Thank you all! This is our first year here, so the junk does double duty-it enhances and fills in so I have time to get more plants. More junk=less space I need to plant. I have to do it when DH isn't around though, because the "in process" part where I'm hunting around through the sheds and gardens and all the stuff to put it together NEVER looks good to him. Only when it's done, then it's ok. Drives me crazy, lol.

I live in Orlando too and went organic about 18 months ago. I fired my lawn spray company after getting hit with crabgrass and cynch bugs last year. - those last pictures are crabgrass and you just need to rip it out. You can spray it, but still you have to put something down. We get a lot of rain this year and cg loves rain. Rip it out, replace with sod. It will spread fast so rip or spay asap. This is what I did and worked ok for me. - March - Depending on the ground temp, above 50 for a few days I put down 60 lbs of CGM. You can get this at Palmer's Feed store (2 locations - one downtown and the other close to Baldwin Park - look in the phone book and call them before going over there. They might have to order the CGM. It is expensive 54 dollars for 40 lbs. Also, the bag I got a few days ago really stunk because it was wet. I wish I had not bought it since it stunk up my garage. But it was their last bag. If that stuff is not wet there is no smell. I did get great results preventing crabgrass for about 3 months. Then the rains hit and I have crabgrass on the low spots. I just rip it out by hand. But for me CGM worked pretty well. - Soybean Meal - I put down in June. Good Results. Dark Green grass. I get it from Farm City downtown. Call them and they will order it if not in stock. (50 lbs for 18 dollars) - Alfalfa Meal - I get it from Farm City too. They usually carry it. (50 lbs for 18 dollars). It comes in a pellet form so you just toss it around on your yard. It has a very nice smell to it. All of these grains put down as soon as you get them. You don't need mice etc..in your garage. Then water it in after you put it down. The alfalfa gets big then breaks down after you water it. - Corn Meal - I found the Carribean Store over in Pine Hills carries this product (50 lbs for 18 dollars, always in stock). We had a lot of rain and I put down 100 lbs to prevent fungus. No fungus problems. - Milorgite - I got from HD - 12 dollars for 40lbs. I just put down 40 lbs of CGM yesterday to see if it will control the "winter weeds" and crabgrass. Dead Spots - Last year I had some dead spots from the cynch bugs and I just ripped out the sod and put down some black cow (4 dollars a bag) and then new sod. This worked very well. Also, put some milorgite down on the new sod too. Weeds - My worse areas are the low spots and get swamp grass. I've been raising those spots by sand and/or ripping out the old grass and raising with black cow/dirt. Water - I try avoid over watering. We had a lot of rain this summer so if you are careful you can time it right. Crabgrass loves the water so if you over water you will get Crabgrass. The swamp weeds are a real pain and you can rip them out or spray with weed killer. If you kill it, you have to replace it with grass or it will just grow back. You might notice some areas don't need water whereas others do. Just use your hose vice watering everything. This past summer we got a lot of rain and my grass got a "lime green" color. I used milorgnite to bring it back. I don't really care for the ironite stuff. One mistake I made was not getting the soil test. I just keep putting it off. I'll do it this winter. My experience going organic has been ok. It is not cheaper than using the commercial lawn care companies, but my grass looks better than most of the lawns around me. I like the results of the CGM and soybean meal. I mow at the highest setting and obtain good results. - SOD - A pain getting good sod. I call HD or Lowes and they usually get it twice a week. Call first. Then look at it when you get it. If it's dry, skip it and wait till the next shipment. Putting down the black cow then the sod works well. It is usually about 1.40 per piece. - Some other things I played around with were spraying molasses on the lawn to see if it prevents/kills sod web worms. I noticed the moths flying around a few weeks ago and sprayed it down. I don't see very many moths now. After I get the results of the soil test I'll make the necessary adjustments. I would guess you can get used coffee grounds from Starbucks but that sounds too messy for me. Next year, depending on costs, I will use more soybean meal since I like the nice green results. It's a long process so just take your time and do it the best you can without losing sleep over it. If costs are a concern you could do the front first since that is what everyone sees and then work on the side as time goes on. Good Luck!

Hi Wolfgang, I'm also in So Cal. I've been building cabinets, furniture and working on homes here in Los Angeles for more than thirty years and recently started importing a line of wood finishes from Italy. We have an excellent exterior finish system. Better than anything I could find here in the US. It consists of an impregnator and top coat. We are currently selling it to a major window manufacturer. Let me know if you want more info or a sample. John

~~~OK~~~~ I believe it has been definitively identified!!! I can see the purple tinges on oregano, and I found a youtube video where this guy still has one plant in a pot and it took FIVE MONTHS for it to grow like 2 inches tall!!!! It's definitely oregano.