OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Welcome to Outdoorking Forum HELP Area Introductions Yet another new Brissy member...

Hi all!

My names Ben and I am the proud owner of an SB 17" Model 45. Got it for free from my father-in-law's boss who go it for free from a client...SCORE! It sat out the side of his house for a few years before I got it, so the catcher was shot. Got a replacement catcher from a guy who makes them...he works at Southside Ford near Woollongabba in Brisbane - you'll see his catchers on eBay.

She is powered by a fairly early model Honda GX160 which starts first time every time.

My father-in-law was a turf farm owner/operating at the Sunshine Coast exclusively supplying QLD Blue Couch for over 25yrs till he semi-retired. Now he works for a lawn maintenance company looking after the lawns and gardens of the millionaires that live at the Sunshine Coast...Lisa Curry-Kenny, etc. They are all cut with big cylinders and he uses an SB 20" Model 45 on his lawn at home.

He still knows the current owners, so needless to say, my whole yard is blue couch...~700m2 of the stuff. IMHO...the best grass around for residential up here. You can stick your green couch, winter green, sweet smother, Sir Walter, etc, but his is a mower forum...grass is a whole other topic.

I'm in a new estate and the grass has been down for ~1yr now, so it is well matured and takes the lines the cylinder cuts beautifully - I do diamonds sometimes when I am keen, but generally just the rows. Everyone who sees it comments on how great it look and the neighbours have asked countless questions and have since turfed with the same grass, which makes the street frontage look awesome! The other dads in the cul de sac and I often lie on the hill at the front of my place on a Sunday arvo with a few beers and watch the kids run around...the grass is so thick and comfy to lie on, doesn't make you itch and doesn't leave green stains on your clothes/skin.

Anyway, that's enough for an intro...I'll put more details about the mower in the mower forum.

Ben.

Hi Ben, you got that right re QLD blue couch. I have the same grass and it simply loves the cylinder mower- I have a Scotty 17 inch also. Like Deejay says its a match made in heaven. I posted pics of my mower and my front lawn back in late Jan in the "off topics" forum under the subject -lawn pics. I think it looked ok (I often get the comments as well). Take a look. Can you post some pics of your lawn? Obviously growing has slowed down now and what concerns me a little at the moment is that the lawn is developing some small brown patches about cricket ball size which eventually grows back. I get the patches every year although not this early and not to the extent. Perhaps its some sort of fungus. When I get a chance I will look into it.

Cheers- Ross

Yep...certainly has slowed down...from one weekend to the next especially after last weeks cold snap. On Sunday I mowed and only filled the catcher twice over to ~700m2 - normally it would be at least 6-8. I have to mow...till things pick up again, I am just going to mow with the catcher off.

We had a shocking season of lawn grubs from Jan-March, which will give you dead patches, but it is way too cold for them now. Dogs/cats pissing on your grass will give you the dead patches as well...I have a Beagle. I wouldn't worry too much...it will come back...it just doesn't recover as quickly at this time of year.

I fertilize 2-3 time a year with urea (which gives a lot of extra leaf growth) and let that have a week or so to get kicked off - you know it has because the grass grows ~1" every 2 days so you have to mow 3 times a week! Once it has kicked off, I spray it with a growth retardant which slows the long blade growth so you only have to mow once a week, but it makes the grass really thicken up. The only watering I do is when I apply the uarea - if you don't, you will burn your whole yard. Other than that, the only care it gets is mowing, broad leaf weed/target weed spraying for nut grass or mullumbimby as required, spray for lawn grubs as required - both of which isn't very often. Luckily no bindii yet. Because the grass is so short and thick, most weeds just don't have a snowflakes chance in hell of establishing. The blue couch has also taken over most of the footpath out the front of one of the neighbours places too - green couch just doesn't handle the constant short cutting.

The other things is you should raise you cut height a bit now for the colder months too...not too much...I find 3-4mm is plenty. Just give the couch a bit more leaf...

If I has taken some photos around a month ago, I would have had some stunning pics for you. It is still very good now, but what a difference a few weeks of cold weather makes... I'll take some shots on the weekend after I mow.

Ben.