Can you tell us how much and how often you are watering? And how high and how often are you mowing the grass?

Actually, I'm sorry to recommend tightening the purse strings in such an economy but you might recommend if she attend religious services or some type of social club to ask for someone in her neighborhood at those functions. They are liable to have simply applied too much weed killer in an area and killed the grass. As her friend monitor the service for her and help her make new arrangements if need be. Since I've been on disability I have a budget so tight that every time I need to buy something I think it over, over and over. And furthermore, before I moved into this house (by the way I save money compared to government HUD rent and will own this house in 15 years although most home buyers lucky for me scoffed at this house as it's not a new one and requires minor improvements) I lived in government HUD apartments and the government housing professional caretakers were frankly a negligent disaster. In fact the Somerset Housing Authority lost a 3 million dollar law suit after they had residents pleading to remove a large unstable tree but they ignored the pleas and the tree fell on an innocent pregnant woman and killed her. They actually have the nerve to appeal the decision but I expect they'll loose. In my time there I had to complain repeatedly about the neighbors dropping heavy things all day and night on my ceiling and infesting the apartment building with bed bugs! I also called the police on several occasions. I witnessed professional exterminators come in a spray a squirt or two of insecticide in the apartment knowing that was useless. I told them about trees and plants growing to the apartment gutters where the grounds maintenance was so negligent and a year later no change. I watched the meter readers fabricate false meter readings for both electricity and natural gas. I had to go to their office and challenge the false readings. I had to good to their office and file complaints against the exterminators. I had to go to their office and file complaints against the neighbors. I eliminated the bed bugs and roaches myself by cutting off the central heat and not using the gas stove for 3 months and washing everything multiple times, including the inside of the vents with Pine Sol. The roaches and bed bugs simply avoided the cold and Pine Sol and stayed in the neighbor's apartments that weren't killed by the Pine Sol and lack of food not that they need much. The above are 'services' from college educated professionals in service to the US government so help out your neighbors when you can. A university professional isn't smarter than you. They are simply educated in a niche that you aren't. And look at US government in Congress and the President and Wall Street and tell me you're going to listen to them and accept everything they say automatically? No way! They sound like the banal comments section on YouTube or 1/2 dozen other web sites. And these lawn service give people with no experience and often no real interest in horticulture jobs caring for lawns simply because they applied for work. Lots of times you don't get what you paid for.

We had scotts lawn service come out and they've treated the lawn for weeds twice, fertilized twice and aerated the lawn. However prior to doing any of that, the lawn still looked exactly as it does in my pictures. We've also had 10+ inches of rainfall and it continues to rain all this week. They mentioned no sign of chinch bugs or disease. Perhaps I should check the pH and apply Lime if necessary? This post was edited by VinceFLA904 on Wed, May 22, 13 at 17:12

Ack I just saw this comment but will try and take a picture tomorrow if it's not completely pouring down rain. The St. Augustine (I think?) in the top picture is the dark green grass under the trees and the clumps in the front yard. The bright green grass I think might be Rye growing over the Bermuda which is dormant right now. Oh and we live in Los Angeles.