Did you schedule on of the free sprinkler inspections yet? Are you able to stop at any Starbucks to pick up the grounds? I don't think I'd go out of my way for them, but if there's a Starbucks on the way, it'll help add organic matter to the soil. I think the biggest problem is that you used too much fertilizer and you used it at the wrong time. Don't fertilize again until at least mid September. If you're using chemical fertilizers, use something with 0 for the second and third numbers. We just don't need the P and K around here. And only fertilize at the recommended rate, not at 1.5x the recommended rate. Once the top growth has stopped (mowing season finished), fertilize again, the same way. Next spring fertilize ONCE, probably in April or early May (again, with something with 0 for the second and third numbers and at regular rate). If it gets past Mother's Day and you haven't fertilized, skip it and wait until September. You don't want the lawn growing fast when it's hot and dry. When you say that your roots aren't very deep, how deep are they? I suspect they're staying in the topsoil you brought in. Core aerating in the spring and/or early fall will help penetrate the "barrier" between the imported soil and the native soil. Especially if you follow it with an application of compost or shredded trees. You don't want to apply either more than about 1/4 to 1/2 inch or you could smother the grass. If you're going to overseed this fall, mow as low as possible first and bag the clippings (mulch them back in at all other times). Then core aerate. Then spread the seed. Then apply the compost or shredded trees. To get the seeds to germinate, water 3 times a day for a few minutes a station (unless it rains). This is to keep the seeds moist so they germinate. Once they start growing, cut back to once a day, watering for longer periods. Then every other day, again watering longer. Continue spreading out the time between waterings until you're watering an inch once a week. It may take a while to get to that point if the roots are not growing into the native soil. But I think that as you continue adding organic matter and core aerating, you'll see less of a difference between the two soils and this should become less of a problem for you.

You may be spending more money then necessary on products you don't need. Contact your counties Penn State Coopperative Extension Service office about having a good, reliable soil test done so you can know the soils pH, as well as levels of P, K, Ca, and Mg, then dig in with these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what else that soil might need. Drainage as well as how easily soils allow water penetration is important. If the soil was dry fairly deep down a day or two after a good rain that could mean water is not penetrating the soil but is running off instead.

Sand will feel gritty when you roll it between your fingers and clay will feel greasy, about like rubbing some talcum powder (clay). More important about test 1 of the Simple soil tests, aka the jar test, is what is on top, any organic matter. While knowing whether the soil you have is sand, clay, loam, or whatever may be interesting how much organic matter is there is the single most important part of knowing about the soil. The top 6 to 8 inches of soil, especially for a lawn, are what you need to be concerned about since few turf grasses root much deeper than that. Soil holding water may indicate a drainage, issue and the why of that can be difficult to determine sometimes, or it may indicate there is a high water table, ground water. If the drainage problem is due to something like hardpan enough organic matter in the soil will help solve that, but if the problem is the high water table there is little to be done unless the whole county, maybe the state, works at lowering that water table. You do need to find out why you have water standing there and your local office of the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service most likely will be able to answer that question. Any vegetative waste can be used to increase the amount of organic matter, spreading grains will help but since it takes 10 tons of organic matter per acre to raise the level of OM in soil 1 percent you can see the problem. A problem in Florida with organic matter in the soil is that the bacteria that digest it are active all year so you need much more than I would where they go dormant for 4 to 5 months of the year. A good reliable soil test done by your University of Florida CES people will be more informative than that test from the hardware store. It will take time to make improvement to the soil so yo can grow a good healthy lawn. kimmq is kimmsr

My lawnstore people (and internet research) said that St. Augustine would be a bad idea - I live in a rural area, there's a lot of pine trees -> pine needles -> high pH soil, which is very unfriendly to St. Augustine. Bermuda requires intensive watering,... That lawnstore advice is hilarious. Clearly they just want to sell you stuff. With pine trees most people are concerned about low pH. That's mostly a myth, but you hear it a lot. St Augustine grows in the highest pH soils there is - pure limestone. Much of Texas is built on top of a limestone deposit 1,000 feet deep. Lots of us have St Aug. As for bermuda needing water, that is bassackwards. Bermuda doesn't ever need water. If you want it to look nice or protect your dog from sand spurs, you will have to water it exactly the same amount as any other grass. That works out to be about 1 inch per week, all at one time, in the hottest heat of summer. If a garden center told me what they told you, I would never go there again. I would drive right past them to the next garden center no matter how far. St Augustine grows very well in pure calcium sand (from crushed seashells) at the high pH. I've seen it growing across the sand dunes and up to the edge of the ocean. So don't let anyone tell you the soil is too salty, either. The only turf grass that can take more neglect than bermuda is centipede. If your neighbor is losing his bermuda to centipede, then he's completely stopped watering and fertilizing. No matter what you do you're going to need to water it. Stop thinking you don't have a sprinkler system, go to Sears and get of their Craftsman hoses (unconditionally guaranteed for life), then get a turbo oscillator sprinkler. Now you have a sprinkler system. No grass will grow without it. If you want to keep your dog's paws clear, you need water.