As Spring turns into Summer and the temperatures rise, so does insect
activity. I'll discuss some of the more common turf and ornamental problems
that most encounter in a typical home garden.
Probably the single most prevalent turf insect problem is the old favorite
chinch bug. Start looking for chinch bug activity in your St. Augustine
lawns from mid-May throughout Summer. They thrive in prolonged hot,
dry periods especially in areas that aren't irrigated. The good news
is they are easily treated with the proper insecticide many times with
one application. The bad news is that if left untreated, they will continue
to feed until they have pretty much destroyed your lawn. A smart idea
is to preventatively treat your lawn in late May with an insecticide
or fertilizer/insecticide combination labeled for chinch bug control.
An easy way to tell if you suspect you have chinch bugs is to pour soapy
water onto the area in question. If they are there, they will scurry
to the top. You can also usually see them running on pavement if you
have activity next to your driveway or sidewalk.
Another common turf pest in St. Augustine lawns is white grubs. Grubs
are the larval stage of the June bugs or May beetles all of us have
seen hitting our back porches and screen doors since we were kids. The
larval stage does the turf damage as they feed on the roots. This year,
I noticed an extremely early adult flight, so now is a good time to
check for activity and treat with an insecticide labeled for white grubs.
Twenty -five years ago, I didn't worry about grubs until early August.
Now they are becoming active as early as mid June. Become suspicious
of grub activity if you see a lot of St. Augustine stolons (runners)
sitting on top of the grass instead of knitting down tightly. If you
can pull this area up easily by tugging on it with your hands, you most
likely have grubs. Take your spade out and investigate. Again grubs
are fairly easily controlled with an insecticide labeled for their control.
Always treat your entire lawn and not just localized spots when treating
for any pest or disease.
Let's not forget about fire ants. They will never go away. There is
a wonderful new product on the market called TopChoice. The problem
is, it's not available to the consumer to buy, but if you have children
or pets and a normal size yard; it will be well worth the investment
to hire a PCO (pest control operator) to treat your entire yard for
year long results. Go to www.nofireants.com for more information.
Roses - if you have hybrid-tea roses, you always have black spot and
have to rotate spraying fungicides. Try a couple of newer types of landscape
roses that bloom almost all year long. 'Nearly Wild' is a pink bloomer
that is used extensively at Memorial City Mall and Baseball USA, The
Yard. Another great rose is Knockout, which comes in red or pink. The
red is an outstanding new plant introduction that deserves a look! Both
of these are much less susceptible to black spot.
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