Lawn Maintenance · · PAGE 43.

May 19, 2017:  The current mowing by Chris Rose was done on Tuesday, May 16.  I took these photos on Friday, May 19.  The growth of some areas of the lawn are a bit "rapid" compared to other areas.  It could have something to do with the lawn sprinkler testing I have been doing.

The tops of the little wild flowers recovered quickly from the mowing.

The edging on the left side of the sidewalk is clear from Tuesday, the falling leaves have filled the edging gap on the right side since Tuesday.

These chairs were around the "fire pit" where guests can roast marshmallows. Chris moved them out then mowed up close to the fire pit.  I came out to take this photo and put the chairs back to their normal locations as you can see in a later photo below.  Yes, that is a spin basket from our old washing machine that had some rust spots.  I put in a new basket about two years ago.  Carol's son got the idea for this use of the basket and proceeded to modify it as needed.  It is elevated above ground on a set of table legs from an old glass table for outdoor usage.  There are some paver stones below and an aluminum roaster tray to catch any ash fall.

I moved the chairs back to their normal positions and checked the coverage of the rotating sprinkler head that is located about where I am standing to take this photo.  The old tree logs are split up and burned in the cooler nights of winter when guests of her son come for a visit.

I have started removing the leaves on the northeast side of the lot.  This pile will get smaller every week.  The soil is showing through in some places.

May 21, 2017:  Look how much the grass has grown in just TWO DAYS!  Compare to the first photo at the top of this page.  This photo was taken FIVE days after Chris mowed the lawn.

Today I was testing the sprinklers and noticed water bubbling up in the back yard in a place where there is NOT a sprinkler head.  It was easy to push my hand right down into the bubbling soil to find the leak.  I turned off the water pump and dug down to find a sprinkler fitting that had been capped.  It had short plastic pipe nipple that had failed.  I had enough parts to put in one of the old sprinkler heads that did not rotate very well.  I had removed this one from the front yard where I had put in a new K-1 sprinkler.  For now, this one seals the leak until I can get another K-1 unit.

Here is the failed part and the cap that was in that hole in the photo above.  I also made up a spread sheet with the current setting for the sprinklers from 3 AM to 6:12 AM.  Each of the SIX zones runs for 24 minutes, then OFF for 12 minutes to reset the valve to the next zone.  That little chart is now on the cover of the sprinkler timer control box in the garage.

I wanted to show the area of coverage from this "new" sprinkler location.  The cardboard box back there has the dirt I removed to do the repair.  I will put the dirt back when I get the new sprinkler head installed.  That white frame you see on the side of the old putting green is part of a canopy shade that was over the fire pit area before a storm shredded the blue plastic tarp that was draped over the top of the frame.  

First test today and there are some leaks from this old sprinkler. The new sprinkler head to be installed on Monday should do the job.

It is late Monday night, May 22, as I post this page.  I did not take a photo after installing the new sprinkler head today.  No leaks were seen in the hole, and there is plenty of coverage across the remainder of the back yard.  I have had to learn how to prime the pump in the past two days.  A simple You Tube video made it easy.

May 23, 2017:  I went out back this morning to snap a photo of the new rotating sprinkler that completes the coverage of the back yard when the sprinklers operate.  I filled the hole late yesterday and the sprinkler head is level with the ground.

Today is garbage day.  Both of my yard waste cans have been emptied of leaves, small branches, and fallen Spanish moss.  Both containers will be full again before next Monday night when I place them by the curb.  I will again attack the large leaf pile around the oak tree and palm tree near the northeast corner of the lot.  A shovel and a rigid rake can work wonders.  I will feel it was all worth it when the grass fills in the area around those trees.

I cleared the leaves from the pump area and rolled up one of the garden hoses to make it easy to prime the pump when it is needed.  The gray old hose is draped across the rotary valve that selects one of the six zones in sequence around the house.  This hose is connected to the city water supply to prime the pump.  When I am washing a car on the driveway, I connect this hose to the well water from the pump.

This is the pump motor with all the details visible.

This photo shows the metal cover in place over the electric motor.