertilizer to make sure it takes. Shortly thereafter, you'll need to mow .

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Bought a mower and trimmer this weekend:

Husqvarna 7021P Push Mower:



Husqvarna 128LDx Trimmer:



So far I like them!

How often does one mulch vs bag?

chill_dog

I have never bagged in over ten years; always mulch. The only time my dad bags is to get up leaves or if he needs grass for the composter.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

About 5 years ago, before we hired a lawn service, I always bagged. It was never good to leave clumps of clippings on the existing grass.

But it depends on how often you mow the lawn. I was lazy and always waited too long. Thus, big clumps resulted. If you mow often, you probably don't need to bag.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Took a picture this morning:



That was with the mower set to the "middle" height. The manual doesn't say what the increments are (I suppose I could measure them, LOL), but I think I'm going to set it a notch or two higher next time.

I plan to mow weekly or as needed during the colder part of the year. I'll definitely mulch next weekend. I like the idea of not having to empty the bag , and from what I've read if you have a good mulching mower it's good for the lawn.

I wasn't paying attention yesterday and when I was done the bag was PACKED. It was good to know the mower will fill the bag...that was a big problem with my old Toro.

Oh, and I definitely need practice with the trimmer. I probably looked "special" out there...I was going go slow . I didn't want to accidentally gouge the lawn .

Gfaze

Looks nice.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Does anybody know of something I can put on the lawn to deter animals from pooping on it?

I don't mind finding a pile or two in between mows as that's life, but it's excessive...like 6-8 piles a week. Whatever animal(s) like my lawn also prefer to poop near the house (and not near the street). I have yet to find poop past my garage...it's always closer to the house.

I'm pretty sure it's cats (there are a TON of feral cats in my neighborhood), though I have seen a racoon or two around here.

Any suggestions on how I can cut this down?

05TLdcc

Turret.

Moog-Type-S

Leave rat poison "treats"

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Gfaze

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Not landscaping related, but I figured I should keep my home improvements/maintenance posts that aren't significant enough to warrant their own thread here thread.

I inherited a handfull of cabinets from work and hung the first two today. It took me way longer than it should have, but it's done.





I didn't take a "before" picture, but it was a single shelf maybe two feet wide inches wide by 1 foot deep.

I took the opportunity to add some lighting to the laundry area. It turned out fairly well. The lights are connected to a motion switch so they come on when entering the garage. I'm not particularly thrilled with doing a surface mount box for the switch, but for some reason there is particle board around the area where the laundry outlet is. My only guess is it's there to protect something (like the water supply lines), so I didn't feel like risking it and cutting the particle board. I probably could have removed the old box, drilled a hole through the stud, routed the romex through the stud and into a new box on the other side, and patched the old hole...but eh well. Maybe next time.

MissAlyyTL

I'm going to let u in on a little secret that my neighbor put me on to when we first became homeowners.... Habitat for Humanity Re-store. Some of the stuff in there is crap, but they usually have brand new lighting fixtures/doors, etc. left over from projects they do and didn't use. I got a $300 mirror for $20 there.

Google it, they are all over the country.

MissAlyyTL

Nice touch with the Azine lol

MissAlyyTL

Pour Ajax dish soap in the area! I once rented a basement apartment & they'd constantly go next to the window, it was gross, put ajax n never came back... If u think raccoons then try a "harsher" approach. Pour vinagar. They hate the smell/taste. Might not work right away, but give it a week or so for them to associate the smell with ur house n they are sure to stay away.

Gfaze

Nice cabinets and I like the lighting for the washer and dryer.

I've got a question about your lawn though. How often do you water and how long are the cycles? My lawn seems to be half dead and I'm almost certain it's because I'm not watering it correctly.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Hmm. There is one in Modesto and one in Stockton. I may have to check them out. Thanks!

I had to do some texturing in the bathroom and was practicing with the canned texture. The wall to the right of the washer/dryer has texture all over it.

Hmm. Will this hurt grass?

Thanks! I just walked into the garage and was all excited when the lights came on automatically

Before spring/summer I was watering for 10 minutes MWF at 5 AM. I bumped it up to 15 minutes every day @ 5 AM once the lawn started to die and this didn't help much. I added a 15 minute run at 1 AM. This helped, but not as much as I was hoping. I decided to try a single 30 minute run every day at 4 AM, and this seems to do the trick. I was trying to prevent excessive run-off with the two 15 minute cycles, but I think what was happening was more water was evaporating than soaking into the ground So, I've given up on controlling run-off.

My new problem is hard spots. I have a few patches of lawn that are a mix of green and yellow (more green than yellow) and grow at a much slower rate than the rest of the lawn. These patches are ROCK hard, and I'm not sure what to do about it. My dad said he uses liquid gypsum, so I may try that. I've also considered renting an aerator, but I'm not sure if that's what I want to do?

MissAlyyTL

Bagging vs mulching depends on ur climate , weather & how often u mow. Mulching is better, it allows for healthier soil & prevents grass from trying out in sweltering herat. It's no good however if it is too much, bc it can prevent sun altogether & cause fungus to grow. If u mow often might pay to mulch, but leave the blades high, about 3" for good growth. Too short & it will ruin ur grass n soil over time.

MissAlyyTL

I think the Ajax is less likely to hurt it, has not affected mine, but if u want to try it out since ur grass is still new n might not be hardy yet, I would try pouring it directly on the cement, creating a sort of buffer zone if u will.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

I love this thread because it's a great way to see the progress I've made. It also shows that I've done jack since installing the lawn.

I need to get back on the landscaping horse. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get quotes for the rest of the fencing. I may get a quote on having someone install the pavers I have in my garage (I want the space back!!). I dug a short area for a handfull of pavers and it took FOREVER. ..and maybe for the rest of the concrete work I want to do. I can handle doing the back sprinkler system, lawn, and putting gravel in the dog run.

Gfaze

Thanks for the watering info. I'll have to play with the cycle durations. Currently I have it set to water 10 minutes everyday at 4am. I'm gonna bump it up to 20 minutes every day to see if that helps. I don't want to water more than I need, I've got a water meter to worry about.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

I here ya. I'm metered, but I've just come to terms with the better I want the lawn to look the more water I'm going to have to buy. It's part of the reason why I'm not on top of finishing the back yard . The water portion of my city utility bill went up ~$15 a month since the front lawn came into the picture .

Part of the problem is the sprinklers I picked are sensitive to wind...and there's that delta breeze that loves to blow through Tracy...oh well.

MissAlyyTL

If u just laid the grass this season I wouldn't aerate. You will risk damaging the new grass roots and will end up with a mess. If ur soil is hard, then it should be done twice a year, Spring & fall. If ur soil is like clay, then it should be once, either spring or fall. For the dead spots, I would try something simple first, I don't remember the name, but I believe it was Scotts fertilizer that I used and it turned those spots green within a few days, just make sure u follow the directions to a T, u need to check the weather for rain bc it's only supposed to be done at certain times. Might also be worth looking into a company like Scotts home lawn, or TruGreen (not sure if they are national or just in my region). They come and spray my grass once every other month with proper fertilizer, fungus killer all in one. Around me it's $50 for my whole property which isn't bad for every other month. You can customize it also, just have them do it once or twice here or there to get ur landscaping nice & hardy and then from there u can just maintain u kno? TruGreen even leaves a "prescription" telling u if there was any problem soil or grass, how to correct it, and exactly when & how much to water/mow based on ur specific property, not just the rule of thumb (bc depending on weather conditions, amount of shade cast, length of daylight, there are so many variables that can make or break a lawn. Best investment we have made ever.

MissAlyyTL

I ment if ur soil is sandy it should be once a year. If its hard/clay,then twice

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

I fertilized the lawn last Friday and you can really see the hard spots. My parents have been using liquid gypsum (http://www.soillogic.com/products/liquid-gypsum) with great results so I'm going to look into ordering some.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Finally ordered and received a bottle of liquid gypsum. Following the directions for application, I divided it up among the 5 exceptionally hard spots of my lawn. Hopefully it helps...

In bigger news, with the help of a family friend I finished installing the rest of the cabinets in my garage:







I have one cabinet left over. I'm debating putting it under the two in the 3rd picture, but I'm not sure yet. When I snagged the cabinets I also snagged a piece of counter top to replace the hollow door that was my workbench (in pictures 1 & 2). Worked out nicely.

The next steps are to finish the workbench area by putting something on the wall (maybe pegboard) and install lighting similar to the laundry area.

Gfaze

Looks good, I think I need to add some cabinets too.

chill_dog

Cabinets look great.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

I placed an order for a Red Maple tree for the front yard with the Arbor Day Foundation. It should arrive sometime in November. I can't wait!

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Really nice work. I love the lawn.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Thanks! I'll have to take a picture of the lawn to show something recent. I'll try to do that tomorrow.

MissAlyyTL

Looks great! Hope you went with the Pegboard. I think it always completes a garage'

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

^ Not yet, but that's the plan!

hornyleprechaun

Thunder how wide is the concrete you poured early on in this thread.

Majofo

wow.. great progress!! Azine

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

So, I need to repair some grout in my master shower. From my research, it sounds like I need to fix the problem that caused the grout to fail in order for the replacement grout to last. Well, I think I know what the problem is, I just don't know how to fix it.

One of the walls of my shower is partially built out of glass block like so:



As you can see,the grout around the border where it transitions from the glass block to the wall is falling out on the top and on the left. This is because the glass wall and the regular wall (for the lack of a better term) are not mated together by anything. There is a gap. The gap at the top is pretty large:



The light you see above the glass block is light coming in from the gap on the other side where the grout has failed as well.

I think the solution is to fill the gap with something that the grout can adhere to. The question is, what can I fill the gap with? What's something I can put in there that grout will stick to?