As a grounds keeper for a primary school in Port Pirie have been watch you for a little while and have found your videos to help me alot the back lawn (Oval but not an oval) when i started wasn't very good and same with the front lawn too but now been using the lawnporn product and some of your tips and it has made a big difference in how it looks. A big thank you. And just throwing it out there if you would like to come have a look and maybe give me a few extra tips I will gratefully welcome it.
Thanks for this great comment. I’m glad it has helped you. I was only in Pirie last weekend doing peoples renos and a few extra aerates as people watched me do Reno’s and I just asked them if they wanted a quick aerate. Now I’m back home full time I’m going to get into doing the school again and get them a nice result.
I really enjoyed that video. So clear and informative. Nicely narrated and excellent quality. I love your selection of machines. The lawn actually looked terrific. So green and lush. Can't wait to see more of this reno. Cheers from Magill
Great vid Matt. Must admit it brought on some PTSD from my prior Reno’s!! They are big days indeed, full of dirt n sweat 😫😫 but defs worth it for the results!
WOW, that tif tuf was a thatch monster. You definetly need to add a victa 2 stroke into the arsenal- heaps more power to scalp down a thatch monster. Great vid, thanks.
I have the same lawn that I planted in October last year (my first ever lawn) and I didn’t do the best job in prepping the soil so once things settled it got a little bumpy and was getting scalped in areas from the mower. To counteract this I kept increasing the cut height which resulted in a lawn with a thickness similar to this. Can I just scalp and top dress or will not aerating harm my lawn? Also what soil do you recommend for top dressing to fix the levels. Thankyou
Hey Matt, love the resto, is that good old Port Pirie fencing I can see in the front yard??? I’m looking for someone in Adelaide who can give me some direction on my Kikuyu issues I’m having, are you in Adelaide often?? Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Whenever I’m dramatically dropping the height, I’ll only cut a half width run (basically your first lap around lawn will be a full width run). Then cut laps around the lawn in a clockwise direction, which will ensure the clippings are going straight back into the catcher, instead of having the blades carry clippings from the left side of the deck. Using a rotary mower, you’ll actually be cutting the lawn twice, but with the blades cutting in two different directions so you’ll get a better cut and your mower won’t be struggling as much.
@lawnporn any after pics? I have Tiftuf Bermuda laid in December and left it to long, cut it back then got hit with Armyworm which I didnt realise was happening till now (started in Jan) stressing as I prepped and waited so long to Lay it in house and land package deal.
Thanks for the video Matt, it’s a good incentive to keep on top of maintenance. Just wondering when you think would be a good time to do a top dress on a tif tuf lawn that’s about 2 months old. It’s only getting a rotary mower to about 25-30mm but is just a bit bumpy in patches and i’d like it to be a bit more flat and uniform.
Thanks for commenting. Assuming you are in growing season (mid spring to summer end) you'll be good to go for a reno on TT. Tiftuf is just ballistic and will handle the reno well even though it is pretty young.
Wow Matt that is a beast of a machine, I have the model below that one on back order, hopefully will arrive from the States in March, then I will get to find out what hard work is all about! Question, how have you gone with the tines over the couple times you have used it, any damage, would your recommend having a few spare on hand or not needed?
This model I have has been used as a demo for the Australian distributor and only has a few hours use. The tines are virtually new and I have some spares also. I haven't seen any damage yet but I have only used 3 times now on sandy bases so not really enough use to judge on wear and damage. It did however hit the haunch next to my verandah and it just bounced a little, no damage to hitting the tine. The machine kind of compensates for hitting something hard because it is reciprocating.
Yeah even mowing about 2cm off every week filled my green bin and I was just keeping on top of it at about a #2 on my mower - then back in November we had a massive rain on my days off, and beautiful weather on days on, and it (well and truly) got away from me. The joys of shiftwork, and not having a garage full of gucci kit to do a reno with!
@@lawnporn same. Along with howdy howdy. 😂. You think this was hard....I spent Xmas eve in the heat doing gardening...One and a half 5×8 caged trailer loads of material....Lol I regretted it later tho bc I got minor dehydration 😶. Silly me
This is the story of owning tiftuff. Basically killing it and regrowing it each year. For which 6 weeks you will have the most amazing grass in existence. The rest of the year it’s a PITA. Don’t you dare miss a mow due to being away for more then 4 days or 2 weeks of wet weather.
You make some interesting points. Couch needs that yearly renovation and you’ve got to keep on top of your care. Couch is a bit more involved than other varieties.
@@lawnporn my issue with it, is 2 fold. The suppliers promote it as a high value low maintenance grass which is total BS to the average grass buyer who just wants a nice lawn for their house. It’s a high maintenance grass. And just about everyone on UA-cam and social media don’t show the dark side of this type of grass. It’s terrible winter performance (especially recovery), it’s terrible low light performance, it’s long/ non existent (as in loss of its density and low cut height) recovery after huge soaking periods where by it will get tall and gangly and thin out during periods when you can’t mow it. It’s terrible recovery after a mid height scalp if you have a slightly uneven lawn and accidentally take its canopy off. It absolutely requires lawngrub control throughout the year. I’ve not seen anyone admit that you are forced to cut higher and higher each week. If you are a normal human and can’t mow it every 2-4 days. Until it’s gets tall and ugly. Don’t touch this lawn if you have shaded areas/ or it’s not perfectly flat and well lit/ irrigated. And or you wish to have a life and a nice lawn low/ green dense lawn throughout the year. If anyone is thinking about getting tiftuff, they should ask people to show a top down view of all sections of their yard - not just the prime photos after a reno. It looks amazing in photos especially when viewed from the side. But this incredibly lawn only looks prime for a month, unless you’re devoting your life to it. I would consider myself significantly more proactive than the standard bloke renovating his home. I’m close to ripping it up. So over it. The brown stem that gets higher and higher is a deal breaker. And there’s no avoiding it.
@@ibsn87 you have a lot of points - none of which I dismiss. I absolutely love TifTuf- but that’s just me. All I’ll say is if you are looking at TifTuf and just normally rotary mowing 1-2 times a week (during the growing season) I would, 1. Get a battery dethatcher and use once a month mid spring to early autumn 2. Learn how to use Plant Growth Regulator 3. Soil Wetter once a month 4. At least fertilise once a season with a good slow release granular fertiliser. 5. Black Beetle control spring and summer 6. Pre - emergent spring and autumn for grassy weeds 7. Bow and arrow post emergent for broadleaf weeds I get why you are fed up but perhaps look to implement some fairly quick practices that could really improve your situation and ensure you’re not a slave to the lawn. For example (I am currently on a 2 week away from home work trip) and I cut my lawn right down and applied 15mL PGR per the 100m2 just before I left. Hasn’t been mowed yet (hasn’t been mowed for 10 days) and it’s looking great. I do have a mate coming tomorrow to give it a light clip. This has been during 40+ degree days and some horrendous weather. Just a bit of planning (even though I was given 2 days notice of the trip) but you can work your way around most hurdles.
@@lawnporn thanks for the time to reply. I do most of those things. I was one of the first people in OZ to get tiftuff. Admittedly I put the brakes on using PGR. It’s a lawn for using. The idea of coating my lawn in potentially carcinogenic chemicals when I have young kids running around on it is not up there on my priorities, I’m selective with what and when as a result. I’m not sure PGR residue soaking through the skin of a 2 year old would be ideal. A chemical that literally affects the plant a cell level is prob not good for human skin… for the same reason we don’t run our hands in cockroach surface spray behind the fridge. When I got the turf, it was promoted as VERY low maintenance. Most suppliers have been bumping this up year after year. As I tell the average person with a moderate level of lawn pride. It’s the best grass for only a few weeks of the year. The rest of the time it’s frustrating and requires constant attention, above and beyond regular mowing. It would make sense if you’re willing to dedicate a significant amount of time and money to it. It does dormant amazing. It almost doesn’t grow if it’s dry and stays a wicked green. But alas. If you want it to grow. It definitely needs water and a lot of heat. I have had mixed results with bow and arrow. I run very low ratios. But it still browns off the grass leaf. I generally hand pick 99% of weeks. I now don’t use bow and arrow. TBH, weed and feed is the safest bet for the occasional weed control if I’m desperate and it’s got past the pre emergent. (Usually only needed on the front lawn that cops post bikes and lots of foot traffic/weeds carried across). Allows me to control the Neighbour’s weeds as well. Having had it for 5 years, generally no one shows photos of it during winter (top down photos)/ periods of cold/ long periods of soaking/ and when it’s gotten long and stalky or the slightly shaded areas or the areas you accidentally scalped that take weeks to recover if at all. People rarely boast about it until several weeks post yearly Reno. You generally see post Reno photos where it’s incredible…. Unfortunately without coating in PGR it’s going to get long and start to look less then perfect 8 weeks later unless you can mow it every 3 days. For 90% of people, It’s the lawn you have to cut and regrow every year IMHO. Every tiff tuff lawn I’ve seen around here is a tall scalped mess. Adding to your list is aerating, top soiling, top dressing, leveling, constant mowing, cylinder mowers, dethatching, irrigating, and a shit load of chemicals. It’s a very high maintenance lawn, zero doubt about it. Not suitable for the average mum and dad that want a nice lawn and willing to mow at a minimum of once a week. Now that I think about it, it’s the kind of lawn you would love the public to own if you owned a lawn chemical supply company haha 😅
Haha... Is kind of the typical yard in Port Augusta Area as it is a desert climate.. gotta have a nice bit of green to look at for relaxing... cheers for the comment 🤣
I just did a lawn job with that shit grass. It's terrible.. people are so stupid, they don't cut it then expect you to do it all for 1980s prices.. no way
Yeah it seems the mentality. People think, it’s only grass. Just cut it, 100m2, I’ll give $20, ok $25 and it’s a jungle that’ll junk your equipment in no time. I get people asking me all the time, can you do a quick irrigation install for me this afternoon? What’s that worth - a couple of hundred? Yeah nah.
I really wish I could get my lawn done that way. It’s spongy too.
Thanks for giving me the hope
Cheers 🍻
As a grounds keeper for a primary school in Port Pirie have been watch you for a little while and have found your videos to help me alot the back lawn (Oval but not an oval) when i started wasn't very good and same with the front lawn too but now been using the lawnporn product and some of your tips and it has made a big difference in how it looks. A big thank you. And just throwing it out there if you would like to come have a look and maybe give me a few extra tips I will gratefully welcome it.
Thanks for this great comment. I’m glad it has helped you. I was only in Pirie last weekend doing peoples renos and a few extra aerates as people watched me do Reno’s and I just asked them if they wanted a quick aerate.
Now I’m back home full time I’m going to get into doing the school again and get them a nice result.
I really enjoyed that video. So clear and informative. Nicely narrated and excellent quality. I love your selection of machines. The lawn actually looked terrific. So green and lush. Can't wait to see more of this reno. Cheers from Magill
Thanks for that.
Live in Colorado. I can’t wait to get back onto the turf!
Really appreciate the advice you are providing as well as the tremendous pro bono assistance you are providing mates. Keep up the great work!!
No problems. Thanks for leaving a comment.
I saw the channel name and been pulling myself on the lawn since
Wood love to see you take the mow master to it once it has recovered
Great vid Matt. Must admit it brought on some PTSD from my prior Reno’s!! They are big days indeed, full of dirt n sweat 😫😫 but defs worth it for the results!
For sure. Couldn’t feel my arms at the end.
WOW, that tif tuf was a thatch monster. You definetly need to add a victa 2 stroke into the arsenal- heaps more power to scalp down a thatch monster. Great vid, thanks.
Oneday I have one of them beasties..
Production quality has definately ramped up; great work. Top videos as always mate your a good man. Patiently waiting for the Santa Ana Reno 🤙🤙🤙🤙
Getting there but this was all the Go Pro this day (reno vids are usually go pro days) but getting better and trying some different things.
Looking like you had a fun day 😁
Probably doing mine on Saturday 😩
Yeah the big jobs. At least don’t have to worry till spring 🌼
Awesome info how did you learn so much ?
You just pick up stuff over the years.
Interested in a manual cylinder mower review - for those of us in small garden situations. Cheers
salute for doing all that with a Honda rotary!
Both those rotaries will never leave me they are great.. Both need a service and new blades for sure...
I have the same lawn that I planted in October last year (my first ever lawn) and I didn’t do the best job in prepping the soil so once things settled it got a little bumpy and was getting scalped in areas from the mower. To counteract this I kept increasing the cut height which resulted in a lawn with a thickness similar to this. Can I just scalp and top dress or will not aerating harm my lawn? Also what soil do you recommend for top dressing to fix the levels. Thankyou
Great video, Have you ever thought about using a compost spreader? Thanks
Yes I have Gosh one day I'd love to get an Eco250 or similar, just would make this job nice and fast.
@@lawnporn yes it will. Thanks
Hey Matt, love the resto, is that good old Port Pirie fencing I can see in the front yard??? I’m looking for someone in Adelaide who can give me some direction on my Kikuyu issues I’m having, are you in Adelaide often??
Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Loving these videos mate 👍
Thanks mate totally appreciate this
awesome
Whenever I’m dramatically dropping the height, I’ll only cut a half width run (basically your first lap around lawn will be a full width run). Then cut laps around the lawn in a clockwise direction, which will ensure the clippings are going straight back into the catcher, instead of having the blades carry clippings from the left side of the deck.
Using a rotary mower, you’ll actually be cutting the lawn twice, but with the blades cutting in two different directions so you’ll get a better cut and your mower won’t be struggling as much.
Generally speaking you want to cut anti clockwise mate. Especially if mulching !
@lawnporn any after pics?
I have Tiftuf Bermuda laid in December and left it to long, cut it back then got hit with Armyworm which I didnt realise was happening till now (started in Jan) stressing as I prepped and waited so long to Lay it in house and land package deal.
I didn’t o. This occasssion however there is a recent video I did at my mate Damon’s and he gave me some follow up pics to put in the video.
Someone remind me if there’s a Lawnporn playlist on Spotify?!
Is that a good thing or bad??
Thanks for the video Matt, it’s a good incentive to keep on top of maintenance.
Just wondering when you think would be a good time to do a top dress on a tif tuf lawn that’s about 2 months old. It’s only getting a rotary mower to about 25-30mm but is just a bit bumpy in patches and i’d like it to be a bit more flat and uniform.
Thanks for commenting. Assuming you are in growing season (mid spring to summer end) you'll be good to go for a reno on TT. Tiftuf is just ballistic and will handle the reno well even though it is pretty young.
@@lawnporn thanks 👍🏻
Is that a Weibang scarifier? On such a thatchy lawn do you just do one deep pass or drop gradually with the scarifier?
I have the Weibang dethatcher but I didn’t use it on this occasion. If I did I’d just go low and go ever a few times.
Wow Matt that is a beast of a machine, I have the model below that one on back order, hopefully will arrive from the States in March, then I will get to find out what hard work is all about! Question, how have you gone with the tines over the couple times you have used it, any damage, would your recommend having a few spare on hand or not needed?
This model I have has been used as a demo for the Australian distributor and only has a few hours use. The tines are virtually new and I have some spares also. I haven't seen any damage yet but I have only used 3 times now on sandy bases so not really enough use to judge on wear and damage. It did however hit the haunch next to my verandah and it just bounced a little, no damage to hitting the tine. The machine kind of compensates for hitting something hard because it is reciprocating.
Can this be done at the start of autumn ?
Yes
Good Video. Nice Info.
Did you have to put more dirt on the top?
Would a thin layer may have done just fine?
Thin would have been fine. This wasn’t super thick but sorted some of the levels nicely and will grow In quickly
@@lawnporn Cool
1:10 the wheels aren’t even moving!! The mowers just gliding over that stuff it’s so thick, crazy
Mate what did you use for topdress. Is it an 80/20 mix with some organic? Looks a bit dark for a straight 80/20?
It’s called 8:2:1. Pretty dark loam mix.
Great job mate..im in need of some help with my backyard loosing the battle slowly lol is there a way to get in contact with you for advice or help?
There is. Email matt@lawnpornonline.com
Based
Cheers 🍻
What plants were (standards) your mate have in his garden.?
I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask him and get back to you on that one.
They're Crepe Myrtle 'Sioux'.
"A low mow is not on his agenda" Yeah we can see that from the beginning of the video haha
Yeah even mowing about 2cm off every week filled my green bin and I was just keeping on top of it at about a #2 on my mower - then back in November we had a massive rain on my days off, and beautiful weather on days on, and it (well and truly) got away from me. The joys of shiftwork, and not having a garage full of gucci kit to do a reno with!
Haha when I said that I was meaning a low mow from a cylinder. Nick has an electric rotary..
@@KablammoNick that happens to all of us mate 😁
There should be someone in Australia who can lend a reel mower
Nick is "reely" looking at a reel mower. I think the Allett or Superswift is on his radar..
@@lawnporn I got an Allett last year, it rocks!!!
@@ozwogman amazing gear
G'day g'day
One of my favourite sayings
@@lawnporn same. Along with howdy howdy. 😂.
You think this was hard....I spent Xmas eve in the heat doing gardening...One and a half 5×8 caged trailer loads of material....Lol I regretted it later tho bc I got minor dehydration 😶. Silly me
How ya going’, what d’ya know, well strike a light, g’day g’day.
Hehe sorry I couldn’t help myself.
@@southaussiegarbo2054 I did my front for the 2 days after doing this for 2 days... luckily wasn't insane hot... today is 41!!
@@youaintshit952 I say "bloke" all too often.. I hear it is a very SA thing to say..
This is the story of owning tiftuff. Basically killing it and regrowing it each year. For which 6 weeks you will have the most amazing grass in existence. The rest of the year it’s a PITA. Don’t you dare miss a mow due to being away for more then 4 days or 2 weeks of wet weather.
You make some interesting points. Couch needs that yearly renovation and you’ve got to keep on top of your care. Couch is a bit more involved than other varieties.
@@lawnporn my issue with it, is 2 fold. The suppliers promote it as a high value low maintenance grass which is total BS to the average grass buyer who just wants a nice lawn for their house. It’s a high maintenance grass.
And just about everyone on UA-cam and social media don’t show the dark side of this type of grass.
It’s terrible winter performance (especially recovery), it’s terrible low light performance, it’s long/ non existent (as in loss of its density and low cut height) recovery after huge soaking periods where by it will get tall and gangly and thin out during periods when you can’t mow it.
It’s terrible recovery after a mid height scalp if you have a slightly uneven lawn and accidentally take its canopy off.
It absolutely requires lawngrub control throughout the year.
I’ve not seen anyone admit that you are forced to cut higher and higher each week. If you are a normal human and can’t mow it every 2-4 days. Until it’s gets tall and ugly.
Don’t touch this lawn if you have shaded areas/ or it’s not perfectly flat and well lit/ irrigated.
And or you wish to have a life and a nice lawn low/ green dense lawn throughout the year.
If anyone is thinking about getting tiftuff, they should ask people to show a top down view of all sections of their yard - not just the prime photos after a reno. It looks amazing in photos especially when viewed from the side. But this incredibly lawn only looks prime for a month, unless you’re devoting your life to it. I would consider myself significantly more proactive than the standard bloke renovating his home.
I’m close to ripping it up. So over it. The brown stem that gets higher and higher is a deal breaker. And there’s no avoiding it.
@@ibsn87 you have a lot of points - none of which I dismiss.
I absolutely love TifTuf- but that’s just me.
All I’ll say is if you are looking at TifTuf and just normally rotary mowing 1-2 times a week (during the growing season) I would,
1. Get a battery dethatcher and use once a month mid spring to early autumn
2. Learn how to use Plant Growth Regulator
3. Soil Wetter once a month
4. At least fertilise once a season with a good slow release granular fertiliser.
5. Black Beetle control spring and summer
6. Pre - emergent spring and autumn for grassy weeds
7. Bow and arrow post emergent for broadleaf weeds
I get why you are fed up but perhaps look to implement some fairly quick practices that could really improve your situation and ensure you’re not a slave to the lawn.
For example (I am currently on a 2 week away from home work trip) and I cut my lawn right down and applied 15mL PGR per the 100m2 just before I left. Hasn’t been mowed yet (hasn’t been mowed for 10 days) and it’s looking great. I do have a mate coming tomorrow to give it a light clip. This has been during 40+ degree days and some horrendous weather. Just a bit of planning (even though I was given 2 days notice of the trip) but you can work your way around most hurdles.
@@lawnporn thanks for the time to reply. I do most of those things. I was one of the first people in OZ to get tiftuff. Admittedly I put the brakes on using PGR. It’s a lawn for using. The idea of coating my lawn in potentially carcinogenic chemicals when I have young kids running around on it is not up there on my priorities, I’m selective with what and when as a result. I’m not sure PGR residue soaking through the skin of a 2 year old would be ideal. A chemical that literally affects the plant a cell level is prob not good for human skin… for the same reason we don’t run our hands in cockroach surface spray behind the fridge.
When I got the turf, it was promoted as VERY low maintenance. Most suppliers have been bumping this up year after year. As I tell the average person with a moderate level of lawn pride. It’s the best grass for only a few weeks of the year. The rest of the time it’s frustrating and requires constant attention, above and beyond regular mowing. It would make sense if you’re willing to dedicate a significant amount of time and money to it.
It does dormant amazing. It almost doesn’t grow if it’s dry and stays a wicked green. But alas. If you want it to grow. It definitely needs water and a lot of heat.
I have had mixed results with bow and arrow. I run very low ratios. But it still browns off the grass leaf. I generally hand pick 99% of weeks. I now don’t use bow and arrow.
TBH, weed and feed is the safest bet for the occasional weed control if I’m desperate and it’s got past the pre emergent. (Usually only needed on the front lawn that cops post bikes and lots of foot traffic/weeds carried across). Allows me to control the Neighbour’s weeds as well.
Having had it for 5 years, generally no one shows photos of it during winter (top down photos)/ periods of cold/ long periods of soaking/ and when it’s gotten long and stalky or the slightly shaded areas or the areas you accidentally scalped that take weeks to recover if at all.
People rarely boast about it until several weeks post yearly Reno.
You generally see post Reno photos where it’s incredible…. Unfortunately without coating in PGR it’s going to get long and start to look less then perfect 8 weeks later unless you can mow it every 3 days.
For 90% of people, It’s the lawn you have to cut and regrow every year IMHO. Every tiff tuff lawn I’ve seen around here is a tall scalped mess.
Adding to your list is aerating, top soiling, top dressing, leveling, constant mowing, cylinder mowers, dethatching, irrigating, and a shit load of chemicals.
It’s a very high maintenance lawn, zero doubt about it. Not suitable for the average mum and dad that want a nice lawn and willing to mow at a minimum of once a week.
Now that I think about it, it’s the kind of lawn you would love the public to own if you owned a lawn chemical supply company haha 😅
Um...., am I the only person who thought the before was better than the after ? 🤷🏻♂️
I was waiting for that one 😂. The grow back of this one isn’t shown but in 3 weeks this was almost covered and looking amazing.
90% of the yard is rock 😂 just do the same for that tiny grass patch.
Haha... Is kind of the typical yard in Port Augusta Area as it is a desert climate.. gotta have a nice bit of green to look at for relaxing... cheers for the comment
🤣
@@lawnporn oh i know the feeling. i have a massive front and back yard and i wanna just cement it all XD.
If ya mate doesnt pay you for your time thats a shit mate
It’s not like that. I offer the time and service for free.
I just did a lawn job with that shit grass. It's terrible.. people are so stupid, they don't cut it then expect you to do it all for 1980s prices.. no way
Yeah it seems the mentality. People think, it’s only grass. Just cut it, 100m2, I’ll give $20, ok $25 and it’s a jungle that’ll junk your equipment in no time.
I get people asking me all the time, can you do a quick irrigation install for me this afternoon? What’s that worth - a couple of hundred? Yeah nah.
@@lawnporn lol... That's it..