Help with Lawn

Hello all. I am new here... Here is my issue with my lawn. I have been using Chemical fertilizer from day one after laying out new lawn. I started using in the main areas surrounding the house with Lesco 24-2-11 and the lawn was great. I was told to do this about every 6-7 weeks, yes I know  I over did it. I live in SFLA and have St. Augustine lawn. I am experiencing some fungus on the lawn and now grubs. I have stopped fertilizing for about 7 weeks now and stopped watering but it rains here almost every other day lately. So my grass has dead spots due to grubs, lime color areas, dark green color areas. Also in the easement I used weed and feed since it was really bad and to be honest the grass is much nicer then lawn surrounding the house. It is a nice thick strand and nice green. Now I want to bring my lawn back to looking beautiful. I tried one time looking at organic but was not able to find cornmeal in SFLA so tried crack corn. That did not help. Now I found this site and read about Ringer fertilizer. HOw good is this? Again looking for help/schedule on fertilizing and what to use down here in SFLA. Also I mow once a week on the highest setting of my mower, not sure if it is 1/3 from the top of the lawn. Usually mow every Thursday.  I know I need to do a PH test, not sure where I can get this done locally. Again any help appreciated. Thanks
Hector

I don't have answers - just wanted to say welcome! and also to remind you to be very very patient. Your lawn is coming down from an unnatural high and will probably get worse before it gets better. I acquired a similar lawn when we purchased a house. The lawn, as were all the lawns on that block, had experienced years of chemical "lawn care". I was pretty unknowing at the time and thought if I did nothing, it would just return to a regular lawn. It didn't. Sounded a lot like yours - the web worms took over about August and it was pretty much dirt with patches of weird green patches by November. The next year I spred compost a few times in the spring and it wasn't that bad... just when it was coming around the next year we moved.

Is "SFLA" south florida?

So we're talking about warm season grasses.  Not exactly my strong suit, but I think I can still be of help.

Near the bottom of the lawn care article, thee is a FAQ section, including some info about grubs.  Did you read that?

Corn meal stuff:  skip this whole line of thought for now.

Ringer:  it's very good stuff.  The only downside is that birds will eat it.  Hopefully, if the birds hang around to eat it, they will leave some of their own fertilizer.

Yep, South Florida. I sure read on the FAQ. Now if I go with Ringer or any other organic Fertilizer, when should I spread the fertilizer? Every couple of weeks, months, seasons? Thanks

Since you are using a warm season grass, you should fertilize in the middle of summer.  (this is not the case for those of you up north with a cool season grass)

I would sprinkle some about every few weeks throughout the summer.  About 1/3 of what the bag recommends.

On later tossing, I would toss fertilizer where the grass is a lighter green and not toss fertilizer where grass is a really dark green.

hgiljr wrote:So my grass has dead spots due to grubs

Hector, Lawn Grubs is one of the things I am interested in. Milky Spore can be used as a way of eliminating them. It is best used around August time when the grubs are more close to the surface. This means that the treatment has a better chance of getting at them.

land loses fertility with frequent use of fertilizer , now there is a trick look for natural fertilizer and emerge it with the soil completely . than the lawan will flow again .

Lawn Grubs wrote:
Hector, Lawn Grubs is one of the things I am interested in. Milky Spore can be used as a way of eliminating them. It is best used around August time when the grubs are more close to the surface. This means that the treatment has a better chance of getting at them.

Also, the first year it is best to apply it twice.  We did it in the summer and fall.  It can take up to three years to eradicate most of the lawn grubs.  The more grubs you start out with the better the results, as each grub that ingests the spore will release billions of spore when they die.  One full treatment can last up to 30 years, so it is a bargain when you think about it.

Your garden gets the benefit of less Japanese beetles eating your plants too.  Now, you only have to convince your neighbors to do the same.

Al Loria wrote:
Also, the first year it is best to apply it twice.  We did it in the summer and fall.  It can take up to three years to eradicate most of the lawn grubs.  The more grubs you start out with the better the results, as each grub that ingests the spore will release billions of spore when they die.  One full treatment can last up to 30 years, so it is a bargain when you think about it.

Your garden gets the benefit of less Japanese beetles eating your plants too.  Now, you only have to convince your neighbors to do the same.

at times not so easy. Both of my neighbors have little ones and they do not want them exposed to the Milky Spore. They're not even interested in researching the product. 
I used it and told them i used it. If their little ones wander in my yard, not my fault 

KB in MD (21740) wrote:I used it and told them i used it. If their little ones wander in my yard, not my fault 

I think I would have discussed it with them before use.

Nigel.

Lawn Grubs wrote:
I think I would have discussed it with them before use.

Nigel.

I did some what.

I came home one day to see the 3 little ones with their toy rakes & shovels digging up my freshly planted grass seed. I explained to the mother that was sitting there that i used fertilizer in that patch of 'dirt' your kids are digging in (not in those words) She said 'oh' sorry  and and called the kids back and kept reading her book.
I then explained to her that i use fertilizer/weed killer on my lawn. (organics  )

IMO, that's explanation enough 

BTW, these neighbors only moved in a year ago and we do get along good. I didn't want this post to come across as I'm the 'bad guy' neighbor  The kids can run free on my established grass just not 'rehab' areas 

sorry to the OP for the threadjack