Wow - I'm glad that I stumbled across this post. I've been using "Humic DG CharX" almost religiously with my monthly fertilizer applications. And I've been making the mistake of applying it at the highest rate of 4 lbs/k with each application figuring that it could do no harm. Boy, was I wrong. My g...

One other item that I forgot to mention, is that the grass is not very dark green. Maybe a shade or two darker than lime green. I assume that this is due to the higher PH and low iron content. I've used Milorganite and Ferrous Sulfate as iron sources in the past, but without much luck. Iowa soils ar...

Greetings Friends! I realize that I'm a little late posting, but still wanted to post my 2022 Soil Test for interpretation. After last years's test it was determined that I had very low potassium levels. I spent most of last year applying two lbs/K of SOP every month (0-0-48 from Yard Mastery). Link...

Thank you for the interpretation, Andy! I knew the K was going to take some work after all my years of heavy Milo use. I've already ordered the SOP and will probably begin applying shortly before a good rain. Urea will probably be my go-to source for N, simply due to the fact that it's cheap. I agre...

Greetings, After five years of heavy Milorganite use, I decided it was time to test my soil to see if there were any excesses/deficiencies present. As suspected, my phosphorous is high and my potassium is low, but I would like some assistance from the experts to help me look at the bigger picture (b...

+1 I forgot to mention that I do use the SLS formula provided on this site in addition to Kelp Help and RGS. Although I was nervous to use the SLS at first, I soon got over it and began laying it down heavy with no ill effects. I can say that the trio of KH, SLS and RGS can be attributed to my succe...

Wouldn't say it's a game changer, but I gave their "compaction cure" a try this year. Wouldn't necessarily say that it cured my compaction clay problem, but I did notice an increase in turf resilience during the hot and extremely dry summer months we experienced here in NW Iowa. This year was probab...

I think you had been practicing that (very detailed) response for a while 😁 In full disclosure, I tried a commercial SLS product last week from Simple Lawn Solutions. I used it on about 3k sq ft of junk soil that I purchased from a landscape supply company. (I firmly believe they sold me dead soil w...

I used this article https://aroundtheyard.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154:soil-conditioner-and-kelp-help-plus-humates&catid=9&Itemid=117 for my soil conditioner but my grass turned brown the day after i applied the soap/yucca combo so im not sure if i burned the lawn somehow or...

I really don't think you could go wrong with a Toro. I have a 2010 Personal Pace that I bought used from the Toro dealer back in 2015. It still works like a charm and it's easy for me to find parts/service locally. I've never owned a Honda before, but they seem extremely popular with the folks that ...

I don't live near a wooded area, but there is a small river less than half a mile away from me. I rarely have Japanese Stiltgrass show up on my property but when it does, it usually shows up in a densely shaded area on the northwest side of my house. No grass is planted in the area. There are only s...

It could just be me, but for some odd reason, I don't think my lawn likes iron. Neither granular or liquid. I had a soil test done in 2016 and it was recommended that I add ferrous sulfate monthly at bag rate. I followed the advice and was very impressed with the results after the first use. The law...

Color is good. Picture taken late morning on July 4th with a high sun. I pushed a little too much fert and got some burn :razz: The little gaps I had here and there in the lawn from the initial seeding are closing fast. We are in a hot and dry spell now and the KBG seems to be responding well. http...

According to the operator manual, the blade bolts are supposed to be torqued to 35-65 ft.-lbs. I most likely over torqued the blade bolt. I may have to try PGR's next year. I experimented with them a couple of years ago, but I don't trust myself enough to apply it to the whole lawn. Even though I on...

Great idea, K&N! I'm currently cutting at 3.5. The temps are going to be in the 90's for most of the next week in my part of NW Iowa so I'll have to wait until it cools down a bit before I drop the deck down to 3.0. Regardless, I like your rationale and I will let you know how it turns out. Most lik...

Update: I took my mower to the Toro dealer and explained what was happening. The dealer noticed that the blades were slightly (and I mean slightly) loose. He stated that my deck spindle bearings may have gone bad, and he replaced them. He also resharpened my blades, even though they're virtually new...

Although I believe I have the blades on correctly, I want to ask what the correct position is. I feel dumb for even asking this, but please keep in mind that I never touched a lawn mower until I was 30. Since I'm using hi-lift blades, I need to make sure that the "wings" are pointed up towards the t...

Before you take it in, check that the blade isn't installed backwards (my prime suspect). Then check the torque on the nut. THEN, consider taking it to the mechanic and make sure they test it's RPM properly. (They probably won't) They need to put that engine under some load to see how it performs a...

You’re on the right track, I definitely think it’s your mower. If the blades are good, it could be that you’re mowing too fast, or your mower isn’t running at a high enough RPM to achieve proper blade tip speed. If both of those are fine, your deck belt may be loose and slipping ever so slightly, n...