>"Use a fungicide to get rid of the rust" In spring, rust is nothing to really worry about. Come warmer and drier conditions, along with nitrogen, the grass grows out of its rust. >"As I understand it the only hope of controlling poa is by using a well timed fall application of pre-emergent herbicide, and if I use that I can't reseed in the fall." You have the concept(s) but have to bring them together. 1.) Poa Annua germinates once soil temperatures rise above 55 degrees 2.) Pendimethalin (Halts) has a 90 day residual 3.) Dithiopyr (Dimension) has a 120 day residual 4.) Prodiamine (Barricade) can last a real long time!! 5.) Turf grass germinates best when soil temperatures are between 70 and 55 degrees. Now you being in Calf., your temps may be or soon will be approaching 55 degrees, when poa annua germinates. Dropping your preM is the first order of business. Second point - being in Calf, your time to seed in fall might very well be October, when soil temps begin to fall and are in the 70 to 55 degree range. February/March to October is a long time - long enough not to worry about the residual of Pendimethalin or Dithiopyr. >"I'd rather not use all the chemicals, but I don't see alternatives until I get the lawn established. " I agree. Prevent with a preM. Spot treat as needed afterwards. Feed and water properly throughout the spring and summer, which will promote healthy and thick turf as the Kentucky Bluegrass spreads and fills in. Re-evaluate in September / drop additional seed if necessary. If seed is NOT necessary, drop additional preM becausse conditions also favor poa germination again. Once mature, established, thick and filled in, your lawn will naturally prevent invasions from grassy and broadleaf weeds. FWIW - Maturity is 3 years.

I thought I'd toss in my $0.02 to the mix. Whenever I need to "patch" a wide gap with JB Weld, I cut a small section of fabric from an old pair of my wife's panty hose (get her to donate an old pair, one pair is probably all you'll ever need) that is a bit larger than the defect or damage that needs fixing. First you need to clean around the edges of the hole down to bare metal. Place the swatch of fabric an inch or so away from the edge of the hole and tape it down with duct tape or masking tape. Stretch the fabric across the hole and tape it down on the opposite side, do the same in the other 2 directions. Mix a small amount of JB Weld and apply it along the entire length of the edge of the hole using a popscicle stick or comparable tool, pressing the JB Weld through the fabric. Allow this to cure. After that has cured, remove the tape and trim away the excess fabric (not the fabric stretched over the hole) from around the edge of the first application of JB Weld. Mix another batch of JB Weld and apply it over the patch area covering the fabric and overlapping the original application of JB Weld. If you can access the backside or underside of the patch, applying a layer of duct tape or masking tape across the fabric there will make it easier to keep the patch "flat" or level. After thoroughly curing the tape can be removed. To "keep" JB Weld vital after it has been opened, put your tubes into a "baggie" with the dispensing ends of tubes opposite each other and store in the freezer. The sub zero temp practically halts deterioration and you just have to take it out and set at room temp for about 15 minutes so you can squeeze it out.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to post my rant. I bought an L 130 from HD . After the first season, the deck spindles went out, predictable enough, the originals don't come with a grease fitting. So instead of a $.10 zirc fitting from the factory, you WILL need to buy three "new style" spindles (the new ones come with grease fittings). $45 each. After around 200 hours my L130 began having the dreaded growl. Once it gets hot (20-30 minutes) it won't drag itself up a hill. New transmission $650 + install. I understand that when they (JD) built these they used the bottom k46 tranny (as do most mowers under $5000) however they decided to use standard oil (not synthetic) no external cooler (some k46 trannies have an external tank). And to add insult to injury JD won't service the tranny, no oil change, no rebuild, just replace the whole unit. Tufftorq (the manufacturer of the k 46) sells parts, including a rebuild kit, making JD's lack of service unacceptable. At this point the only real JD part of any mower under about $5000 is the cutting deck itself. All the tractors are about the same (MTD builds them all). How much is green paint worth? About $800-1000 more than a comparable model made with the same parts painted a different color. I guess they don't care if I buy another one... My next one WON'T be green.

We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy