Okay back to the original issue. You have brown grass which is likely caused by too much water. It could be a fungal disease that killed the grass. Or it could be drowning by cutting off the air to the roots. In any case that grass is likely dead. Can you post another picture of the brown grass taken at a distance of 3 inches? And can you take it in the shade so we can see the grass with no shadows? Often we can see the fungus if there is any. It will also help identify the grass. I suspect this grass is a type of dwarf tall fescue called Marathon. It is all the rage in SoCal. If so then the grass will not spread by itself to refill the dead grass or the places where you pull out the St Augustine. The only way to get that grass back is to bring in more sod or find Marathon seed. There are three different Marathon grasses. They are Marathon, Marathon II, and III. Each one is dwarfier than the previous one. If you can visit with the people at Home Depot, they might be able to tell you which one they sell - or even if it was Marathon. If you mix Marathon III with Marathon, you'll notice a difference. If you want to be very safe in fertilizing, then use an organic fertilizer. It will be safe no matter what you're doing with the grass. Beyond organic, I cannot advise you. I have not bought chemical fertilizer in over 10 years. Organic fertilizer is hard to find in SoCal. My favorite is alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow). Here is a link to feed stores near you. Call around to get prices and availability before you make the drive. They are scattered around.

hey the age spots has made me look pathetic. this caused me to explore the cure and information for home treatment as well. i found some of the intersting articles on this. http://www.beauty-cosmetic-guide.com/liver-spot.htm http://www.apply-makeup.info/advice/anti-ageing-strategies.htm http://www.online-vitamins-guide.com/nutrition-articles/nutrition-and-aging.htm Here is a link that might be useful: Beauty Tips

My dermatologist says no OTC cream will permanently remove age spots, they lighten but not eliminate. And once you stop the spots will darken again. I've heard Joan Rivers talking about it and she says her product contains the highest percentage of whatever ingredient it is that lightens age spots but even she admitted to the audience that the spot will reappear once you stop applying the product. There is a procedure the doctor than do but it's not 100% and can even leave burn marks if not done perfect. They apply dry ice to the spot which burns it off. It works but then you're left with an ugly wound until it scabs over and falls off. I had it done but then kept wearing short sleeves and now I'm loaded with spots again. I was thinking of trying something risky... have you noticed that the doctor uses the same treatment on age spots as they do warts? What if I buy one of those instant freeze-off wart remover cans and spray it on the age spot? Will that burn it off the same way the doctor does? I don't know because I haven't tried it yet. The product is pricey ($20 or less if you catch it on sale) but no where near the price a dermatologist would charge to do it in their office. I would never try this on my face however. I asked the doctor what she thought of my idea and she said she hadn't heard of using wart remover for an age spot but she was intrigued by the concept and didn't tell me not to try it. I don't think it will hurt to test it out on one spot on my arm, after all, it's safe for warts.

Do all of the lighteners contain a form of retinol? I have a problem with it being too harsh for my fair skin. One of my favorite products for years was Neutrogena's Daily Facial Lotion with SPF. Used it for years. One morning I opened a new bottle, applied per usual, and by the next morning I looked like I had spent the previous day sitting in the sun without sunscreen. Wouldn't have been so bad, but it was Christmas morning and I wasn't in a tropical area. LOL It took 3 or 4 days for the redness to go away. MIL swears to stick with it that my reaction was a common one, especially not ever having used retinol products. Sorta of no pain no gain. I keep reminding myself that MIL has used prescription strength retinol to rid herself of facial wrinkles. Her face looked like raw meat for so long. I didn't see any difference in her wrinkles despite her use of the retinol and who knows what other prescription products. Well, I'll go with the no pain. Not trying to rid my well earned facial lines, just want to moisturize my face! Are there skin lightening products out there for those who can't tolerate the retinol??