Hi Eric, It's good that you have read the Bermuda Bible. You didn't say as much, but your approach is identical to what Texas Weed has put together. There are a couple of things you said which should be changed. This time of year you should not be watering twice a week. Even in McAllen you should only be watering once every 2 weeks. Have you done the tuna/catfood can test with your sprinklers to time how long it takes to water a full inch? If not then you don't know what deep watering is. My sprinkler in San Antonio takes 8 hours to water deeply. My neighbor's takes only 20 minutes. You need to know what yours is so you can truly deep water. Watering more frequently will ONLY bring up weed seeds. It will not help the grass to spread faster. As long as the water is in there deep, the grass will get to it. And if it rains, delay your watering schedule. I also have a house in George West. When it rains an inch there, my St Augustine can go 3 weeks without a drink. I assume you are mowing at your mower's lowest setting. That's how you know the soil needs some fill for the low spots. It is much better to fill with real soil or sand rather than compost or mulch. Compost and mulch are organic and will completely disappear leaving the holes to form again. When you fill the low spots with sand or topsoil, mound it up just slightly or else it will leave a depression as the soil settles over the next 3 years. If you want to improve your soil organic matter, you are much farther ahead using organic fertilizers like corn meal, alfalfa pellets, cottonseed meal, or whatever inexpensive ground up nut, bean, or seed you can find at your local feed store. For me this year it is corn meal and alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow not horse cubes). You can stick with the monthly app of high N synthetic fertilizer, but at least once a year, I would add an additional dose of organic at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. That will make the synthetic ferts work better in many ways. Seed with a mixture of Yukon, Riviera, and Princess 77 at a rate of 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Best place to get seed happens to be in San Antonio. Douglass King Seed is inside Loop 410 where I-10 EAST meets it going toward Houston. They are closed on weekends, but their website is open at http://www.dkseeds.com. For your dry cracked area, put a soaker hose on that area. Adjust the water at the faucet so that it's only coming out at 1 cup per minute. That is a fast drip at the faucet. Then coil the soaker hose around the dry area. Let it run a full week, day and night. That should swell the soil and close the cracks. Then you have to work on organic matter right there. First...is that area shady? If so you will never have bermuda in there. You can seed, the seed will sprout, and then it will die from lack of sun. Otherwise I would apply a mulch or compost on top of the soil and let it sit for a month. You have time because bermuda needs hot summer soil for the seeds to sprout. For you that is mid May. But mulching heavily (1-2 inches) and leaving it for a month will work wonders for that particular soil. You won't even need water there while it's mulching its way back to health. You might have had your soil tested at TPSL in Edenburg. If so please post your results. If you have not, then get the Logan Labs $25 test and post those results as Daniel mentioned above. The TPSL test is different from the Logan Labs test in a couple ways. You get more for your money at Logan Labs and, Morpheuspa is expert at reading the LL tests.

I need the cavalry's help! I'm unclear about what it might be. Foliage pics are overexposed to see much. That leaf is too random of a sample to be confident about much, it could be so many things. The stem, now that's a scary one. But the action is described below ground. In your summary: Wilt, that watering doesn't cure, and pale leaves, so we know there is some sort of transport damage starting in the roots. Some sort of "root rot" or pest, or as you cover physical damage in the small container. We need a closeup of the stem section from the mix level up, since the one you have a little higher is is oddly speckled instead of especially streaked, but might be V; LB has white spores, but the residue looks more like a fungicide or possibly mildew in addition to something else (though you think not mildew). Anyway the stem emphasizes a root rot cause. Also, any adventitious or surfacing roots around that area where stem meets mix could hold clues and if they are photogenic, or can be sectioned for inspection, though that could hurry the demise of the plant. I noticed the pink plastic around the roots and in a humid environment that is promoting fungal growth, or is it to quarantine the infected plant? Were there saucers or did water puddle in the bottom of this mix? Foliage problem traveling from old leaves on bottom upwards? Symmetrically attacked or just one side, the usual questions? Sometimes the plant doesn't show symptoms until warmer weather sets in and everything grows faster+ plants demand more to support faster growth. Before you can say whether a plant really needs to be pulled you need that diagnosis (as you already know) If we dawdle too long the plant may be severely wilted before you know it. Removing leaves isn't always helpful if it is root rot since they are downstream of the "root-cause". PC

I think 'First Light' is a selection of H. salicifolius, the willow leaved sunflower. That's where it gets its cute thin leaves from. I have a tall one, with beautiful droopy foliage, the main attraction for me. This is not really the season for new shoots. You usually see those in the spring, and they would be as tall as the rest of the plant. So I think it is most likely a seedling. You could see what it does next year, but if it starts getting taller than the main plant, I would pitch it. Or move it to a spot where you want a 6-8 ft giant.

I wouldn't pick one or the other based solely on "look". Since you are the one that will be relaxing in, sitting in etc, your decision should include how comfortable it was for you to sit in w/arm resting etc. Normal positions you find yourself relaxing in. Many people like the slope of the straight arm. Do you lay on your couches? How does it feel w/a throw pillow to lay down etc? More important to ensure the quality of the fabric and construction will give you years of good use. If strictly basing on "look", I vote straight arm for the modern farmhouse style you are seeking.