[Rlimits]

Fertigator has are lawn looking so much better now, but I did hire them to take care of the irrigation and fertilizing. This way there is no finger pointing, one saying not enough water the other saying not correct weed control.

[Rich Iwaszko]

Please include more pictures of the rest of the lawn.......thanks

Originally Posted by Teemotay

It’s difficult to advise you on the proper way to fix this yourself without more info, although many have done just that.

Your question was for trustworthy landscapers to give you a fresh start. I can’t help you there, however if you want to give it a shot yourself then you need to educate yourself on several issues concerning growing healthy St Augustine grass.

Weeds have been a big problem this year and especially since we’ve been in a bit of a drought for a while now. Without adequate water the grass weakens and the weeds come in. You said that you water regularly but what does that mean? You could be watering every day for 10 minutes and not getting enough water for your grass to thrive. First, understand how much water your grass needs and then test to be sure it’s getting it from your irrigation.

You should also do a soil test to better understand what what is lacking in it. The grass needs nutrients and proper water to thrive. A soil test will tell you what fertilizer to apply so that you’re feeding your grass what it needs.

As far as weeds are concerned, you need to know what they are so that you know how to control/eradicate them. One size definitely doesn’t fit all when it comes to fertilizer and weed control.

Your grass is not dormant now, contrary to another comment in this thread. We’ve been having temps in the 80’s and healthy St Augustine is still growing enough to need mowing. If you’re mowing it then it’s not dormant.

I do my own lawn mowing and treatment. I’ve attached a picture of how it looks this morning. Definitely not dormant.

The University of Florida extension service has great info on growing a healthy St Augustine lawn. Good luck with your lawn!

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Do you know a contractor that can do this? Is it expensive?

it's ugly and you will end up having to tear it all out and putting in what's in the docs.... just a heads up

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by kevinm55

Hi all. The front lawn consisting of St Augustine grass at our villa looks terrible and also has weeds. We water regularly and pay for treatment every other month from a company called zoysia green (obviously not happy with their service)….

In short, I am considering having all grass torn out, fresh soil added and then either seed or sod put down. I would be interested in hearing any and all suggestions from those who have done the same or similar. Also interested to learn if there is a particular time of year that is suggested for best results.

Any recommendations for trustworthy landscapers to do this job will also be appreciated. I love the Villages and want to make my lawn look great and think I need to start my lawn over! Thx in advance

try Greensmith, I've had them for 2 years awesome job. Also since it's St Aug. you don't need to rip it out, that type of lawn recovers bare spots in months if it's taken care of right. Meaning how much thatch do you have in it? That's a large issue around here since no service bags.

[KsJayhawkers]

Originally Posted by kevinm55

Hi all. The front lawn consisting of St Augustine grass at our villa looks terrible and also has weeds. We water regularly and pay for treatment every other month from a company called zoysia green (obviously not happy with their service)….

In short, I am considering having all grass torn out, fresh soil added and then either seed or sod put down. I would be interested in hearing any and all suggestions from those who have done the same or similar. Also interested to learn if there is a particular time of year that is suggested for best results.

Any recommendations for trustworthy landscapers to do this job will also be appreciated. I love the Villages and want to make my lawn look great and think I need to start my lawn over! Thx in advance

You didnt mention what type of SA turf you have. I live south of SR44 and we all have Provista SA grass, which IMO is the worse type of SA on the market. After repeated attempts to salvage my lawn, I ended up tearing out all of my lawn, getting a soil sample, and making the proper soil amendments. I replaced all of the ProVista with CitraBlue SA turf, which is a new turf developed for Florida by the State of Florida Extension Office. It is drought resistant, chinch bug resistant, wear resistant, and shade tolerant.

I have had the CitraBlue in for about eight months now and it is doing incredibly well. It is lush green, no weeds whatsoever, and very full. You can purchase it/have it delivered from the Sod Lot in Summerfield. Google CitraBlue and there are a host of articles about benefits of this turf.

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Please include more pictures of the rest of the lawn.......thanks

I suspect that you’re wanting to validate your earlier comment about the lawns you’ve seen. I’ll tell you that it’s not perfect and you’ll see parts that are showing signs of needing water, however my comment was intending to show that St Augustine grass in our area of Florida is not dormant.

[Rich Iwaszko]

Everything everyone is saying here is true............imagine a world where you did not have to worry about any of it. If you turn your lawn to cover and stone and no grass you eliminate, irrigation, fertilization weed control, fungicide, insecticide, mowing, which when done still ends up with a 60% green lawn..............that would buy a lot of dinners and you would sleep better at nite. BUT

Check with your district ARC before doing that to get an okay.......in a Villa its the way to go.............

Originally Posted by Switter

I'm actually kind of glad to hear this! I'm pretty new to the villages and my lawn is a little rough (working on it) and I'm worried that I'm gonna get a letter from ARC, lol. I probably won't but I am still learning the ropes here. I eventually will replace more of my lawn with landscaping to reduce the amount of grass I have. Saint Augustine grass isn't even nice as far as I'm concerned, not compared to Kentucky bluegrass that I had in Minnesota. It reminds me of the quackgrass and crabgrass I was trying to kill off, lol.

[70 Challenger]

Can you please post some photos of your lawn

[Switter]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Everything everyone is saying here is true............imagine a world where you did not have to worry about any of it. If you turn your lawn to cover and stone and no grass you eliminate, irrigation, fertilization weed control, fungicide, insecticide, mowing, which when done still ends up with a 60% green lawn..............that would buy a lot of dinners and you would sleep better at nite. BUT

Check with your district ARC before doing that to get an okay.......in a Villa its the way to go.............

yep, I will definitely check with ARC before I do anything. Thanks again.

[Rich Iwaszko]

Yes, it is not dormant yet........... you have a great looking lawn..you are in the 1% that do. Congratulations, keep it up............my message on villa's is to minimize the grass......some in citrus grove have and awns are not an issue for them now......

Originally Posted by Teemotay

I suspect that you’re wanting to validate your earlier comment about the lawns you’ve seen. I’ll tell you that it’s not perfect and you’ll see parts that are showing signs of needing water, however my comment was intending to show that St Augustine grass in our area of Florida is not dormant.

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Yes, it is not dormant yet........... you have a great looking lawn..you are in the 1% that do. Congratulations, keep it up............my message on villa's is to minimize the grass......some in citrus grove have and awns are not an issue for them now......

Thank you for your comments. It means more to me knowing that you’ve looked at several.

It’s a lot of work but I enjoy it (mostly) and it hasn’t cut into my golf or pickleball yet 😎

[MrChip72]

Our backyard with St Augustine was starting to get pretty weedy after being away for a few months up until October and I bought a bottle of Spectricide herbicide that's designed for St Augustine grass applications. It's active ingredient is Atrazine which is pretty much the only herbicide you can use on St Augustine that won't damage the grass. I applied the herbicide using the supplied garden hose attachment. I checked around 10 days later and most of the weeds were dead and shriveled up.

I use a weed n feed meant for St Augustine at the end of winter and that helps keep things in check for several months.

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by Normal

Scott’s pro vista St. Augustine isn’t harmed by the spray. If you aren’t sure if this is your type of grass, contact The Villages before spraying. It is widely used in South Florida. Many sod farms grow this type of grass.

Here is a link to better assist you
https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/wha....485154/page-2

Pro Vista has turned out to be a horrible grass, very susceptible to our local bugs and fungi.
Floritam is still the best sod, and TV builder has stopped using Provista south of 44 and gone back to the old faithful Floritam , but not sure where the line was drawn down there.

I also give high marks to Fertigator, as the absolute best in the area.

[kevinm55]

Hi folks - I am sending this note to say sincere thanks to all of you for your collective feedback. Between work and the holidays my lawn and this thread have been out of site and out of mind unfortunately. I will plan to post some pictures this weekend. Thank you all again!!

[Ozzello]

NUMBER 1- Proper water. 1-2 a week is NOT enough.
NUMBER 2- pH pH pH pH!!!! 90% chance your soil is too alkaline and at 7.2. The rip it out , add topsoil (6") and replace the sod method will work... but so will spreading a little coffee every month or 2 for the tannic acid. Massey will pretend this isn't a factor, but all good farmers in Florida know this (including the SOD FARMERS) testing is cheap... find out for yourself , or trust me.
NUMBER 3- Pro Vista was a terrible idea. Yes it allows you to spray Round up on it, but it is way mor tender to all the issues that Floritam takes in stride. If you replace.... make sure it's Floritam.
4- Fertigator is the best, everyone is better than Massey.
5- Don't replace till spring
6- Treat for bugs, but NOT FOR WEEDS. Dig them out and fill the hole with topsoil... weed killers STRESS YOUR GRASS. Sorry all you retirees from chemical companies, but they still haven't come up with the "magic chemical" even though they launch a "SUPER AWESOME NEW" one every year.
7- Don't stand so close, look at your lawn from 50 ft away or so, it might not be that bad.