99.7 cents cheaper to be exact I'm not too keen on wholsale spraying though. I think it would kill some really beneficial insects as well.
You are correct sir.... More bird houses.....
To remedy this we decided to add 2 yards of sand, 2 large bags of perlite, 1/2 yard of pro mix, and some different compost. The dirt seems much better now than before. I am interested to hear about what others think about this approach to solving the problem.