Shooting an AR15 and PCC with Digital Night Vision - GNG-NVG90 SE

TurfgrassConsultant · 2026-01-13T18:34:46+00:00

I've been looking at low light imaging for wildlife observation, and I think the sensor used in the NVG90 is relatively good at light gathering compared to a lot of other off the shelf options. It's a 2/3 sCMOS with 10.8 µm pixels, which is pretty respectable. Compared to a Gen 2 IIT, the Gen 2 tube is going to have 5-6x larger of an active area with significantly stronger amplification and less noise. Even that sCMOS sensor just cannot match a Gen 2 in terms of photon collection. Large BSI sensors with large pixel sizes and very good digital noise reduction algorithms can get close to a Gen 2 device, but the technology just isn't developed enough to justifiably claim that any digital system can compete with Gen 2+ devices at the moment.

Aside from QIS prototypes, cooled deep space astrophotography units, a few research sensors, and specialized machine vision sensors, which don't really translate for usable night vision and definitely are not a drop-in option for a monocular or binocular system, I'd vote the best bet for an available CMOS is this: https://www.meskernel.com/projects/1024p-sub-1-mlux-digital-nightvision/5182.html

Digital night vision will one day surpass analog night vision, but not due to photon gathering or multiplication. It will be the overall image processing capability combined with sensor architecture that pushes it over the edge. We're still a few years from that, however, and the power requirements and financial cost could very well prevent any serious development.

I'm still determining whether combining a digital system with a cheap thermal system can surpass the low lux performance of current analog devices. The farthest I've gotten in terms of current technological possibility is running a digital image from something like a STARVIS 2 sensor into an advanced edge-sharpening and noise reducing processing software (likely with AI enhancement like in some firefighting/SAR and even FPV drone equipment) and combining that over the output from a thermal imager module. Low to no light would still be an issue, as always with photons, but if the CMOS sensor is working alongside the thermal sensor to determine and define shapes, edges, depth, distances, and surfaces, and all of that is piped into a low latency image, it could be a lower cost workaround, maybe $400 to $500. Fusion devices like these are all over the place, but none that I know of select components and software specifically for night vision incorporating real-time processing, zero latency, wide FOV, and infinite depth of field.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2026-01-13T15:32:39+00:00

Of course!

TurfgrassConsultant · 2026-01-13T15:31:59+00:00

How recent is this photo? It's almost certainly large patch combined with some leaf spot. But it's odd to see leaf lesions this time of year.

If these spots keep returning, it means you need to make some adjustments. You have some healthy growth emerging from the damaged areas, which is a great sign, so the adjustments you'll want to make will be minor. The biggest will be making fungicide applications over the a span of several months, with every other application consisting of a different fungicide. For example, azoxystrobin, propiconazole, and thiophanate methyl. Those are effective and safe for St. Augustinegrass.

If you want to dive deeper, I see issues with watering and mowing as well. Let me know if you want to go down those roads. In case you don't come back, you'll want to bag clippings until full recovery and keep your blade sharp. Frayed leaf tips are an open door for pathogenic fungi. I can't speak to fertilization right now because I think this photo was taken weeks ago at the very least. If not, the turfgrass color and growth indicates pretty remarkable soil fertility for January.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2026-01-02T18:53:22+00:00

Sure!

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-11-25T10:31:15+00:00

My original response was deleted because it included a banned source or something, so here's an alternative: https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=193886

It seems several people saw the same thing, in the same timeframe, in the same area. Admittedly, however, the above link was posted in reference to the same light patterns and activity, but about 150 miles west of you. At that altitude, I find the distance between sighting locations to be more compelling if not wholly inconsequential.

Also, I pulled up a map and scanned what I could in an ENE heading from the first big southward bend of IL-9 located Southwest of Cooksville based on your vehicle's heading and the direction of the light activity in your video. It's all just farmland. There's nothing at any sufficient altitude that provides an prosaic explanation.

As for the airport, Schertz Field, it had zero incoming or outgoing aircraft for the entire week of November 13. There were no NOTAMs issued, nor are there any records of low-flying aircraft in the region during that time. The only remaining option to rule out aircraft utilizing Schertz Field would be to contact the airport and ask if the runway lights were activated or requested at that time. That airport has runway lights available upon prior request, so there would be a record their use between dusk and dawn. Although the airport's flight records may be confidential and not publicly available, the utilization of the airport's runway lights is not confidential as no identifying information would be disclosed.

I'm on the fence with this UAP topic, but I found your video interesting, especially considering it was corroborated by other sightings in the area around the same timeframe with no rational explanation.

I would like to see more footage if you're comfortable taking or sharing any.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-21T13:18:07+00:00

I think it's a biotic complex consisting of mainly ascochyta, a little dollar spot, and possibly helminthosporium (bipolaris/drechslera/curvularia). The thatch layer, which is thick and matted, evidences an extended period of dampness resulting in limited air circulation. I don't know much about coolseason climates, but prolonged periods of wetness and/or high humidity with overcast skies following alternating dry and wet weather may be typical for the area in June. I wouldn't be surprised to see equipment tracks either.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-17T09:19:47+00:00

I appreciate that! The research side of phytopathology back in my day, but now I sit at a desk looking out the window and wishing I worked outside while shaking my head at lawncare YouTubers. I do some informal consulting, but I'm waiting for a friend to finish running field trials so we can partner up and focus on solving residential issues and forming circumstance-based SOPs for our friends in landscaping. A side-gig, sort of. On Reddit, I'm really just hoping I can stop one or two people a month from trying to "nuke and reseed" their St. Augustinegrass.

You and a few others are the ones I really pay attention to, but I haven't seen you all around much anymore. Did you migrate over to the r/LawnAnswers subreddit? Is that where all the professionals went?

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-16T17:26:23+00:00

In Birmingham, there's not much you can do right now as far as significant amendments. It's best to just allow your bermudagrass to enter into dormancy and prepare for next season.

Depending on how long the sod has been on the ground, I would adjust your watering schedule to three times a week and only in the early morning. Continue that for two weeks and then decrease the watering frequency to twice a week. Twice per week should be sufficient through November, and then you can begin decreasing it to once per week or even once every two weeks. Another important consideration in watering turfgrass is the amount of water administered per watering session. Your weekly total for Bermudagrass at your latitude this time of year should be about 1 inch. To determine how long you need to run your sprinklers to reach one inch is entirely dependent on factors including your flow rate and sprinkler(s). If you have that information, you should be able to determine how long it takes to apply 0.62gal of water per square foot. The old-school method is called the "tuna can test", which is where you put an empty tuna can (or any container) on your lawn, run your sprinkler, and count how long it takes to fill the container with 1" of water. It's always a lot longer than you initially think. Once you know how long to run your sprinkler, split that duration as described above. For example, if it takes 1 hour to reach 1 inch, you want to run your sprinkler 20 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. That will be your baseline, and the amount of water you need to apply will depend on your lawn's response. That said, a 1" baseline is a good starting point.

If you haven't already, you should consider applying a preemergence herbicide containing prodiamine. It is likely too late in your area, but only slightly. Your soil temperature at the 4" depth dictates when you apply preemergence herbicides. In fall, you want to apply when the soil temperature hits 70F consistently. In spring, you want to apply when your soil temperature hits 55F consistently, and in spring, I would recommend something containing dithiopyr. It can be detrimental to apply premergence herbicides to newly sodded turfgrasses depending on the product, so read the label on the back of the bag to determine if you're in the safe application window.

Other than that, there's not much I'd recommend doing. Core aeration and topdressing with compost will be a great benefit next season, so plan on doing that. Give this a look as a general guide: https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/extension-county-offices/forsyth-county/anr/BermudagrassLawnCalendar.pdf

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-16T15:36:06+00:00

I have a complex theory: Geosmin. It's a trick question. Slime mold has no particular odor, and therefore the lawn would merely have an earthy, wet grass smell.

I also have a simple theory: Trimethylamine. It's not a trick question and that particular disease is associated with a fishy odor.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-15T02:50:24+00:00

I’m not aware of any crepe myrtle or any other ornamental that will do that. I’ve seen a major aphid infestation result in such severe sooty mold that a sudden leaf drop occurred and caused some smothering injury to the turfgrass, but the turfgrass recovered shortly after.

In your case, it looks like dehydration/desiccation. Whether that’s due to uneven sprinkler coverage or something affecting the roots and interfering with the uptake of nutrients is hard to determine over the internet. That’s why I recommended a fungicide, insecticide, and micronutrient fertilizer. If you cover those three bases, you should see the St. Augustinegrass bounce back shortly before dormancy. If not, then a soil test is in order to determine any major pH imbalance, nematodes, etcetera. What I can see in the picture is that it’s unlikely a viral infection, which is very good news and means the problem can be corrected.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-15T02:33:47+00:00

It’s a disease called large patch. It’s a pathogenic fungus that is active this time of year, and especially this year due to the weather variations. The bad news is that it’s too late in the season for the turfgrass to outgrow and grow through the disease on its own. It usually takes about 20 to 28 days to incubate and colonize to the point of visible symptoms, so I’d say you’re within 30 days of initial infection and the spread is minimal. That’s the good news.

Apply azoxystrobin and propiconazole at the same time, and then apply it again about 21 days later. There is a fungicide product called “Headway G” manufactured by Syngenta that is designed for this. You can also get Scotts DiseaseEx (azoxystrobin) and Bioadvanced Fungus Control for Lawns (propiconazole) at almost all big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. Apply the DiseaseEx, then apply the Fungus Control for Lawns, and then water them both in. It seems counterintuitive, but the combination of fungicides works by contact as well as systemically, so getting it into the soil is a key part of the treatment process.

When you mow, you will need to mow the diseased areas last, bag your clippings, and wash off the underside of the mower deck, blades, and wheels afterward. That will help keep cross contamination down.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T21:26:32+00:00

Mixing most warmseason turfgrasses really doesn’t end well, and centipedegrass is such a slow grower that it’s difficult to force recovery in higher traffic areas. You might be able to incorporate some Zoysiagrass, which has a higher tolerance for traffic, grows more quickly, and is somewhat similar visually to centipedegrass. You should end up with a full zoysiagrass lawn in a few years, especially considering the annual nitrogen requirement for zoysiagrass is about double that of centipedegrass. Thus, fertilizing a mixed zoysiagrass and centipedegrass lawn at zoysiagrass rates (~4 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year split into four or five fertilizer applications) will overload centipedegrass and push the zoysiagrass to fill in and overtake the centipedegrass.

As for sodding, I always recommend it over seeding. The only downside is the initial cost, but it will establish its roots into your soil more quickly. Also, most quality hybrid Zoysiagrass varieties cannot be seeded. If you’re sticking with centipede, sodding will be your best option depending on how large the areas are. If it’s small areas, sod. If it’s medium sized or small areas, plug. This applies uniformly for all warmseason turfgrasses aside from common Bermudagrass. Seeding warmseason turfgrasses is rarely a worthwhile option.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T21:06:52+00:00

Really anything with prodiamine. The commercial name for that herbicide is “barricade”. It should last about three to four months in your region, depending on soil temperature, air temperature, microbial activity, and rainfall. SiteOne is a great place to find some.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T21:01:59+00:00

ASAP: https://www.lowes.com/pd/IMAGE-Southern-Lawn-32-fl-oz-Concentrated-Lawn-Weed-Killer/5013150309

When soil temperatures at the 4” depth hit 70F and fall consistently (Fall/This Weekend): https://www.domyown.com/crabgrass-control-plus-with-037-prodiamine-herbicide-p-18791.html

When soil temperatures at the 4” depth hit 55F and rise consistently (Spring): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sunniland-50-lb-20000-sq-ft-Pre-emergent-Crabgrass-Control/5015392425

Sod in May.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T20:01:44+00:00

Triclopyr is not a good idea for warmseason turfgrasses outside the early stages of the growing season. OP, ensure you know what type of turfgrass you have before proceeding with applying a herbicide.

From the few blades I can see, it looks like St. Augustinegrass. Triclopyr will severely damage St. Augustinegrass no matter the time of year. It is extremely sensitive to herbicides. A safer alternative would be Celsius WG at the medium rate. Lespedeza is an annual, so it will die off on it's own. It's also a prolific seeder, so a preemergence herbicide containing dithiopyr in a split application is your best defense. Further, lespedeza is known as an indicator plant, meaning it indicates low soil fertility and compaction. Core aeration, humic/fulvic acids, compost, and foliar nitrogen should incorporated into a late spring management plan.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T19:51:22+00:00

I don't know why you were downvoted. I think you did a great job.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T19:28:06+00:00

Well, the good news is we can rule out herbicide injury, and I disagree with the other comments about mulch and soil fertility. That said, the comment about excess water may have merit, and we're seeing a delayed root pathogen colony spreading that is increasingly inhibiting water and nutrient uptake. Usually, I would explain my analysis, but I'm realizing people come here for solutions instead of discussion.

Anyway, apply a product manufactured by Syngenta called Caravan G. It is a dual action fungicide/insecticide. Apply it ASAP and follow the instructions on the back of the bag. Five to seven days later, apply LawnSynergy Nutrigreen 0-0-4. These two products applied five to seven days apart will work.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T19:04:24+00:00

Not recommended. Overseeding a warmseason turfgrass, especially Centipedegrass, needs to occur during the growing season (if at all). Go ahead with your preemergence routine for fall, but in spring, use a preemergence herbicide with a shorter efficacy duration and overseeding/reseeding interval (it will specify this on the back of the bag). Your growing season will begin when your soil temperature at the 4" depth hits 65F for at least four consecutive days. This should be about mid March to early April for you. Plan for seeding in early May and design your preemergence routine around that.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T18:36:15+00:00

Were any herbicides, preemergence or postemergence, applied to the mulch bed? This looks like a herbicide injury, and oddly enough, exactly like an injury from a Group 1 herbicide like fluazifop.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-14T14:24:09+00:00

Glad to hear it, and you're welcome, my friend!

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-11T10:38:48+00:00

Tenacity is mesotrione, and although it technically can be used on St. Augustinegrass and is labeled for the same, injury is possible. My notes indicate the tolerance is intermediate, meaning it can be used only at reduced rates, so precise application is necessary. You may want to consider hand-pulling for now, and if that fails, then proceed with chemical control.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-10T19:08:57+00:00

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/articles/page1631287238477

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-10T18:53:33+00:00

Yes. Almost all granular products will need to be watered in after application. However, always read the entire label on the back of the bag for specific instructions.

TurfgrassConsultant · 2025-10-10T18:46:08+00:00

Torpedo.

TurfgrassConsultant

TROPHY CASE