Lawn Looks Terrible - Help Needed!!
 

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

Replace it with ground cover such as Asian Jasmine.

Very low maintenance and green all year round.

Don’t you need ARC approval for that?

Article on Asian Jasmine.

Asian Jasmine an excellent ground cover | Real Estate | chronicleonline.com

I wouldn't go so far as to tear out the grass. When we moved here in 2020 our lawn (St. Augustine Grass) had obviously been neglected: it looked horrible. More bare spots than grass, and most of the grass was interspersed with weeds. I hired a yard guy to cut it: his advice was that resodding was unnecessary: that the current grass would send out runners to the bare spots and in time the lawn would look great. It did, but not without a lot of TLC for the first year. He also advised getting a good weed and pest control service, which I did: Florida Pest Control. They're not the cheapest game in town but in my opinion one of the most conscientious. They're there when they say they'll be there and do what they say they're going to do. A bit over three years later and my lawn is one of the two or three best on our street.

Resodding is expensive. Patience isn't. Get a GOOD company to curb the weeds and pests, water conscientiously, and in time your lawn should be fine.

Always worth checking with ARC, but when we asked (eight years ago) they were very keen for us to do it, and it is what The Villages uses a lot around trees etc.

Fertigator. they were recommended by another member here, & i'm beyond pleased. i prepaid the year, & these guys come out, spend lots of time & do it all, inc. shrub care.

i agree. mine was the same way until i got the new landscapers- i thought the lawn was beyond repair. it took awhile, but is lovely now

ARC Approval for Replacing Sod?
 

You do not need ARC approval when replacing sod with the same. I had it done by LaCosta Sod. *(407) 271-2991

I fought my lawn for over two years. Tried multiple services who said they could save it. NO LUCK. Spent lots of time and money. Finally I found LaCosta. It was torn out in one day and replaced the same day with fresh sod. I now have one the the prettiest lawns in the neighborhood:)

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

St Augustine grass is in dormancy right now, so it’s not growing or doing anything. Don’t rip it out, come spring, it’ll take off. Call a few lawn care companies (we use Florida Pest). Have them give you recommendations on treatments and price quotes.

Also check your irrigation system to confirm it’s running right. St Augustine grass usually crowds out most weeds when it’s thick and healthy. So figure out why it went downhill in the first place.

I’d gather that a good spraying for weeds now, and a good program next year including fertilizer, weed and insect control is all you need. It will take time to recover but it will get there.

Many Things
 

First of all, watering and clean sprinkler heads that rotate are important to the health of your lawn. Makes sure your Hunter heads have a rotating pattern when you turn them on. In many cases underperforming heads are clogged and need to be cleaned out. I pop them up and put a large envelope clip on them before turning the heads for cleaning.

Next, weeds gain only be eradicated by using 41% glyphosate. Anything else will kill your grass.
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The most important thing to remember is St. Augustine can’t be seeded. It’s a runner. You can buy plugs or cut out bad turf and soil and replant. That’s about it. Black Cow soil is great, but it often brings the weeds you don’t want.

Our regular gardener did the Asian Jasmine for us, but he no longer works in The Villages.

Basically, he planted them in a grid at approx 18" spacing in both directions and just let them grow.

They do take quite a time to fill in the gaps but it looks fine while doing so and doesn't need weeding as they will take over eventually.

The plants are always on sale at Lowes and with a bulb planter it should be very easy for anyone to do.

They need no fertiliser or pesticide and very little irrigation. We strim the edges three times a year to neaten them up, but they grow to less than a foot in height so don't need "mowing".

The product you provided the link to say it will also kill all grass. How do you spray for weeds in the St Augustine grass without killing the St Augustine?

Call Deans Service the best in the area.