[Johnd]

We've been here for 10 years and have done our fair amount of obsession over the condition of the grass. All of the suggestions you received have value but the fact is you have the installation you have. You can make it better by spending a lot of money or just make do with what you have.

We make do with what we have and our lawn is very presentable. Three truths have influenced our outlook. First, the precipitation situation here in central Florida is feast or famine. That affects what you can achieve at certain times of the year. Secondly, learn from the Villages. Nobody is cheaper with water, fertilizer, trimming and weeding then in the common plantings. They may look bad at certain times but they always come back and are quite satisfactory over a long period of time. Lastly I'm influenced by a visual advertisement from a fertilizer company I saw years ago. They laid a bit of sod on a concrete driveway and maintained it for five years. With heroic amounts of fertilizer and water, the driveway always looked great.

Getting a good fertilizer company is not possible. For about $45 a month you're going to get the minimum fertilizer and attention they can give you. You will get more attention if you complain but you will have to complain continually. We've had five different companies and the're all the same. Some of the employees are nicer than others and that's who we've settled in with now.

Lawn cutters are another issue. Most want to cut your lawn very high in the summer; to about three and half inches. That's fine for St. Augustine grass but zoysia needs to be cut lower; about 2 1/2 inches. You'll have to remind them about every three cuttings about the length. The best lawns in our neighborhood over 10 years are the five done by the owners who keep their lawns short and fertilize heavily.

Good luck.