Thank you! I never knew what you are talking about existed. I just picked up and installed a 9" x 9" basin/grate from Lowes. The only problem is that I couldn't change the depth of the already buried drain pipe, therefore the catch basin sticks just a bit out of the ground. I built up dirt around it, but I'm afraid that water will just route around the entire thing. Is there some kind of water diverter barrier available? I'm thinking maybe along the lines of common landscape border barrier...the flexible stuff. But, I would hope for something with more height. Most of the water comes from a specific area, so if I can channel it to the basin....I'm good to go. The only other alternative would be to bring in some direct and "berm channel" it. Thoughts? Thanks!

Try Palisade zoysia grass. It looks like dwarf st augustine but as tough as bermuda when it comes to drought. They come back from ground unlike st augustine if they go too long without water (once established). It also has good shade tolerance unlike bermuda. Make sure not to put down sod so close to the tree. Maybe 5 feet from the tree and fill in with compost. Mow no lower than 2 inches. 3 inches max. Zoysia requires least amount of fertilizer. just 1-2 times a year preferably organic like soybean meal. Zoysia (once established) will look best when given deep watering once a week (same for st aug and bermuda anyway). Make sure it gets one inch of water which is 600 gallons of water per 1000 sqft. When it comes to doing basically nothing, zoysia wins out compared to bermuda (nitrogen hog, weedy) and st augustine (once dead, forever dead). Just fertilize zoysia during spring and fall and give timely watering. That's it.

what's your climate like down there right now? you could probably plan some perennial ryegrass to get you by while you plan out a bermuda sprig or seed. riviera is a relatively new variety of bermuda that establishes from seed. otherwise, you're best best is to get some sprigs and try to re-establish a decent variety of bermuda. common bermuda, which you lawn may well be is considered a weed by many nowadays. you don't have to remove the dead weeds, but it might help to till them in a little with a rake or something prior to seeding. one thing i often tell people is to stay away from the fertilizer + ________ products, most of the time they are a marketing gimmick. if you can keep a healthy, thick lawn, you don't need any of that stuff. but it sounds like you got decent results from the weed n' feed, so if it works, keep at it. bottom line, get some sprigs, keep em fertilized and the bermuda SHOULD outcompete the weeds if they don't have too much of a stronghold. otherwise, you might want to consider calling in a professional to sod your lawn.

If you live in the Katy area of Houston your kyllinga itâs probably a flatsedge. Green kyllinga (kyllinga brevifolia) resembles smallflower umbrella sedge (cyperus difformis). Umbrella sedge is a rice field weed that grows alongside the rice crop. The entire Katy area used to be a rice field, and its residential communities are full of dormant difformis seed. Kyllinga is an invasive ornamental. It responds to halosulfuron (Sedge Hammer). In contrast, umbrella sedge is a crop weed with a history of exposure to agricultural herbicide. It exhibits a wide range of immunity, including an immunity to halosulfuron. I treat umbrella flatsedges with sulfentazone based herbicides (like Bonideâs Sedge Ender). I apply in the early Spring, when the sun is less abundant and the sedge is actively re-growing root stock. This mitigates risks to my Saint Augustine and encourages the uptake of herbicide into the weedâs root zone. Houston water is quite hard, so I add a surfactant. I use an inexpensive spreader-sticker product from Bonide, but Iâve heard Palmolive works fine. Wait several days before mowing or watering to give the herbicideâs time to absorb. The most effective âgreenâ alternative would be to till the land repeatedly, waiting for the sedge to grow, just to smother the young plants with so additional tilling. Over time, the rootstocks and seeds exhaust themselves of carbohydrates, leaving a rich, sterile soil. Unfortunately, my home owners association frowns on this approach. So Iâm stuck taking a chemical approach. Yet . . . my own lawn is far from perfect. Symptoms: 1. Long yellow-grey runners of Saint Augustine, that cannot penetrate certain areas in the lawn, away from sprinkler heads. 2. A few lush areas of thick green lawn, by the sprinkler heads. 3. Indicator weeds: Flatsedge, wild garlic, and powderpuff mimosa. 4. Three visible patches of grey slime mold with more mold in the beds. 5. Predictable reemergence of chinch bug damage, near the hot concrete. Iâm getting mixed signals. The grass looks healthier at low points: against the back of the house, against the A/C slab, in between the homes, and at the side walk in the front yard. This indicates water and/or fertilizer is collecting and providing the sod a much needed boost. Everywhere else, the lawn looks overwatered: yellowing and graying of solons, invasive marsh weeds and compacted soil. The live oak looks nitrogen deficient and has shown signs of chlorosis. It seems to me that the ground is almost impermeable. Water and fertilizer pool in the low areas, while the higher grades (in Houston an 8 inch slope constitutes a grade) dry out, harden and are washed clean of nutrients. My response has been to fertilize frequently and water frequently, but this is unsustainable due to fungal concerns. My builder did a sloppy job grading the surface. He did not bring in any viable topsoil, and the grass was installed with very little of its own. It seems to be a highly susceptible cultivar. I saved my lawn, with a biphenthrin spray, while others succumbed to chinch bugs very first year. How their lawns are looking far better than mine. The fertilized with an atrazine based "weed and feed" so they never developed the flatsedge concerns. Now Iâm wishing I had let it all die then, before the HOA became more aggressive, and I'm considering using atrazine next year despite the ground water concerns. I want to go organic but this is untenable given my current soil and lawn problems. So, I began spraying the soil with milk and beer and J&J shampoo. No phenomenal changes in the soil or the fungal outlook. Iâm considering installing a more hardy cultivar, in sparse plugs, with the anticipation of it out competing the existing sod. I would like to core aerate and top-dress with slightly sandy compost. Any advice on this operation, specifically in Houston area clay? Should I get Media soil activator in the interim, or use a foliar spray? Who can I call to test my soil needs and prescribe my best path forward, preferably someone who wonât sell a service? Any tips on automatic sprinkler settings and no-nos?