harry wrote:
On May 17, 6:55�am, "Bob F" wrote:
bob callaway wrote:
I live in Houston, Texas and my yard is composed of maybe 50% St.
Augustine grass, and 50% weeds that have over the last ten years. I
have resolved that I may have to start over and buy sod for my front
lawn. I need to know what is this going to cost? or maybe I should
just continue to pick weeds
How often do you feed the lawn?

BTW, It's pointless re-turfing. The underlying problem will still be
there, that is soil infertility and panning due to foot traffic.. You
would be back where you started from in a year.
You know that how? S.A. grass is very different from others...it has
runners above surface of the soil. Putting in "plugs", which are whole
plants with about 4" square chunk of roots and soil, can fill in bare
areas fairly quickly. Can be bought by the tray here in FL. S.A. grass
will send runners up into hedges if not kept edges.
Grass needs nitrogen. The weeds, some can fix nitrogen from the
atmosphere, others have deep tap roots go down and find it in the
subsoil.

Slow release, 3 or 4x year, is best. S.A. grass gets pale looking
without regular feeding.

The grass recycles nitrogen from dead grass rottimg on the surface in
the wild, but as I said previously, you take that away when you mow.

Grass can build up a thick mat of thatch that will kill the grass. You
must have a mulching mower.