I'm not a warm season grass expert, but I've learned a little about Bermuda from reading forums. The first thing I'd do is try to find Texas Weed's Bermuda Bible. Texas Weed is a regular poster here, but his Bermuda Bible can be found using Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=Bermuda+Bible&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a I can tell you a couple of mistakes you're making. Bermuda thrives when it's cut short (like maybe an inch at the most). You're also watering far too often. And you're not fertilizing nearly enough. Bermuda needs about a pound of N per 1000 sq ft per month while it's actively growing. Bermuda is a warm season grass, so depending on weather, it may be that the lawn has just not had a chance to get started this year. Once it wakes up, it should take off and spread aggressively, even if conditions aren't optimal, but if you fertilize enough to keep it healthy and mow it short, you'll prod it to spread in a hurry.

crouch- If you believe your soil is compacted, you should consider aerating as part of your late summer/early fall lawn care program. Try sticking a long (6" or so) screwdriver into your soil. If it is tough to get it in to the handle, you may well have a compaction issue. Not sure where in Jersey you are, but right around Labor Day is when I get into aerating/overseeding activities in CT. Cold overnight temps, shorter days, and an abundance of maple leaves makes October much too late around here for a high success rate with kbg overseeding. I was absolutely blown away with the results of my efforts last fall, which I moved up to Sept 2-4 (I know everyone says "fall overseeding," but "late summer" would be more precise). Of course I'd love to pat myself on the back as some sort of lawn guru, but the truth is we had pleasant days, not too cool nights, regular rain, etc. right into Thanksgiving! With crabgrass dying with the first good frost, I may not automatically reach for the roundup. I have found that cutting my existing crabgrass/lawn as short as possible and bagging/raking the clippings allows me to seed immediately without the use of roundup. If timed properly, the desirable seed germinates and gets strong enough in the fall so I can apply a pre-m in the spring to prevent the crabgrass seed from germinating. I wouldn't necessarily give up on it this year, but I can't expect you will get optimal results at this point either. I would heed billhill's advice about organic material and watering. KBG is a notorious slow germinator. I would also seriously consider having a soil test done. I understand you wanting to be able to mentally turn the corner on this one way or another and nobody likes to see their hard work go unrewarded. Maybe adjust expectations downward and hope to be pleasantly surprised now. Armed with the knowledge you can gain on this board, this may well be the last spring you need to endure lawn envy.

Yeah, IÂm going to do a lot of researching and I plan to really give my lawn a good workout in the fall. The front lawn is obviously a mess right now, but as far as my back yard goes for just moving in thereÂs really not a whole lot that I can complain about. ItÂs relatively thick and dark green, and there appears to be very few weeds, although IÂm not familiar if that remains to be seen as the season progresses. All that being said, as Âdecent as the yard currently is, I feel thereÂs a lot more potential in there. The previous owner of the house was an older gentleman, and the neighbor took care of the yard for him. I gather from conversations with the neighbor that it was cared for, in a half-assed sort of way meaning that while it was occasionally seeded and fertilized, it was also mowed low, clippings were always bagged (for the neighbors own personal compost heap), and weeds were Âtaken care of by dumping spot-shot type chemicals. He definitely seems the nosey type, so heÂll probably be critical of every damn thing I do to it now that I own it, whatever. But anyway, just not knowing exactly how the lawn was maintained, IÂm curious as to how it would look after a few weeks of work. A few things I have in mind are core aeration and overseeding with a cool-season blend in the fall. ThereÂs a blend on there right now, which really doesnÂt bother me IÂm not particular about mis-matching grass, other than a few spots of fine fescue that look out of place in open areas. IÂm also very interested in learning more about and incorporating organic lawn care rather than being a slave to Scotts. Furthermore, I plan to get a soil sample tested by the extension office to see what exactly IÂm working with. As for now, IÂm just trying to get my feet wet by at least mowing down to only 3 1/8" and of course, trying to make my front yard look somewhat presentable! Thanks again guys, I can tell I have a lot to learn, but IÂm really eager to! Just so excited I finally have a lawn to take care of, haha

That area is near dead from drought stress last season. It needs ONE INCH of water ONCE A WEEK. Very few sprinklers can dish out a full inch of water in 10 minutes. Mine takes 8 HOURS to get a full inch. You should be able to fit an inch into your city conservation schedule unless you are limited to 10 minutes per week. You'll have to measure the output of your sprinklers. Use a tuna can or cat food can and time how long it takes to get an inch. It also needs fertilizer. I can help you with an organic approach but not with chemicals. I've forgotten everything I once knew about chemical ferts. Here is the 1-2-3 of lawn care... Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in Las Vegas your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too little is better than too much. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide. Really really tall St Augustine needs much less water than when mowed. Here is a picture of my 35-pound dog sitting in my "lawn". It looks more like a pasture but there are no weeds. I live on the edge of the desert and tomorrow I'm going to water this spot where she's sitting for the first time this year. That grass is about 20 inches high. Of course to have grass like that you can't be hampered by homeowners associations or pesky neighbors (or spouses). At this house I don't have to worry about that.