Horticulture Hotline 07/10/23
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
- The nasty rascal, the chinch bug in St. Augustine grass has been killing large areas of turf in the Lowcountry for many decades. Remember the products that control chinch bugs generally have a short residual. If you are going out of town for any length of time, be sure you treat the lawn before you leave. A few years after I opened Possum’s in 2002 when we were still on Whipple Rd., I can remember like it was yesterday. A regular customer that was following a custom program since we opened and would bring in pictures of his lawn regularly and brag how it was the best yard in all of Charleston area – in a good way. He took his family on a trip over the Fourth of July and came to a yard that was wiped out by the nasty rascal, the chinch bug. He could not understand how his yard went downhill so fast. It was at this time I coined the phrase “the nasty rascal, the chinch bug!” Doing a great thing as a father and taking a family trip, only to have an insect about the size of a pinhead, wipe out years of hard work. Nasty rascal!
- Fleas have been a close second to chinch bugs this year. The wet fall seemed to help increase the flea population. Any pet owner, especially one that has his or her pet sleep in the same room as themselves, cannot stand to be kept up half the night by the sound of their pet scratching fleas. Fleas are hard to control. Plan to treat the animal, the house, and the yard. The use of growth regulators will make a near impossible task, much easier. Expect about two weeks to get this pest managed.
- Boxwoods, a staple in many Lowcountry landscapes, is coming under attack by several diseases, mites, insects, and even nematodes. Yaupon hollies should be considered as a replacement or redesign the area completely.
- The summertime weeds are out in full force. Remember to read the product label for any heat restrictions and be sure to identify the weed you are trying to control. Goosegrass seems to be out in big numbers this year. Doveweed and sedges are up. Many, many broad-leaved weeds are up – spurge being one of the more disliked. Look at the label and see if it recommends the use of a surfactant (spreader sticker). A surfactant will help your success while trying to control weeds and other pests (fungus, mites, insects).
- While driving through neighborhoods before the recent rains, localized dry spots were very evident. These are areas in the yard that turn that bluish gray color from lack of water. New neighborhoods with young grass and poor soils seem to be most susceptible to these dry areas. Exposed areas with lots of wind and areas at the beaches also are good candidates for these localized dry spots. Adding organic matter to the soil (Cotton Burr Composts or SeaHume), wetting agents, or adjusting sprinkler heads will help with these dry areas. Remember to water in the early a.m. before the wind picks up, so the grass will dry by nightfall.
- Moles seem to be particularly active this year. They just had their young in April and now they are tunneling up a storm. The young moles are hungry! Manage the food source in your yard (grubs, mole crickets) with Lebanon Insect Control and go after the mole with Mole Patrol.
- Be sure to change that dull mower blade from last year. This will give your grass a cleaner cut and will allow less entry points for disease. Inspect your blade for nicks and damage if you are going to continue to use the same blade. Since a mower blade spin at very high speeds, any nicks or bends can lead to the blade being out of balance. When a blade is out of balance, the mower will vibrate (like your tire out of balance on your car) and you could damage the spindle and other parts of your mower that cost far more than a new blade.
- Look up at your trees. If you have any tree work that needs to be done, I would get it done as soon as possible. Look for trees that have cavities at the base of the tree and look at the tops for broken limbs and weak crotch angles. Have a tree care professional inspect your trees to be sure it is safe. Most tree companies will inspect for free. Try to get this done before the Lowcountry is in that cone for a direct hit for a hurricane! The tree companies are usually very busy by then.
- As with all products, you should read and follow product labels. More is not better when dealing with control products. Measure your yard so you know your square footage and watch overlapping when applying your products. Watch the weather forecast to ensure the products have a proper amount of time on your lawn prior to any rain. If the product needs to be watered into the ground, a slow watering by a sprinkler is better than a gully washer from the sky. A very hard rain can wash products into the storm water drains which are bad for the environment and you have wasted a lot of money.
Also sweep or blow fertilizers or control products off of hard surfaces when you
are finished applying them. In the case of fertilizer this may prevent staining, and most importantly it will keep products from washing through storm drains to the marshes.
- With the dry weather we had earlier this year, spider mites have come out in full force. Be sure to use a product labeled for mites when trying to control these plant juice suckers. Mites are not insects, so all insecticides do not control them.
- Another plant juice sucker that is out in full force is the lace bug on Azaleas. If the leaves look mottled, flip the leaf over and look very closely for the pest. The lace bug is small and well camouflaged so you might need a magnify glass. Dominion Tree and Shrub will give you long term control of this pest.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
