Sounds encouraging. I'd read some mixed reports on the effectiveness of 2,4-D (alone) against Ajuga, but (possibly) better results with a 3-way product, which Killex is (2,4-D, Mecoprop-P, Dicamba) http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lawns/msg0918365630041.html http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=276043 So, it will be interesting to see your results. Yes, you are right Killex is available (at Canadian Tire), but only in British Columbia, Alberta & Manitoba. You are in BC, right? I'm in QC...sigh. Kind of farcical really, this provincial herbicide 'ban', when commercial lawn care companies can readily get the stuff (and political parties also). At least a third of the residents on my estate have their lawns sprayed....whether they really need it or not. I reckon the previous owner of my house was one and that chemical-dependency was at least part of the reason for my lawn problems....all those dormant seeds. That's my excuse anyway. Anyhow, I'll persist with the Roundup (no other choice now). Whilst slow (it's been about 2 1/2 weeks) it does appear to be working. Probably would have been quicker if I'd sprayed affected areas, rather than leaf-painted, from the start. Seems kind of counter-intuitive to water the weeds, but keeping the treated areas moist definitely helps. So, at the current rate of progress I'm still hoping that I'll be able to over-seed by mid-September. The thing that concerns me though is the sheer number and variety of weeds that are still coming up. Sure, the best natural weed-defense is a thick turf, but I'm beginning to think that I really do need to tackle at least the perennial broad-leafs, and if possible the dense carpets of crabgrass, which are now starting to turn to seed. The white clover that is taking over some areas I can live with. In fact I'm not averse to the idea of a mixed grass-clover lawn, though I can't speak for the neighbors. But the black medic (yellow trefoil) that is prevalent on my front lawn is less desirable. As someone commented on another forum - organic living is all well and good but sometimes you need a prescription from the doctor. I have inquired whether one the lawn-care firms (the one that acknowledged they use herbicides) might do a one-off spray, but they are only interested in offering a 'full year' maintenance plan. There's no way I could manually pull all of this stuff, as adept as I am with a Weed-Hound, and a lot of it is now partially obscured by crabgrass and clover/black medic. So, I guess I could try the available iron-based Weed-B-Gon, several neighbors look like they are having some success, at least with spot sprayed dandelions, but I think I'd need a bit more than spot treatment. Or else see if I can get hold of some Killex (might come back you). The big question then is how much treatment at this stage would put back fall over-seeding (killing time plus soil residual to consider). Don't really want to wait until Spring, as I'd like to try and get an early start with a pre-emergent then. What to do? This post was edited by WorBry on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 14:11

We are close to Salem. We'd prefer not to irrigate a large section since we are limited in the amount we can irrigate on our well, but we are open to an irrigated non-lawn cover for a smaller section. I've included an overview of our current plan. The land is level in the back and slopes down towards the front (where the circular drive is, and even more so towards the bottom right corner of the plan.) We are planning on a flat grassy area in the back but on either side of the creek bed in the front I'm interested in a non-lawn alternative. Thanks so much for looking. This is our first home so we are going from zero yard to quite a bit!

Geranium 'Rozanne' is what I have at the base of my roses. Sterile, so no seedlings! Flowers about 10 months a year when established. Lavender-blue flowers go with every color of rose. Best planted in fall, so they can put down some roots before next summer's heat. Extra water the first summer. Clean out old foliage by tugging on it (comes out easily) in October.

If you already have St Augustine, it could be a matter of care. You should be watering deeply and infrequently. Deeply means 1 inch all at once every time you water. In your area the frequency would be on the order of once every 2-3 weeks. The morning fog really prolongs the moisture deep in the ground. Allowing the soil to dry out at the surface helps keep the dogs from tearing it up (so quickly). Mulch mow at the mower's highest setting. There is never any reason to mow lower than the highest setting. Fertilize 3x per year (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving). I use only organic fertilizer, specifically alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow, not horse cubes) or corn meal. Call the feed stores near you to check availability and price. I am surprised there is only one feed store in San Pedro, because they allow horses in Rolling Hills - or at least they used to. That would be the most likely place to have the various chow type feeds. The organics should help with the pee issues. Also spray the yard with molasses (3 ounces (minimum) per 1,000 square feet) to help keep the microbes stimulated and reproducing.