Also for watering: the soil looks too dry too soon currently. Mine, too--and I have no real problems. The very top surface of the soil dries out really fast in sun and wind, but that doesn't mean there isn't water underneath. You can test that by pushing a screwdriver into the soil. If it goes in fairly easily (barring rocks), your soil is damp. Or drive a small trowel into it and separate it into a V shape by rocking it a little bit. That'll give you a direct visual on how deep the water is. Here would be my plan: for now do very frequent waterings to help really wet the soil, I'm not familiar with California (except for the part about moderate temperatures and no rain), but this doesn't sound like a good idea--it encourages shallow roots and lawn diseases. The standard is 1" of water a week, all at once (well, within a day to allow for on/off cycles to allow the water to penetrate). For sandy soil your mileage will differ because the water wicks out fast and goes very deep very quickly. I will also probably try milorganite as a jump start, as I fear my soil is probably pretty depleted. I swear by it, others don't (it is processed sewage, but heated enough to kill everything in it). The 18 lbs/thousand square feet I put down last weekend kicked in and it's a rainy week. The grass, since Sunday, has grown one and a half inches and gone a deeper green. Once it stops raining, I'll mow. I went high, but I'm going to renovate this fall--with a deep, heavy core aeration I want lots of organics mixing into the holes. I alternate it with alfalfa and soy. When I started (early last year), my soil profile was slightly silty clay, poor drainage, very poor water penetration, hard as a rock, and a light tan. It had been corn field for as long as I could remember prior to building, and even my parents don't remember when it wasn't. Call it 40 years of abuse. Now it's still slightly silty clay (nothing's going to change that short of a renovation down to a foot or more). Drainage is fair to good, penetration is good to excellent, the soil is still hard when dry (it's supposed to be), but spongy when wet. The top half-inch is black, another inch is deep brown, and a good three inches below that have turned a midrange brown. Everything grows better and more strongly. I'm very pleased. Some older photos are here. I have to update them--the grass has improved since these were taken and the season advanced a bit.

Yea same thing happened to me. I was out walking the lawn and a Scotts sales rep. pulled up and asked me "Can Scotts assist you today". I told him nope and politely kept working. He then pointed to my "weed" problem and lack of nutrients. I get clover and other weeds every year in the spring but they quickly vanish once the night time temperatures heat up and the bermuda takes over. So 2 months later the guy pulled up again and gets out of his car and asked me if I used Scotts because now the lawn was green and thick. I told him no, I'm on a complete organic schedule. That's when the guy got back into his car and left. He circled back a few more times with a dumbfounded stare before stopping again to ask what organics were. Here it is we have a Scotts rep who works for a company that offers "organics" and doesn't even know what an organic program is.

The unmowed photo of side A clearly looks like you have some nut sedge mixed in. I've got some of that too, but it doesn't bother me because it almost looks like St Aug. The nut sedge can easily be removed by hand, but I bet if you cut back a little on your irrigation, it will get choked out by the turf. It looks like there is too much nut sedge to spot treat with vinegar. I've also heard molasses works, but I don't have any experience with that method. Side B looks like you may have some fungus problems. How much are you watering? How often? Be patient and stick with the organic program. It works better, and will cost less long run.

I think one of the reasons folks are reluctant to switch to organic lawn care is that they think it's going to be complicated. Or more expensive. It's not. Really, the only difference is that one stops using synthetic chemical products to tend to your lawn -- all other good lawn maintenance practices remain the same. 1) Focus on the soil. Aerate regularly to reduce compaction and topdress with a thin layer of compost to renew organic matter. I recommend this be done once a year, fall being my preferred season. 2) Mow high and often, removing no more than 1/3 of the blades at any time. Most cool season lawns should be maintained at about 3". This length will shade out weeds and conserve soil moisture, reducing the need for frequent irrigation. 3) Grasscycle -- use a mulching mower. Studies have shown that grasscycling or returning the clippings to the lawn does not contribute to thatch build-up....quite the opposite, it reduces it. A mulching mower (most lawn mowers can be retrofitted with a mulching blade if not present) minces up the clippings into a very fine consistency that filters down through the blades to nourish the soil and thus feed the lawn. This can reduce your fertilizing needs as much as 85%. 4) Water infrequently but deeply. Most lawns require only an inch of water a week and this should be applied in only one or two applications so reset any automatic sprinkler systems to reflect this pattern. Less frequent but longer watering periods encourages deeper water penetration into the soil profile and the grass roots will follow. Deeper roots increase drought tolerance and actually decreases the needed amount of supplemental irrigation. 5) Overseed as necessary to thicken the lawn. A dense, thick lawn will successfully outcompete weed development. Remove any existing weeds manually or exercise a bit of tolerance. A completely weed-free lawn is virtually impossible to achieve but the healthier your lawn is (by following the above practices), the less likely weeds will be an issue. 6) Fertilize when necessary with a natural product - seed meals (soy, cottonseed, corn gluten), alfalfa meal, or packaged organic lawn fertilizers. These are naturally slow release products so don't expect the immediate greening you see with the chemical products. The slow release also means they don't need to be applied often, once a season is usually sufficient. Fall is the best time, especially with cool season grasses. This helps to build nutrient reserves to take your lawn through winter and give it a good start in spring. Cool season lawns want to go dormant in summer so fertilizing much or too late in spring can be stressful and counterproductive so use a very light hand in spring. Warm season grasses can tolerate a spring fert application easier. And it may take a season or two to notice a significant difference but be patient........it will happen. And do follow the basic lawn maintenance practices followed above - if you adopt these religiously, you will find the need to apply any fertilizer to your lawn is greatly reduced. I haven't needed to apply any fertilizer in years by just adhering to these practices and grasscycling with nearly every mowing.