Question
Hello my name is George and I live in Southern CA 92571.  I believe I have St Augustine grass.  This past summer of 05 the front half of my lawn became spongie like while the more shaded are of the lawn stayed normal.  The front half of the lawn just poofed up.  I had to set my lawn mower to the highest setting so I would not cut into the roots.  Towards the end of the summer (fall)of 05 the front half started to turn brown till present.  I have been using Scott fertilizer the 4 season plan.  The year of 04 my lawn was perfect.  What can I do to fix this?

Answer
Good afternoon George:

My expertise is primarily in regard to cool season grasses. St. Augustine is a warm season grass. I will try to share with you my limited knowledge about St. Augustinegrass.
St. Augustinegrass is a dark-green, leafy perennial creeping by extensive stolons. It provides a rather coarse, spongy turf. Found from southern Florida into Georgia and around the Gulf Coast through Texas. It is only occasionally cultivated in southern California. If you are new to St. Augustinegrass and you experience spongy turf it appears to be a normal trait especially in the southern areas of the country.
Fertilize St. Augustine with a lawn food containing timed-release fertilizer. Inexpensive fertilizers that release their nutrients quickly cause a sudden surge in tender new growth and contribute to the buildup of thatch. This may explain why the front half of your lawn is "Poofed Up" because of a thatch build up.
Thatch is the layer of undecomposed leaf blades, stolons, roots and crowns intermingled with soil. Excessive thatch develops when the grass is overfertilized, overwatered, and improperly mowed. It the thatch layer exceeds 1 inch, remove by vertical mowing. A 3-inch spacing between the dethatching blades is best.
Caution: Vertical mowing may result in damaged turf that will require a period of recuperation. Do not attempt vertical mowing unless the grass is actively growing. For proper timing a professional landscaping maintenance service or the local county Cooperative Extension Service office ( see below) should be consulted before attempting lawn renovation. Remove debris by raking, sweeping, or vacuuming and follow with a conventional mowing to improve turf appearance. Immediately irrigate to prevent root zone dehydration. One week following vertical mowing apply 1 pound nitrogen per 1000 square feet (e.g., 3 pounds ammonium nitrate or 5 pounds ammonium sulfate per 1000 square feet) to encourage recovery. This material must be watered in immediately following application to prevent burn.

To find your local Cooperative Extension Office copy and paste this web site to your browser and hit "GO".
http://ucanr.org/ce.cfm

Another good web site that you may want to bookmark for future reference ( Although I hope you will not need it ) is Diseases of Warm Season Grasses:
http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=6&tabid=4&Content=/pu...

Proper mowing practices are necessary to keep any lawn healthy and attractive. St. Augustinegrass can be maintained at 2 inches if the lawn is mowed at least every week during the growing season. Mowing at this height and frequency requires more fertilizer and water to maintain an attractive lawn. Also, low cutting heights and high maintenance levels can predispose the turf to many pest problems. Under moderate or low levels of management, St. Augustinegrass should be cut at a height of 3 to 4 inches. To obtain this height with most home rotary lawn mowers, the highest wheel height setting should be used. This height will help the grass develop a deep root system and give a better appearance to the turf. No more than one-third of the leaf blades should be removed with any mowing. Low mowing heights can cause problems in turf quality. Repetitive low mowing reduces the density and vigor of St. Augustinegrass and can lead to weed problems. The mowing height should be increased to 4 inches during periods of moisture stress or if the grass is growing in shade. Newer semi-dwarf varieties have a lower growth habit, and should be mowed at 1?to 2 inches for optimum quality. Mowing too infrequently and watering improperly can cause a thatch buildup.

I hope I have helped.
Have a good Lawn!
Floyd McMahon