Closed on a new home a month and a half ago and the lawn isn't in great shape. Coming from a townhome with artificial turf so all new to me.

First thing we did is install a sprinkler system. Seems to be bouncing back, but lots of dead spots. Also lots of weeds, probably hand pulled two trash bags worth already. And a variety of types of grass as well….

So, guess I'm kind of at a loss for plan of attack. As I said, all new to me…. Thanks

My yard looks a little like this. I had a yard service do it for a number of years and I decided to start doing it myself last fall because of their unreliability as well as the way it looks. In my case, it will probably take 2 full years to get it back to where it was, but surprisingly, after looking like crap all year long, it is starting to look decent right now.

What I'd do right now is not worry about it the way it looks the rest of the year as you can't do a lot about it. It will go dormant soon, so start preparing for next year by doing the preemergent weed killer recommended for your area. I would also, maybe before that, remove the thatch either manually (see below) or with a tool rental from Home Depot. Get that crap up so grass will grow when its time.

You're closer than you think. The rain/wet stuff over the winter plus your watering will do wonders for it by the end of next spring. I'm confident that it will look nice if you do another pre-emergent then.

MAX DiscCULTIVATOR

I also use a homemade fertilizer that some might scoff at. Its basically a soda/beer/soap/ammonia mix. I really believe the two applications to my yard this summer have made a huge difference. It got rid of a lot of thatch, greened out the grass that was there, and helped condition soil in some places where grass grew. However, it really didn't do much for weeds. I am going to do my fall pre-emergent this week/end with another homemade application late next week/end and one time a month thereafter. I'm hoping some grass (I have bermuda) will grow even in dormancy, but I'm not taking any bets.

1) Pull as many of the weeds as possible by hand. They all look like ones that are better to pull up and then treat after. # 3 is Virgina button weed - Pulling and limiting soggy wet areas works best to remove it.

2) Dead grass - rake up. It will prevent water from reaching the soil and cause fungus disease. It limits new grass from growing over it.

3) Grass type: Pick one and encourage it. Looks like you get full sun, so your St Augustine grass should grow thick with watering. Mow on the highest setting. Due to winter coming, you just want to start preparing it to bounce back fast in the spring.

I would Put down some pre-emergent, fall fertilizer, and fungicide. Use Medina+ on it every two/three weeks till spring to help improve the yard. Then start your new schedule in Spring.

Looks like it has been neglected and was hit by disease.

With as many bare spots as you have, I'd stay away from pre-emergent until 2025 as they can stunt the grass' roots and make it harder to fill in. Maybe a fall pre-emergent but winter weeds have never really bothered me anyway. With summer weeds, fertilizing mowing regularly will help the grass to outcompete the weeds. If you can't stand it, you can spot spray many of the broadleafs or pull them.

What it needs most is a summer with water, fertilizer, and regular mowing at the second highest setting your mower has but you'll have to wait on that one. For now, I would put down an anti-fungal (something like Scott's Disease-Ex) and a winterizer fertilizer. In early March, as soon as you're sure it won't freeze again, put down a quick release fertilizer and another round of anti-fungal to get a head start. In early April, fertilize with a slow release. Aerate with a core aerator in early May.

For your sprinkler system, don't forget to run it now and in the winter IF it is dry. Run it late in the morning to help with fungal issues (mine starts at 7AM). In the summer, especially a hot fry one like this year, you can move this earlier (4AM). Watch for chinch bugs and sod webworms towards the end of summer.

Thanks for all the help, looking into all the suggestions along with the stuff A&M AgriLife puts out....

For the sprinklers, we have a Rachio controller. How good is their software/programming? I have it overrided with my own schedule right now due to water restrictions, but assuming I just leave it on the Auto run setting, does it change with the seasons well enough?

Rachio controller: I have the seasonal change turned on, but not aware of how much it changes per season in Houston. I think it is pretty worthless for Texas. I just adjust my normal setting as necessary. It does turnoff when it rains or rain expected.

No idea about the Rachio but I wouldn't trust it. Maybe I just have control issues. You can do the tuna can test where you put shallow containers all over your yard and run the sprinklers until you get 1/2" in them. That's how long you should run them. In the summer, twice a week is the general reccomendation. You can extend that period in cooler weather and obviously with rain. I can't tell you exact figures on those adjustments because I always just go with what looks and feels right.

I read a lot on here about using pre-emergents to prevent weeds. I started doing it 2 years ago, and now I have fungus all over the place (St. Aug), even prior to the harsh summer we had. Then I started reading things like this:

Quote:

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With as many bare spots as you have, I'd stay away from pre-emergent until 2025 as they can stunt the grass' roots

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So after 12 years of a lawn with no fungus issues, I start to see fungus after I started using pre-emergents. Just my experience.

CapCity12thMan said:

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So after 12 years of a lawn with no fungus issues, I start to see fungus after I started using pre-emergents. Just my experience.

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I have had the same experience. I used to not use pre-emergent, and my lawn was fine over the winter. I used pre-emergent for 2 years, and had fungus that caused root rot all over my lawn over the winter. This past year, I switched back to not using pre-emergent in the fall, and my grass was fine.

Maybe it's something else that's wrong, but I went 2/2 on fungus when using fall pre-emergent.

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I can fix that.

1. Fertilize. It's late in the year for a conventional fertilizer, and one of the organics will help you through the winter and kick off the spring without disease issues. Medina makes a good pelleted fertilizer for this.
2. I'd nuke those broadleaf weeds with "Weed - B- Gone" For Southern Lawns. The hose end sprayer pre-mix is fine, and be sure to add a tablespoon or 2 of Dawn to the mix bottle
3. A pre-emerge would not be a bad idea. It's a hair late, but won't hurt
4. In the spring, hit it with a quality 19-5-9 granular with extra iron and zinc if you can find it
5. 1/4 - 1/2 inch of compost would be an excellent idea.

Pull up as much of that Virginia button weed as you can. Pull from the bottom because it's got numerous seeds that are easy to knock off.