I am by no means a "greenthumb" and fail miserably at keeping potted plants alive. However, I seem to have a little luck with my St. Augustine lawn, which is now 2+ years old. As the growing & mowing season quickly approaches, I wanted to share with my neighbors some things that may help you keep your lawn a little greener...

1. St. Augustine is actually a NON-NATIVE WEED that has come to represent the classic Florida lifestyle. Being that it's a weed, it has a tendency to replace competing grasses, which is good. If you need to cover a bare spot, don't hesitate to use plugs or even just keep the area bare and moist. Chances are the grass will grow right in.
2. If you have driven by my home, you may question why I let my grass grow so long. 2 reasons: 1) Pure laziness ;-) 2) When the grass hits a certain height, you will notice the seed stems that seem to stick up everywhere. My thinking is that the longer I go between mowing, the more seeds are matured and dropped back into my grass, which means the effective age of my St. Augustine stays low. Theoretically, it's being recycled. On the contrary, if your lawn gets a buzzcut every week, there is a good chance seeds do not have a chance to sprout and then regrow, which means your grass will become "older" and more prone to problems.
3. OverWatering - overwatering will kill any St. Augustine, but not immediately. Overwatering tends to keep the grasses roots close to the surface, where water is plentiful. Unfortunately, when April/May comes around and the rains stop, your roots are left close to the hot, dry surface with no chance of getting water. If you water less frequently, it forces your grass' roots to search out water from below, which means they are better prepared to withstand drought conditions.
4. Pesticide. Chinch bugs, among other pests, will decimate a lawn like the Bucs O-Line at a buffet! You can treat it yourself, but be aware that many pesticides sold to the public must be "watered down" for safety and regulatory purposes. For those whose expenses allow, consider getting a lawn company. I use Scotland Yards. They fertilize my lawn and treat pests in my front yard for $40 every 2 months...what a deal to protect my home's value and lawn.
5. Mowing. Don't buzzcut your lawn. use a slightly higher setting and "mulch" it so it falls back into the lawn. I have heard that lawn cutting have 40% of the nutrients required by lawns - because they are composed of the same things. Also, cut all of your St. Augustine before you move onto an area of weeds or different grasses - sometimes the seeds can be transported and you will unknowingly "re-seed" your beautiful St. Augustine with weeds!!

I guess that's it...it's not really rocket-science, so to speak. This is my first lawn and it seems to be holding it's own after 2+ years. Let me mention that my lawn is Southern-facing with full sunlight - results may vary with lawns of different locations. If 1 or more of these ideas saves you time and/or money, then just send me the money, you keep the time, and we'll call it even ;-)