The grass is not happy. We inherited a nice chinch bug problem in the back yard when we bought the house in February but that was taken care of with insecticide and new St. Augustine plugs. Still, we’re struggling with a variety of weeds.

By comparison, nearby lawns are not only free of brown patches, but also dense and green. I want that! We finally bit the bullet and signed up for a lawn pest service. They’ll come every other month to spray and fertilize. It’s not cheap, but on the other hand, neither is fertilizer. We’ll see how it goes.