[asianthree]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Before you mess with it, it is under warranty. Call and have someone in that dept look at it. They may replace for free. If you do something to it and find a major issue, warranty may say it is your fault and will refuse to fix. Best idea is to call them first.

Sod and plants used to be 30 days. It was 7 days from closing on this last house. I knew that ahead of time and actually made the phone call as soon as the keys were handed over in the closing office

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Sod and plants used to be 30 days. It was 7 days from closing on this last house. I knew that ahead of time and actually made the phone call as soon as the keys were handed over in the closing office

Personally, I would still call warranty. I have heard of lawns that have deeper issues than the sod. I believe Michael61 had an issue with his lawn during his first year. He contacted warranty. Maybe he will chime in on this thread.

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Personally, I would still call warranty. I have heard of lawns that have deeper issues than the sod. I believe Michael61 had an issue with his lawn during his first year. He contacted warranty. Maybe he will chime in on this thread.

Michael had constant standing water in his front lawn, not crappy grass. Water back up was within his first month or so. Hugh issue between warranty, water department and builder.

[arbajeda]

Listen to the Tinker. Call Dean's and have someone who knows lawns in this area look at it. First glance, it looks like lack of fertilizer to me but that could be wrong. Let the pros tell you how to fix it.

[jimkerr]

Originally Posted by Joecooool

Each of the sprinkler zones is set to 40 minutes, four times a week.

Plus its been raining for more than a month.

That’s too much water. You should be doing 3 times a week at 50-60 min per zone assuming you have MP nozzles.

[Ptmcbriz]

If there are no black spots on any blades, then it’s a nutrient issue. Black spots mean fungus from too much water.

Get Scott’s fertilizer for Southern Lawns (granular slow release use Scott’s broadcast spreader). Also, this time of year sod web worms and chinge bugs can yellow in patches then the grass dies, so be proactive and put down granular insecticide like Scott’s GrubX. If you want to be proactive on fungicide, I use Scott’s DiseaseX. Remember we don’t have good soil here, it’s nutrient lacking sand. You need to feed on a schedule following the fertilizer instructions (Scott’s every 3 months).
Watering a new lawn to get it established in this heat is rough. First month requires a lot of water. Watch the blades of grass for wilting. You’ll see it as a shadow on the lawn initially as the blades fold. Don’t cut under 3.5” or you’ll put the grass under stress. I’m watering 2x a week at 40 minutes. If I see wilting of blades I add a 3rd day for 20 minutes and it takes care of the wilting.

[Altavia]

Scotts has far too much nitrogen for this area. You'll get better results with something like Lesco 8-2-12.

50 Pound Bag - Lesco 8-2-12-4 — Fertilizer Direct

[terryf484]

All you have to do is take a drive down Meggison Road to see a real problem with the grass, especially south of Warm Springs to pass Sawgrass Grove. The medians look terrible. I don't know if it is the soil or maintenance, but it has been like this since it was built.

[rwcw]

Bahia grass? Bring to Master Gardeners.

[Happydaz]

The problem with growing grass in the Villages and many other developments is that the soil is poor and offers the newly planted grass very little nutrition. The sod looks beautiful when it is first planted but over time the soil that the sod came with becomes depleted and the grass stops growing, turns yellow, etc. So people and the lawn companies hit it with chemical fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. A chemical bloodbath that kills many microorganisms that make soil healthy. The soil food web is what our forests depend on. Do you ever see anyone fertilizing a forest. The rotting leaves and fallen logs, etc, rot and add food for the fungus, beneficial nematodes and bacteria that are fed nutrients from the roots of trees and other plants and then these soil organisms bring nutrients to the trees roots. This symbiotic relationship is the key to the healthy growth of plants. The “soil” in many Villages lots is dead and devoid of the life that provides for a healthy bio system. So the lawn companies hammer away with chemicals which actually kill many of these helpful organisms. What will improve your soil if you can’t put down better soil under the sod is to top dress with a great amount of manure, compost, or topsoil. Make sure the grass blades still show through when you rake it in. Water it in. After that try to use only organic lawn fertilizers that will feed soil organisms. Products such as Restore, Milorganite, and chicken lawn fertilizers are examples of some good choices. You will find over the years that you will have a beautiful green lawn and less need for insecticides and fungicides. Copious amounts of organic matter can solve many lawn issues. Feed the soil food web and give life to your dead, lifeless soil.

[Whatnext]

Originally Posted by jimkerr

That’s too much water. You should be doing 3 times a week at 50-60 min per zone assuming you have MP nozzles.

4x40 mins is 160 minutes per week.
3x50 to 60 mins is 150 to 180 minutes a week.

[merrymini]

Wow too much water! I have zoysia grass which is different. I am told the St Augustine grass is more difficult to deal with as regards to regrowth but never having dealt with it, don’t know if that is true. You can contact Adam's Earth. He is good with lawns.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Take a sample (a decent plug) from the “different” grasses to a Master Gardener plant clinic. They will be able to tell you if you have two types of grasses.

[Nell57]

You’ve received lots of advice here.
The most important thing to remember is that you are on a pond and you have to be extremely cautious about the chemicals you use and the runoff.
If you and your neighbors all dump tons of chemicals on your yards you are REALLY going to be looking at something unsightly.

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by Whatnext

4x40 mins is 160 minutes per week.
3x50 to 60 mins is 150 to 180 minutes a week.

I agree that too much water is an issue here. It’s not about the minutes per zone or number of watering days per week. It’s about how much water is hitting the soil from all sources ( rain & irrigation). Too much water will flush the nutrients out of your soil in short order.

The first thing to do is reduce your watering. This time of year your lawn needs 1” of rain per week from all sources. Preferably spread out over 2-3 days and not all at once. We can’t control the rain but we can control the irrigation. Do it.

You can buy a rain gauge pretty cheap and keep an eye on what you are getting in your area. You can also test your irrigation system to see what it’s putting down in a normal day of watering by using empty tuna cans or cat food cans placed in the yard in each zone. After watering is completed check the depth of water in the cans to know what is hitting your soil in a typical watering cycle. Adjust accordingly.

Much depends on the soil type and grass type of your property.
Once you’ve adjusted your watering schedule then get a soil test kit and test what your soil is lacking in nutrients. Then, and only then, get a fertilizer that addresses the needs of your soil. Don’t go by what others tell you to use or how long to water. Do your homework and get the answers from your specific issues.

I don’t live in the villages but I built a home 5 years ago in Lady Lake and the sod looked terrible and multicolored across the lawn. Much like yours. I did exactly what I’ve outlined above and it looks great today.

You can also consult with the University of Florida extension service. I have used a lot of their publications to guide me.

Good luck.