BRILLIANT!...This gives me some hope for my lawn that I am at my wit's end with and can't afford to prep and sod or buy enough plugs for.I'll be itching for spring time all fall/winter now.Best of Luck!!!
Hi. I live in Georgia & we have that clay soil. 1. Since the grass needs to be green enough to pull & plug, I'm guessing you did this during summer? 2. When mowing near the plugged area & the donor area, did you simply "mow around" to avoid disturbing each area? 3. How long before you could mow the affected & donor areas? Thanks!
We're in the Carolinas and have the same red clay similar to your Georgia clay. 1. You can actually plug while the sod is in its dormant stage as long as there's no real threat of sub freezing (in the 20's) temperatures. We've found that our Zoysia actually transplants a little better when dormant...it seems to overcome transplant shock much quicker. 2. Before plugging we mowed our "donor" area a little lower than normal...not much lower but just a little. This seemed to help us pull a plug with more foliage. Once the transplanting was completed, we watered both areas well (twice a day) for the first week, then backed it down to once a day for another week...helps the plugs overcome their transplant shock faster and start spreading. 3. As far as mowing, we really didn't change our normal routine for either area and they seemed to do fine. Having said that, I should add that our normal cut height is around 2.5" so we don't cut ours real short. Hope this helps.
Yes, you can transplant up until 30 days prior to your first expected freeze. This gives the plugs time to set in their new location prior to going dormant. Remember to water both the donor area as well as the transplant area well (twice daily) for the first week or two. This helps the new plugs overcome transplant shock more quickly.
This is a great video! I just have two questions: 1. Is there a reason why you use the 2 inch depth versus the 4? 2. I know golf courses like you to fill divot in with sand. I have Sandy soil. Would you recommend I put sand in the donor holes? Oh, and I guess one other question. How long does it take for the donor holes to fill in? I was thinking of using a pitchfork to press in the sides like you do when fixing ball marks on the golf green.
on #1, no real reason I use the 2" except that it makes the job a bit quicker as I can pull more plugs before needing to empty and 2" of soil/roots is more than enough to ensure a good transplant. There are occasions when using the 2" depth isn't enough to shear off the roots and I have to switch to the 4" to go deeper. #2 I tend to always try to add some nutrients to my soil (clay soil where I live) and my tendency would be to do the same in sandy soil but it may work fine with sand in the holes. I have no real experience w/ sandy soil. #3 the recovery time all depends on your local conditions (what type of grass you're working with, soil conditions, amount of sun/watering, the spacing of the donor plugs being pulled etc...) so it's hard to give you a specific time. I pull my donor plugs every 3" apart, water a BUNCH for the first two weeks and I'm working with Zoysia which is a notoriously slow spreader, however within a few weeks, I can't really tell where I've pulled my plugs (full recovery?). Hope this helps.
We're happy you're excited about receiving your ProPlugger! Let us know if you have any questions we can answer for you. Best wishes with your planting projects!
I don't have any experience with Floratam but it looks similar to St Augustine to me. If so, I wouldn't attempt to cut plugs from sod purchased from a sod farm as there's often not enough root system remaining to hold the plugs together. You might be okay transplanting the Floratam from one part of your yard to another as the soil/root system pulled with the plug to hold together.
BRILLIANT!...This gives me some hope for my lawn that I am at my wit's end with and can't afford to prep and sod or buy enough plugs for.I'll be itching for spring time all fall/winter now.Best of Luck!!!
I’m purchasing four of the pluggers to use on my golf course.
"Many hands make light work". Very exciting!
Great results for 5 weeks
Great video!
Great video ty
Hi. I live in Georgia & we have that clay soil.
1. Since the grass needs to be green enough to pull & plug, I'm guessing you did this during summer?
2. When mowing near the plugged area & the donor area, did you simply "mow around" to avoid disturbing each area?
3. How long before you could mow the affected & donor areas?
Thanks!
We're in the Carolinas and have the same red clay similar to your Georgia clay.
1. You can actually plug while the sod is in its dormant stage as long as there's no real threat of sub freezing (in the 20's) temperatures. We've found that our Zoysia actually transplants a little better when dormant...it seems to overcome transplant shock much quicker.
2. Before plugging we mowed our "donor" area a little lower than normal...not much lower but just a little. This seemed to help us pull a plug with more foliage. Once the transplanting was completed, we watered both areas well (twice a day) for the first week, then backed it down to once a day for another week...helps the plugs overcome their transplant shock faster and start spreading.
3. As far as mowing, we really didn't change our normal routine for either area and they seemed to do fine. Having said that, I should add that our normal cut height is around 2.5" so we don't cut ours real short.
Hope this helps.
@ProPlugger Can I do this in the fall, or do I need to wait until spring?
Yes, you can transplant up until 30 days prior to your first expected freeze. This gives the plugs time to set in their new location prior to going dormant. Remember to water both the donor area as well as the transplant area well (twice daily) for the first week or two. This helps the new plugs overcome transplant shock more quickly.
This is a great video! I just have two questions:
1. Is there a reason why you use the 2 inch depth versus the 4?
2. I know golf courses like you to fill divot in with sand. I have Sandy soil. Would you recommend I put sand in the donor holes?
Oh, and I guess one other question. How long does it take for the donor holes to fill in? I was thinking of using a pitchfork to press in the sides like you do when fixing ball marks on the golf green.
on #1, no real reason I use the 2" except that it makes the job a bit quicker as I can pull more plugs before needing to empty and 2" of soil/roots is more than enough to ensure a good transplant. There are occasions when using the 2" depth isn't enough to shear off the roots and I have to switch to the 4" to go deeper.
#2 I tend to always try to add some nutrients to my soil (clay soil where I live) and my tendency would be to do the same in sandy soil but it may work fine with sand in the holes. I have no real experience w/ sandy soil.
#3 the recovery time all depends on your local conditions (what type of grass you're working with, soil conditions, amount of sun/watering, the spacing of the donor plugs being pulled etc...) so it's hard to give you a specific time. I pull my donor plugs every 3" apart, water a BUNCH for the first two weeks and I'm working with Zoysia which is a notoriously slow spreader, however within a few weeks, I can't really tell where I've pulled my plugs (full recovery?). Hope this helps.
Mine arrives Thursday. Is it wrong to be so excited for this tool?
We're happy you're excited about receiving your ProPlugger! Let us know if you have any questions we can answer for you. Best wishes with your planting projects!
Will the grass grow back in the donor area?
Hi, the grass in the donor area grew back quickly. You can only transplant a creeping variety of grass such as zoysia or bermuda.
@@ProPlugger do you consider Floratam a “creeping “ variety? What depth would I use for Floratam?
Can I do this with Floratam grass? Or, do the plugs break up to easily?
I don't have any experience with Floratam but it looks similar to St Augustine to me. If so, I wouldn't attempt to cut plugs from sod purchased from a sod farm as there's often not enough root system remaining to hold the plugs together.
You might be okay transplanting the Floratam from one part of your yard to another as the soil/root system pulled with the plug to hold together.