I am a new homeowner that has a good looking yard and I would like to keep it that way. I have been told that I should not leave the grass (St. Augustine) trimmings in my yard because the dead grass will eventually kill the living grass. I bag my grass now but my question is should I ever not bag? Also I have a dead spot in my front lawn that just wont grow. It is about a 10' square area. It is at about a 30 degree angle above my driveway. The area underneath is all sand. I am thinking about cutting out that area, placing some soil in the dead area and sodding it. I am going to wait until the winter comes around since it is so hot down here now. I appreciate any and all advice since this is all new to me. Thank-you in advance for any responses.

Todd Berner

I never bag my grass and my St A. looks great. The clippings provide extra organic matter and nitrogen to feed the microherd that feeds your grass. Are you using organic methods? If so, you should have active beneficial microbes that will decompose your clippings and thatch build-up will not be a problem.

I'll let someone else comment on the dead spot.

I am not sure what you mean by "organic methods". So I guess the answer is no, lol. I have fertilized my yard once since I moved-in (about 3 months ago). I have bagged my grass every time I mowed. I had a "Trugreen" employee at my house today and he gave that free 14 point check. The spot in the front of my house he said was most likely caused by "chinch bugs". There is no sign of them now. Thanks for the reponse.

Read the "Organic Lawn FAQ" at the top of this forum to learn how to care for your lawn organically (without synthetic chemicals). This is an organic oriented web site, so all the advice you recieve will be related to gardening organically. I used Trugreen last year and decided to switch to organic lawn care this year because I think it is a lot better. After following the advice found on this site I think my lawn is much healthier looking and I don't feel like I'm polluting the environment and also making my dogs sick (they eat grass). I think Trugreen also gave me some bad advice in regards to watering. They wanted me to water a couple times a week for a short time, but a real good soaking once a week (or longer) is much better.

Todd, you may not realize it, but you have stumbled into an "organic" forum. No bagging, no synthetic fertilizers and no toxic pesticides are recommended here. I invite you to take some time and browse this forum and dirtdoctor.com for info concerning lawns. Hopefully, we can welcome you aboard to doing things a little different than you might have been told in the past. Whoever suggested that grass clippings will kill your yard... well, you might want to find another source for info because nothing could be further from the truth. Kent

Thanks guys, I will check it out.