My grass is looking bad

Help – posted 28 August 2005 11:40

I live in houston area Tx, I have the very nice grass in the last 04 Months green, thick, healthy, but in this month August, I Notice some brown, spas, and the root is dead. So What Can I do, do you have any sugestions or advice, I don’t want to call the companies for lawn care, because they charge to much. I Try to do by my self. any help. My grass is St.AugustineThanks

Lu

QWERTY – posted 28 August 2005 12:19

Could be fungus related or grubs. or Chinch bugs.

Do you see june bugs flying around the outdoor blub at night? If so, it could be grubs. I use benefical nematodes (i practice organic for the most part). This also kills chinch bugs (and many many others). Not commonly practiced and hard to find. Most just use chemical to kill them. Lowes or Home Depot will be fine. It’s up to you.

Have you been watering much? If you water too frequently, ‘harmful’ fungus thrives and damages any lawns. I use corn meal as preventative. You could try that 20lbs per 1000 sqft. They’re available at animal feed stores. Garlic tea solution also will take care of fungus problems. So will potassium bicarbonate. I heard about milk being useful, about 2 ounces per gallon (i think?) I’d never use chemical fungucide products though.

AMCalla – posted 28 August 2005 21:40

Hi Lu

I have heard the cinch bugs are a problem in Houston. It may even be a fungus problem. It is hard to tell without more information or even some photos.

Grubs may also be a problem and if you noticed a not of June bugs around your yeard last month, it is a possibility. The trouble is that it may be too late to effectively treat and kill the grubs. June bug (and many other beetles) lay eggs on the lawn in middle to late spring and that is the time to apply the grub control. After the eggs hatch, the grub burrow into the soil where pesticides can’t reach them. Thing is that it may be a little early for signs of grub damage. You can test for grub by getting a good hold of the dead grass down by the soil and pull. If it pulls back like a carpet, that is a good sign if grub damage. Nothing to do this year, just replace the grass next spring and treat for grubs in mid to late spring.

If it is cinch bugs, you can test for those as well. Take a can (like a soup can) and cut off both ends to make a tub. Hammer it in the soil about 2″ deep at the edge of the damaged spot, but in an area that is still green. Pour water into the can till almost reaches the top and keep adding the water to maintain that level for about 5 mins. You will see the cinch bug float to the top. Do a search in the internet for pictures. A pesticide for cinch bugs can be applied to control. It may take 2 doses applied 5-7 days apart.

It could also be a fungus. How do you water? How long? How often? What time of day?

Let me know.

AMCalla – posted 28 August 2005 22:13

I really should proofread. Ha!

not of June bugs= lot of June bugs

to make a tub= tube

QWERTY – posted 28 August 2005 22:35

My suggestion of using benefical nematodes should work better than using chemicals. A lot safer too…

jr – posted 29 August 2005 01:53

your suggestion of using beneficial nematodes is only useful if they are introduced at the right time, and with the chemicals of today, arent any safer. these beneficial nematodes, depending on what they are, what they are used for, and environment, can become harmful nematodes in as little as three generations, and the most noxious chemical, so harmful that they are being removed from the market, is a nematicide. dont encourage people to create problems for themselves. any bifenthrin formulation is fast, very safe, and has a residual effect, so you dont have to keep re-applying the truly nasty chemicals.

AK – posted 07 September 2005 00:06

I also live in Houston, Tx. I can almost guarantee it’s cinch bugs. Almost everyone in my neighborhood is having a problem with them. Try using dish soap and saturate your lawn well. This is cheap and works. Put the dish detergent in one of those bottles/containers that you hook up to your hose and let the soap get into the lawn. I would do this a couple of times, maybe once a week for two or three weeks. Then fertilize to bring back the green if you want. But the soap will get rid of your bugs. Good Luck

QWERTY – posted 07 September 2005 11:53

jr

prove it. ive never seen any info on BN being bad over time. Chemicals are always the worst. They always say they’re safe at first but after 10-20 years, they destroy the environment and our health.

turfrus – posted 08 September 2005 06:31

“They always say they’re safe at first but after 10-20 years, they destroy the environment and our health.”

Say what? What in the hell do you think is in compost? Chemicals…..is what.