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Let's Talk Lawns

Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Love seeing the new backyard and fresh, green grass! The lights had spotlights from the PO, making the yard look like a penitentiary when they were on... swapped them out with 75 watt LED bulbs for a broader light pattern.

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I finally feel like we could host a BBQ in the backyard with friends and not feel embarrassed... not that I'd ever do that. 😆
 
jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
I've never had a motor act like this. It's had a puff of smoke or two at first start for a couple years.. but very minimal. Shut it off after the last mow, no issues. Took a little longer to fire this time, and went into this cycle of running, dump smoke, running, dump smoke.. Probably cycled 10-15 times before this video.. then died. Will start again after sitting, but only cycles a few times and dies again. Crazy.

 
Jesser04

Jesser04

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville Utah
jeeper said:
I've never had a motor act like this. It's had a puff of smoke or two at first start for a couple years.. but very minimal. Shut it off after the last mow, no issues. Took a little longer to fire this time, and went into this cycle of running, dump smoke, running, dump smoke.. Probably cycled 10-15 times before this video.. then died. Will start again after sitting, but only cycles a few times and dies again. Crazy.

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My push mower just started this it also is leaking fuel out of the carb. I thought lawn mowers were invincible.
 
jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
Jesser04 said:
My push mower just started this it also is leaking fuel out of the carb. I thought lawn mowers were invincible.
Click to expand...

Our symptoms may be related. As it turns out, I think the fuel pump has gone bad on mine, allowing gasoline to go into the crank case. This is raising the oil level and letting it suck through the motor. If you are leaking gas out of the carb it’s quite possible you are leaking it into the engine as well. Check your oil level and see what it is at.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Picked up a used walk-behind Cub Cadet mower for the new sod, didn't want the heavy riding mower causing issues with soft soil.

Made the first cut, it's looking good despite a couple kinda dry spots where sprinklers weren't fully covering. Took care of that and it's looking healthy! Need to run the sod roller over it again after a good soaking to make sure it stays level and even.

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Jay5.9L

Jay5.9L

...I just filled the cup.
Location
Riverton
Anyone got a good sprinkler guy?

Been fighting my zones and can’t get the last two to fire automatically. I’m getting signal from the controller, changed the diaphragm and solenoid. I’m thinking controller at this point.
 
jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
jeeper said:
I've never had a motor act like this. It's had a puff of smoke or two at first start for a couple years.. but very minimal. Shut it off after the last mow, no issues. Took a little longer to fire this time, and went into this cycle of running, dump smoke, running, dump smoke.. Probably cycled 10-15 times before this video.. then died. Will start again after sitting, but only cycles a few times and dies again. Crazy.

Click to expand...

New $9 fuel pump, and she fired right up and ran right.
And to think, I almost threw it away.. but a 30 second google search saved me.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Jay5.9L said:
Anyone got a good sprinkler guy?

Been fighting my zones and can’t get the last two to fire automatically. I’m getting signal from the controller, changed the diaphragm and solenoid. I’m thinking controller at this point.
Click to expand...
Get ya a Rachio. They’re magical! Doing it all from your phone and integrating smart features like skipping water due to weather are super nice features. I added a flow meter to mine and it tracks usage and will auto-shutoff if a zone is using more water than it’s been calibrated to use (as in it’s leaking).
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
Pike2350 said:
2 weeks ago I installed sod in to the backyard. I watered daily and did the first lawn mowing tonight. A few spots are brown and I am not sure why since all the grass around them is growing great. Hopefully it will grow in.View attachment 173702View attachment 173704
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That’ll grow in fine. Try to find some starter fertilizer for it, or “Lawn Food”.
 
P

Pike2350

Registered User
Location
Salt Lake City
A new issue has come up with my load I don't understand. With all the rain and sprinklers coming on I am somehow developing dry spots...WTF. it is really confusing since the grass has been green and lush all summer after putting down the sod minus a few spots mentioned above.....but the last week, these dry spots have developed and given rain and normal sprinkler schedule I can't understand why.
20240824_085815.jpg17245116970728753841842885587287.jpg
Any ideas?
 
P

Pike2350

Registered User
Location
Salt Lake City
Hickey said:
When was your last fertilizer application?
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I have only done the start up application right after putting down the sod...so 2.5 months now. I grabbed some GrubEx from Home Depot just now and will throw that on there. I am hoping to kill them off and then begin preventative treatments in fall and going forward....at least from the reading I did that is best.

I am just so surprised they are here. The dirt below the sod was tilled and should not have been as compact as they like....plus I hadn't had a lawn for a year due to the addition....so it was very dry.

I haven't tried to pull back the grass to see if it rolls but I do recall that on a few spots of the newer sod even after a few weeks to set....so maybe they came with the sod?
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
It’s been hot so it might just not have rooted in yet. You need to lift it to see if it’s grubs or if it’s just not rooting. I doubt it’s grubs personally but it’s worth checking for.
 
P

Pike2350

Registered User
Location
Salt Lake City
nnnnnate said:
It’s been hot so it might just not have rooted in yet. You need to lift it to see if it’s grubs or if it’s just not rooting. I doubt it’s grubs personally but it’s worth checking for.
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I would normally think this as well except it has done very well the past 2 months. Very green, growing at a good rate and looking awesome. It has only been in the past week or so that it started looking dry in those spots and that is with the continued sprinkler schedule and the rain...so I am perplexed. Still not sure how grubs would've taken hold so quickly after sod without any grass for the past year.
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
I had decided earlier this year to add a sprinkler to a spot in my back lawn that tended to get crispy in the sun. I got it marked and dug out last night. The trench ended up being twice as long as it should have been because I used a super long funny pipe connection on the head I decided to dig towards. I kind of pride myself on doing projects “the right way” so it surprised me I had to chase the hard pipe so far. I had everything I needed but decided to buy new pipe and some glue rather than the stuff I still had.

I got it all glued up last night and connected and tested for leaks this morning before backfilling the trench. I had a lot of little pieces of lawn to fit back together but it worked out. I left the trench a bit low and will add sand to fill it out this fall.

I’m going to put down my first application of fertilizer this year tonight along with some iron and humane. All mixed together and sprayed. I’ll follow up with more urea every couple weeks through the month and into October depending on how warm it stays.
 
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