I think you're safe to sand it now to raise the low spots. In your area the lawn may never go dormant in the winter months.

The best defense against caterpillars are the paper wasps that live under your eaves. If you are allergic to wasp stings, then you can't have them, but if you are not allergic, leave those wasp nests alone and teach yourself not to panic when you see a wasp. That is a hurdle, but those paper wasps are almost as docile as mud dauber wasps. You can teach them that you're not going to hurt them by walking slowly up to the nest and not swatting at them. They may send out a scout, but just remain calm and the scout will go back to work on the nest. Once that happens, you're golden. Anyway these wasps collect caterpillars and stuff them into the cells in their nest to feed their young.

If you don't have wasps or can't have wasps, then the best product to kill caterpillars is BT Worm Killer. It is a disease that only affects caterpillars. It paralyzes them immediately once they bite into a blade of grass with the spray. A $10 bottle is a lifetime supply.

How are you watering your one inch? Are you doing it all at one time or doing 1/7-inch per day like most Floridians? Also you only need 1 inch per week when the temps are in the 90s. When it cools into the 80s you should be doing 1 inch every 2 weeks. Watering too frequently encourages weed growth.

1-yes, 2-maybe, 3-no

Thanks.. I try and water 1 inch all in one day with oscillating sprinklers now..but I do get a few puddles. I haven't irrigated the past few weeks do to sufficient rain fall. So you think I can scalp it to 1/2 an inch and sand that's great. What about the milogonite as the main nitrogen source? I also have some Bermuda planted on the south side of the house that will soon get hardly any sun. What should I do with that? Will it go dormant from lack of sun and then come back or just slowly disappear? Rye grass does really well in that area over the winter?

He said you could sand, the scalping part may not be wise on young seeded Bermuda--You worked hard to get it sprouted, so don't scalp it then smother it. Just a little sand to level that spot & a quick rake to pull some leaves up to the sunshine. If you bury it, it will have problems. Milorganite is a great source of N. That Bermuda in the shady side yard is not long for this world. Use it to plug your bare spots out front & plant something else in the shade

The comments above have some great info. I would recommend getting a soil test of the area to see what your lawn may be lacking or may have an excess of. In regards to thickening your lawn I usually focus on feeding my clients lawns before every major season, sometimes more often. This allows the roots to strengthen to create a healthier overall landscape. In Boca Raton, FL we usually have trouble with heat or over watering depending on the season. Feeding your lawn in this way allows for a faster recovery from harsh weather and the pests that have been bothering your lawn as well. Check us out for detailed landscaping and lawn care tips!