Glad I asked. I was not expecting those answers plus I used to live in the apts at 10000 Imperial Hwy and worked at the old Rockwell plant. Obviously didn't have to care for the grass there ;-) Back when I was there you could still find cattle in the area. Not anymore. You're watering exactly right, so that's really most of the way to a great lawn. The bermuda and St Augustine will compete with each other in a good way. Unless you want to have the Yard of the Month, I would leave it like that. St Aug will thrive in the shade and either will thrive in the sun. If you mow it as low as 1 inch high, then the yard will always look like a bermuda lawn with weeds. If you mow it at 4 inches high, eventually it will all look like a St Augustine lawn. The reason is the St Augustine's wider blades will shade out the bermuda very gradually. But if you want to favor the St Augustine, you must NEVER forget to water. Sure you can skip once but don't skip twice. St Augustine does not go dormant when it dries out, it goes directly to dead. If that happens, you will have a full bermuda lawn in a few weeks. Since you have shade some of the St Aug in the shade will survive to fight back. You can run that battle back and forth for years if you want. I've done it...kinda fun for a lawn nerd. If you want to favor the bermuda, then search the Internet for the Bermuda Bible and follow that. It requires lots of fertilizer all year long (since you live where it never freezes). If you want to favor the St Aug, you can get away with fertilizing 3x per year (Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving). If you really want it to jump out at you (you said it was not spreading), you can try fertilizing with an organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets (from a feed store). Apply 20 pound of pellets per 1,000 square feet. If you want it to really go, do that every month for the rest of the season. A 50-pound bag of alfalfa should cost around $12. It also comes as rabbit or chinchilla food. The reason you can use organics in the summer and not synthetic (Scott's) is that the organic does not feed the plants directly. Organic fertilizers are made from grains which feed the bacteria and fungi in the soil. Then the soil microbes feed the grass. By going through all the biology, the grass doesn't get burned by the salty synthetics. It works! Here is a little motivational picture I clipped from GardenWeb last year. That is a zoysia lawn. Note the improved color, density, and growth. That was after 3 weeks. It takes a little time for the organics to work the first time. You'll get the same results, I promise. What else???

There are pluses and minuses to each. Peat moss is somewhat acidic and can repel water if it dries out completely. It is already almost completely broken down, so it doesn't add much in the way of nutrient value, but lasts longer than compost. Some people consider it a nonrenewable resource. Composted cow manure will have more nutrients, but it will continue to break down, so it won't last as long. It also may have some salt in it. The amount of salt wouldn't be an issue where you are, but in arid climates, salt buildup can be a problem.

The recommended recipe for a square foot garden is 1/3 compost,1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite (garden grade). You can use composted cow manure but you might want to mix it with regular compost as it might burn the plants if too rich. The top soil would be a good mix.Make sure you water well because the peat moss soaks up all the water. Refer to your planting recommendations in your area to set your plants out.Too soon and it will frost on them.I go by Mother's Day in Ohio but our weather can be tricky and sometimes I wait a week or so.Ask you local nursery. You need a special soil for your seedlings.It has to very light and airy.One bag will be all you need or you can use those peat circle that you add water to and they swell up and you add the seed.Make sure they don't dry out and water only from the bottom.You just drop these into the garden after the plants start to grow if all threat of frost is gone and the soil is warmed.

After learning how long it takes for greensand to break down in soil and become available to my plants, I began to put it into my worm bin instead. The worms need grit to aid in their digestion so I see it as a good additive. I toss a little a time along with very small amounts of kelp and alfalfa meal. In regard to adding compost, I highly recommend finding a quality product if that is the route you choose to go. You'll certainly have a superior product in the end in comparison to a bedding comprised of only shredded paper. I use shredded paper along with composted chicken manure as my bedding. Its cost effective and quality at the same time. I also throw in corrugated carboard. For some reason the worms love to leave the cocoons there. The chicken poop can be found for approx $4+ at most nuseries...decent sized bags. Whatever manure you decide, just make sure its composted...you'll be fine.