Help! SA grass being eaten!
GAScott – posted 19 October 2004 10:55
I planted about 50 plugs of St. Augustine grass near my patio back in June, and they have spread quite nicely.
However, I recently noticed that the grass on a couple of the original plugs looked lopped off. At first, I thought maybe that I had scalped the spots when I mowed. I thought it was strange, because I’ve set the mower at the hightest setting, but the original plugs are slightly higher than the surrounding ground due to some erosion over time.
This morning, I found more areas that looked similar, which seemed to appear overnight. The spots are less than a foot in diameter. I know it’s not scalping because I haven’t mowed that spot in a couple of weeks since the grass is slowing down due to the season change.
Upon closer examination, it looks like something has been grazing on the grass. It hasn’t quite been nibbled down to the runners, and the blades have started to grow back in some of the areas. But most of the blades are gone in these spots and I’m obviously concerned because I don’t want to lose the grass.
I wondered if it might be chinch bugs, but my understanding is that they attack weak, unhealthy grass and this spot is otherwise very healthy–lots of runner growth and a low stolon network.
I have noticed a few fuzzy caterpillars on the ground here and there, but spotted none near the SA grass.
Also, I haved plugged and sprigged St. Augustine in other areas, but they have no signs of a similar attack.
We have lots of deer in the area. Do they graze on SA grass?
One other thing, the grass has been munched on only at the original plugs, not runners or where the grass has filled in between.
Anyone have ideas about what’s going on and what I can do?
mikemaas00 – posted 17 December 2004 10:06
If you’ve got a big wallet, cover all your bases. Apply fungicide, dylox for grubs, and talstar for the chinch bugs. Then buy a rifle for the deer.
I almost forgot Do Not over water. Floratan /Seville all strains of St. Augustine are suseptible to fungus from over…
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