[rp001]

Scotts turf builder...Do not use weed and feed...4 times a year..the fertilizers I've seen used here are usually liquid and evaporate without feeding..St Augustine is a very heavy feeder and the soil here is really nitrogen defecient...It will turn so green you will think it's Kentucky "blue grass"..lol

[dwbevan]

Originally Posted by angel222

I know this subject has been addressed before but I really need current feedback or suggestions please! I'm on my second pest control and fertilizer company since buying the house in 2009 and my lawn continues to be a thorn in my side. I have gotten incredible water bills because "they" said I have to water more, I've spent money on checking and fixing sprinkler heads, the lawn cutter is the best I can find - never cuts it too short and still I have brown patches and ant hills all over the place! I started with Superior and had to call every month for help and they always said its not their fault...now I've had Tri County for two contracts and even though they've promised it will look better it never gets there! I live in TV 8 months a year now (full time in 2013) and this situation is really driving me nuts! I love my home - a designer with a corner lot - but I'm at a loss at what to do. I'm a widow so please don't suggest any "husband do" stuff...but ANY suggestions would be appreciated....thanks!

We too are in TV about 8 months a year. After a year we switched to Massey. This year since we have been up north we have been receiving messages about how good our lawn looks. We took all of their services and compared it to our other company and figured it was about 200 more a year, but well worth it so far. Hope this helps.

[Carla B]

If you live in Hadley, you have zoysia grass. It has different requirements, diseases and pests than St. Augustine grass, which is mainly found north of 466.

If you rely on a fertilizer/pesticide service, rather than doing it yourself, you will feel better able to monitor what they are doing by gaining some knowledge of zoysia's requirements. That's what I'm doing. I just finished a workshop on "managing your own yard" presented by the county extension service. However, you can do this by talking to the master gardeners at the clinics on Mondays and attending the talks by the county agents at the Twice on Tuesdays events. They are a wealth of knowledge. Just look at the gardening section of the paper on Saturday for times and places.

[billethkid]

remember we are all trying to grow suculant lawns on ground with the quality of a sand dune....lotsa water....lotsa chemicals....lotsa labor....fix it....make it look better ....it gets worse....change companies....one year later start all over again.

Do yourself a favor and as the brown spots or the less than spectacular show up create a new plant/rock/tree bed/area= reduced water, reduced chemicals, reduced labor, reduced stress.

btk

[rp001]

Originally Posted by Carla B

If you live in Hadley, you have zoysia grass. It has different requirements, diseases and pests than St. Augustine grass, which is mainly found north of 466.

If you rely on a fertilizer/pesticide service, rather than doing it yourself, you will feel better able to monitor what they are doing by gaining some knowledge of zoysia's requirements. That's what I'm doing. I just finished a workshop on "managing your own yard" presented by the county extension service. However, you can do this by talking to the master gardeners at the clinics on Mondays and attending the talks by the county agents at the Twice on Tuesdays events. They are a wealth of knowledge. Just look at the gardening section of the paper on Saturday for times and places.

Sorry, I don't buy it...Zoysia is no better than St Augustine which was developed at Fl State as and ideal grass for Florida's climate..I've lived in Fl for 50 plus yrs and think the whole idea of putting Zoysia in is a scam by some landscapers..My neighbor drank the kool aid, replaced his St Augustine and his yd is terrible.These landscapers prey on folks from the north who just don't know the grasses in Fl...Got to feed both of these grasses...

[Carla B]

I don't think my post stated an opinion on either type of grass. It's not the landscapers who plant zoysia south of 466, it's the builder.

[rp001]

Originally Posted by Carla B

I don't think my post stated an opinion on either type of grass. It's not the landscapers who plant zoysia south of 466, it's the builder.

Sorry, I didn't mean to state the zoysia was your preference..I'm saying in the long run both these grasses are very similar and are heavy feeders..BTW I live south of 466 and have buider installed St Augustine as do most of the folks I know..All the way to Bailey Trail...What happened here, is last year there was a large amt of chinch bug damage and the landscapers came into my development selling zoysia as the cure,,,It certainly is not and was just an excuse for a few unscrupulous folks to prey on the unknowing...My yard is St Augustine and is by far the nicest looking in the neighborhood...All I do is feed it and water it...And I use time release fertilizer not liquid..(Scotts Turf Builder)..Been using it in the 5 homes I've owned in Florida with St Augustine for a long time now..