reeljake, I get to June, and the area where it looks as if the builders seeded some type of bermuda starts clumping. I use my Honda rotary that mulches. It's my third year with it, and my dh changed the blades this year, but it started doing that again this year. I really have thought about bagging it at least once a month. I hate when it just clumps because I have to rake it. But what you are saying makes sense. I really just want healthy soil and lawn. And as for the reel mowers, the Fiskars has convinced me, at least that it's better for my bermuda, and if I can get a full lawn of bermuda, I'll be looking to invest in some other reel mower. I only use the Fiskars for my front yard, which is probably about 5,000 sq ft, twice a week. It's some physical work!

Cooper, where do you live?

dchall, I live OKC. it is fairly hot right now and only getting hotter. Grass grew kindda tall now and grow fast, but I did scalped and topdressed with rich mix. Do you think I still have time to seed? it is only June and the weed is getting out of control too. Ty need to seed with P-77 and cut low so it grow fuller to choke out the weeds in the next few years.

Okay I went and pick up the manual push reel mower Friskars Max. OMG it is almost impossible to go with 1 inch maybe do able with 1.5 inch and above. Or maybe my yard just uneven. I have to test it out some more. But not very impress how it cuts. It can cut lower than my Greenworks Pro but my as nice to my image from those video I watch about reel mower on youtube. Maybe I just need to get a gas powered one.

I had trouble with the Fiskars at first. I had to get used to it. I can in some places go to 1 inch, but I'm happy with the 1.5. It's better than my Honda rotary that makes crop circles in the front where the sod is. My yard does need leveling but that's another day.

I feel ya. I think I'm going to craiglist the Friskar I just purchase and my Greenworks rotatory once I get a gas power reel mower. I found couple here that selling good in great condition for $500. Not that I like gas machine, but there isn't any other option for reel mower so I going to use gas until there some manufacturer can make a battery one.

I do hope battery power reel mower (decent one) will come out then I'll be the first one to buy. Otherwise, I might go into business and actually start to manufacture one !

Finnally found a electric reel mower. But man it is expensive http://www.mclanemower.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1222&idcategory=6

Battery power no longer showing available.

I thought they killed that model, but didn't want to rain on anybody's parade

yeah I called McLane today. They stopped producing these couple of years ago. That is very sad. Anyhow.... I laid the P-77 down and water each sprinkler zone for 1 hour. Gonna keep watering like that couple of weeks everyday to see if it will come out good. Hopefully better germination with more watering due to the high heat here in OKC. Wish me luck !

quick question guys. It is getting up in the 90s here in OKC. I water 2-3 time a day each zone up to 2 hours each zone. Is that too much water for new seed? I have to keep watering due to the top soil getting dry so quickly. It has been 4 days since the watering and no seedling yet. Not sure what to expect....

No, keep up the water. It can take weeks to sprout with Bermuda seed

Has anyone tried pre-germinating Bermuda Seed? What I mean by that is, mix it with wet sand, put it in a bucket and let it sit for 4-5 days in a warm spot, then spread it to reduce the amount of time to germination.

I tried that on a small scale when I did my golf chipping pad, attempting to make my own plugs, but they all damped off from fungus & I abandoned that plan

Amazing how the grass is so bulletproof but the seed is so finicky.

I think Im going crazy. I laid the P-77 seeds down last Tuesday and water like hell and it is now sunday and the seed is the same no sign of germination. Seem very dead. Im a sad cat

It takes a while. Like I said, seed sucks

okay seem like on the side of the yard where it receives more water from the sprinkler, there is couple of seedlings that I can see broken out of the shell and has a little root and green on top. That germinated seed seem bigger than the ones that just laying there dead.

But man these whole gang of small black birds and few orange chested one are being bunch of asses and pecking up something I don't know perhaps seed or even my fertilizer.

I'm getting really angry and I can't watch them all the time, but I do see lots of little holes in the ground. I bet those are from them. They are either eating my P-77 seeds which are extremely tiny than the regular seeds or they just hunting worm. Sometime they just sit on the top of the fence and just watch me patiently like come at me bro or something.

I bought the P-77 from Outsidepride.com that has tested day from a month ago. Is there way to know when the seeds were harvested? it would sucks if I got a batch from last season and germination rate is lower than 80% advertised rate for being on the shelf too long.

also does high humidity activate the seed better than low humidity? it has been around 40%+ here...

I'm gonna give it another few days to see if anything changes.

alright. So this morning I came outside and check on the lawn. I found there some area where there there are some green coming up but I'm unsure if they are from weed seed or grass seed but they are dark green. some other area has no sign of life.

I do see some area that has ants and they seem to be eating my seed. I noticed that there some seed shell laying dead there so I think they are eating all the seed. What to do now?

Search out a reputable licensed local sod producer who can get you a couple pallets of certified celebration sod while it's in season.

I would if money was no object. But I check again today see a whole lot more green seedling now from the P-77 seed so I 'm still hopeful at least not 100% is failing. But we'll have to see. Some area with ants are problematic since I noticed some seeds are just laying dead with the core removed.

I might have to go second round of seeding in a month or so if things go south. I noticed the seeds seem to thrive very good with wet soil and even with soaking wet soil. I think the sun ray is strong enough to evaporate most of the extra water off surface of the ground.

Ok, everyone has a different patience level & budget. Pallets should only be around 110 apiece

Found another battery powered reel. Two of them. In fact found the most expensive human push reel in usa. Hudson star classic for 1500. CRAZY!

they make a battery assisted reel rotates blades i don't believe it pushes the mower forward lol ( for 2100 msrp . Then of course jacobson has a greensmower battery electric reel for 10 to 14k depending on options.

How much did you spend on the seeds total?

umm that is very expensive for the Hudson. Toro eFlex also has battery powered but uberly expensive 17k or more.

I spent about 1.5k on rich mix soil, 80 dollars of starter fertilizer qnd 160 dollars on Princess 77 seeds 10 pounds . but princess is very dense grass so it will look like a golf course sometime this summer, if not I get 10 more pounds of seeds and overseed again. I see some young leaves now, they are dark green, unlike the common bermuda. so very excited to get a good deal on a mower. there a guy here offer me 800$ for his 25 inch McLane reel mower, but it is grass those. battery ones are just out of reach now

Good luck with the seed hope it works out. P77 will look nice if it dominates and u get a full spread.

Read above u doing 10k sw ft of yard so sounds like u really should get a powered reel. Plus being that you want to mow low and oftentimes, your back and legs may thank you for the self propel. I didn't know how easy it could be compared to push until I used one for first time other day. They weight about 150 to 170 maybe for the 20 inch versions. I'm guessing the 25 inch is probably around 200. For your size yard seems like 25 would be the better choice. My yard has various contours and niches where 20 is a better fit for me. Trucut is a good brand like Mclane and they make a 27. And u can add a seat to it lol. An attachment accessory.

I see. I owned a Greenworks Pro 21'' mower for couple of years now since I bought my house and it doing pretty good. Took two full charge battery to finish the whole lawn, about couple of hours. So wider cutting blade will definitely help. My lawn has always been very thin and very weedy. I tried post emergency herbicide but that only slow them down and kill my grass at the same time. The weed is still growing back as I type, but I think the P-77 will choke them out eventually. I look again this morning and they are growing pretty good I think. The leaves are small and dark green and they grow very close together. In a few weeks I think they will appear in thick patches and will look all weird with my existing common Bermuda. My neighbor will probably laugh at my lawn. hahah

I've never used a battery powered mower of any kind so not sure if their power is good or reliable. I know a lot of brands make rotary and then there is a few that do the reel (electric). I do own and use Dewalt electric tools 40 v max trimmer , hedge trimmer, and blower and have been very happy with power and reliability and battery life.

Mine is 80v which is most expensive version from Greenworks. It has lot of power. There are few times where I chop up the flags that the utility stick on my yard and it still run like nothing happen. Even chopping up small rock debris and stuff so it is pretty tough. But since it is rotary and has issue where it scalps in uneven spot. I tried to topdress and level the whole yard already, but might have to do a second round. I will upload few pictures in a week with my grass update

Have u considered leveling with just sand?

Never cross my mind. my lawn is natural red clay so they are very hard when dry so I added rich mix about 1 to 3 inches depend on the area that 70% top soil and 30% compost. I did watch some Youtube video where they add sand on their golf course. You think sand would benefit mine my lawn especially for the P-77?

I'm not qualified to make a recommendation to level with a particular substance to a particular grass to your type of soil. Dchall or other more experienced here can give more appropriate advice for your situation. Just curious if you thought about it. I did it myself but just once and it still needs some work.

yeah I did my whole lawn myself as well. i use a rope attach to a wooden pallet to use to level the lawn. but it is still very uneven since the whole lawn was not flat and the developer did a bad job cause drainage issue. once the grass is growing full again. I will do another dressing either compost, sand or top soil

Stick with sand. Compost disappears after a few years & topsoil can change your drainage patterns

I noticed my yard right now especially when it is wet. If I walk on it, the mud will stick to the bottom of my shoe, the soil not holding its position too well. when the grass grow full I'm not sure if this will stop. I have a low spot before as well and the soil was mostly clay and it was still muddy. the top part now is mostly rich mix. Will adding sand help with the muddiness?

Yup. Sharp sand gives a nice firm surface you can walk on while the water drains thru below. I used to have the same issue

okay I look this afternoon and notice a new problem. The P-77 is turning pinkish red and this only in some area of my front lawn but seem to be kind of spreading.

The existing bermuda is growing way really fast and has a very deep green color. I think it likes the starter fert.

this funky red color only on my new grass. What could it be?

Fungus?

over fert?

too hot (it has been up in the 90 around my area)?

too much water (I've been watering a lot to keep the surface moist and below) ?

Also some of the weeds that sprout up have similar color tone but only in my backyard while the P-77 is deep green. Very odd....

Mother nature just dumped a heavy load of rains here in my area. Now some of the low spot is flooded and I'm afraid it going to choke the new grass and seed if she doesn't stop raining.

I was looking up Red Thread fungus disease but not sure if that is it. This only happen to my new grass not the existing bermuda. Plus the heavy storm from last night has damaged the grass by exposing the root on top of the soil. Some of the grass with its root completely above the soil and turning pink/red at the same time. Seem like I have a bad luck this time.

Part of the lawn is mossy because of water retention. This area close to the sprinkler head and slope slightly downward.

This part of the lawn where the seedling are at least look healthy for now

The rest of the pics below show the red coloration on the leaves and couple of pics even show the seedling just lay on top of the ground from last night strong storm.

The backyard is green but has some stripe and very weedy and grassy for now. This because the existing bermuda is coming back very strong but the P-77 seedling also coming in slowly too. I will start mowing the whole lawn down next couple of weeks.

That's crazy. Are the seedlings still attached to soil or free floating with roots flapping in the wind?

some of them are just laying there so I put extra potting mix on top of them to cover them from the harsh sunlight in hope that the root will find its way downward

hey guys I need your help !

so I bought an old McLane 10 blade 5.5 FT Briggs and Stratton. It cut nicely until I got to this muddy area.

I tried to level it downward so water will follow out on the street when it rain and I think it kindda work. But due to thick later of top soil in this area, the sprinkler head is buried and the head cannot get above the grass so whenever it runs, water accumulate so much that it become this muddy. This might take two weeks to dry up or more.

I have a few questions.

1. I have a Hunter rotating head. How can I raise the head up so it spray above the grass? Is there a raiser I can add to raise it up?

2. what can I do to existing area to hardening it up?

3. What is the typical maintenance for the Mclane mower? when and how often to check the air filer, change the oil, or whatever I need to look out for?

You should start a new thread about the McLane, but you should be able to raise the sprinkler head using some funny pipe & a handful of gravel. Check out YouTube for sprinkler tutorials or just call your local provider. Sounds like you used topsoil to level instead of sand, huh?

Also, get a roller for the McLane so it doesn't dig in like that

Yeah I use a rich mix top soil. I was able to go to home depot and get couple of 3/4'' cut off extension raiser and couple of 3/4 female coupler and raised it up. So that problem is fixed now but not sure if the muddiness will go away. Should I add the sand now or should I wait until next year?

I think most of my P-77 is drying out and dead. It is way too hot here so I will reseed again next spring.

Muddiness does not go away on its own. Sand now or else you'll have a muddy spot until next year. No beach sand, you want sharp sand like a masonry sand or paver sand. All purpose sand from lowes works great. Play sand & beach sand are too round, they don't hold a firm enough surface. Do it now while the bermuda is still growing strong

Thanks Jake. I saw some at HomeDepot as well.

When I leveled yard I purchased a1 masonry sand from a local dirt and soil company. They sell by the yard and they usually also deliver for a charge. Which I had them do.

Thank you I think I'm done with leveling the yard this year. It is getting way too hot here. I'll do it next year with sand.