Surprisingly enough -- Bermuda + weeds is probably the #1 long term "Survivor" lawn around here.... which is totally crazy because we have amazingly poor clay soil full of rocks which averages 4.5 - 5.5 PH... Bermuda shouldn't really do well.... but just try to get rid of the stuff..... Typically, you see these older "lawns" that probably started with something different... but eventually transform after years of short mowing into a mix of healthy Bermuda + miscellaneous short grassy weeds and clovers... but it makes a soft green carpet... Nice on your feet and it just hangs in there *forever*... Sure, it will never be a Golf course green... but it is unbelievably drought tolerant and puts up surprisingly well with a giant dose of short mowing + benign neglect... Thanks John

I think your pic posting is just fine. And I think your tall lawn looks really nice too. Of course what we're seeing in the photo that looks so beautiful is the tall fescue because of the height. By the end of next summer, as much as I hate to be a pessimist, is probably going to be majority bermuda that we are seeing. Especially with that southern exposure. There is something you might like to try though and it's on the shelves of your local Lowes. It's Greenlight "Bermuda Killer". The price isn't too bad even for repeat applications. Wait until the summer to use it if you want.

To answer your question about Gritty and rain, that's one of the beauties of it. No waterlogging of the mix no matter how much rain it gets (within reason). Consider it a free flushing. Just remember to get back on the fertilizer fairly soon unless you're withholding water and fert thru dormant periods. What can be bad though is constant moistness PLUS cold temps. If it's raining everyday for a week and it's 40 degrees out, I'd bring them inside. Give them a chance to warm up and dry out a bit. Also keep in mind how heavy Gritty pots get if you get ambitious with anything over a gallon or two. You think your back hurts now.

JD, The thickness of organic matter would depend on how deep you would like your "good soil" to be. My soil is about 1 ft of sandy tan stuff and then solid red clay under that. The compost I put down between the layers of boxes was only about 2" thick. It would have been thicker, but I was doing humongous areas and it's just me hauling all of the compost in and then putting it out, so 2" was all I was able to do. The soil that resulted was great for salvias, and lots of other perennials. For my big shrubs I dug a bigger hole and took out the sandy soil underneath the lasagna part and replaced it with compost. When I say compost I mean the compost they sell at our local wastewater plant that is human waste mixed with leaf mulch and chipped wood and then composted. It works really well, but you may not have something like that near you. On the other hand, I also did my paths with layers of boxes and mulch on top, no compost used at all. The breakdown of the boxes and all of the earthworms that come to the site gives the soil a little boost. As far as all of this dark side stuff goes... You know that commercial that says "Live and Learn and then get Loves?" Well, my version would be "live and learn ... and then get Round Up". I've got a whole back yard of flower beds that were made BEFORE I used Round Up and I need to just start over and do it again right, but that would require killing thousands of dollars worth of plants, many of them rare and not replaceable. But maybe the Roundup has stunted my garden. What do you think?