sarmst100, I am from the Dothan area...... Follow these steps to renovate your lawn. 1. Kill existing grass and weeds using a non-selective herbicide. The most effective products contain glyphosate. 2. Glyphosate is only effective on actively growing grass and weeds, so the area should be well-irrigated to encourage plant growth before applying the herbicide. 3. Allow the spray to dry for one day following application. Resume watering for 10 days. Spot spray areas or weeds that are still green. 4. When the existing vegetation is dead, mow the site to 1/2 inch and remove the debris by hand raking or using the bagging unit on your lawn mower. 5. If there is an existing thatch layer (a matted layer of organic matter on the soil surface) thicker than 1 inch, remove it from the lawn (a sod cutter makes thatch removal easier). 6. A thatch layer less than 1 inch is okay, but the soil must be exposed. Core cultivating(aerating)provides an excellent seed germination environment. Holes should be 1 to 3 inches deep and 2 inches apart in all directions. Â A power rake, set deep enough to expose the soil, can also be run over the lawn in two different directions. Remove loose debris by raking or using a bagging unit attached to your lawn mower. 7. Spread seed on exposed soil to allow for good seed to soil contact. 8. Seed at the labelÂs recommended rate with a drop spreader in two different directions. Follow with a light raking to work the seed into the soil. Adding topsoil or sand after seeding is NOT recommended. Newly seeded areas require different care than established lawns. Follow the recommendations below. Apply starter fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label 15-0-15. Irrigate the area should to maintain a consistently moist (but not saturated) soil. Check moisture levels in the underlying soil to prevent excessive irrigation,check to see if you have hard or soft ground, dont want to over water. Water about 1" to 1 1/2". Example: Set a empty tuna can out in the lawn(with is 1") Grass will germinate and grow more vigorously in aerification holes or slits made by the power rake. Begin mowing the lawn when it has grown to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches. Keep traffic, including children and pets, off of the lawn as much as possible, until the lawn has been mowed a few times and the new grass begins to mature. ----------------------------------------------------------- Zoysiagrass is extremely drought tolerant. Although it does turn straw colored under severe drought conditions.Zoysiagrasses are among the most wear tolerant turfgrasses. However, their slow rate of growth gives them very poor recuperative potential. Therefore, they perform satisfactorily on lawns, golf course fairways and baseball fields. It is not recommended where traffic is concentrated in certain areas. If the grass is completely worn in those areas, zoysiagrass is very slow to fill in the damaged areas. ---------------------------------------------------------- St. Augustine grass responds extremely well to being fertilized properly. Fertilize your grass right, and your St. Augustine will "knit" itself into a tight turf that naturally resists weeds. In addition, a fertilizer that contains iron will insure a maximum green color , i recommend using 15-0-15. Also be sure to cut back on your tree limbs to let the sun come in. If not the limbs are blocking the sun from coming in and the grass will die in that area. Thanks, -J & M Lawn Care / Landscaping- www.dothanlawncare.com Hope this helps... *Check out our website and drop us a line sometime*

Keith you can use it in fall or spring. Fall for winter annuals, and spring for summer annuals. But be warned atrazine will kill cool season grasses.

I have a sloped back yard around my pool, which is much more steep than your slope in the pictures, covered in St. Augustine. I too detest lawns, but I have no money right now, so my St. Augustine is here to stay. I water my St. Augustine with an irrigation system on my allotted days and once yearly treat with weed/feed. Yes, my St. Aug is great on bare feet and very healthy looking. I have no problems with maintaining it on the slope. I'm not bragging, I'm just trying to explain that I have personal experience with this situation. I think your first problem is with the underlying sand. My underlying soil is a thick layer of decayed organic material, on top of a thin layer of sand, on top of a thick layer of loose clay. It's clear from your photos that the mower tires are disturbing the St. Aug's growth. That is very easy to do regardless of the underlying soil, but especially easy in sand such as you have. I think your second problem is with your lawn guy. Seriously. And, I mean absolutely no offense. Your lawn is covered in weeds. It didn't happen overnight, although sometimes it might seem that way. Your lawn guy should know (1) how to mow on a slope without destroying the roots, (2) how to point out a weed problem before it becomes a massive weed problem like you have. How convenient for him that you need sod replacement?!?! Isn't his job routine lawn care, not routine lawn destroying and replacement? That being said, I have a cheap temporary solution for you. I see in the first picture, to the left of the hose/brick path, you have a bush/tree surrounded by a small circle of mulch. And, in the second picture, you have another tree just down slope from the pool, surrounded by another small circle of mulch. I would take a sharp straight-edged shovel and cut away shovel sized squares of sod in a circular pattern around those trees. Making much, much larger circles around the trees. Take a section of the sandy/weedy area, cover thickly in newspaper, wet newspaper, then lay your homemade sod squares on top of the wet paper. Water daily until they take root and can survive on their own. Go back and extend the mulched area around the two trees, so your weed problem doesn't extend under the trees. This should really be done in stages, because the sod squares that you cut out and move need to be kept wet during the moving process. I say my solution is cheap, because you can buy mulch for $1.68 at the big box stores these days, and you would probably need 10 bags. Less than $20. Of course you will have a little extra water expense from having to water daily to establish the newly sodded sections. It is a little bit back breaking, but I'm sure you can either do it or find someone to help. I say my solution is temporary because, ideally, you could eventually plant some sort of hearty, Florida friendly ground cover over that entire area. In the long run it will not require as much water or care as St. Augustine, and you can get rid of the expensive lawn guy! Things to remember: Don't put any weed and feed down on the newly sodded sections either immediately before or after laying the sod. Don't forget to water daily until the new sections have taken hold. Especially during this, our driest time of year. If you choose to use RoundUp on the weedy areas before moving the grass squares, don't lay the grass squares directly on the area treated with RoundUp unless you put in a layer of newspaper or cardboard first. If you can get your hands on some liriope, you could make a border along the brick walk (at the top of the slope), to help hold it all together. Their roots tend to spread out rather than down, so it will keep slope erosion in better check. Lastly, don't let that man with the mower anywhere near the new section. Weed-whacker only until it's established. You probably won't need to mow this area for the next 6 weeks anyway. Maybe someone else will have a better/easier solution, but this is what I did and it works. I certainly welcome any criticism or comments on my suggestion.

John, if you're willing to spend a little upfront, Celsius WG will probably do what you want. Others have mentioned bonide sedge ender. In both cases there are some restrictions for st Augustine grass. I just switched to st. Augustine grass recently and now I use Celsius after help on forums. Google those products on this and other forums, or PM me and I could give you links.