Now is the time to put out preemerge products in the lawn
and beds to prevent those small seeded annual weeds. Henbit, chickweed, Poa
annua (annual bluegrass), cudweed and lawn burweed are a few of the winter
weeds that would like to occupy your lawn and flower beds. Poa annua (the green
grass that is very visible in February and March) and lawn burweed (the
prostrate growing weed that develops a sticker) are usually the most hated of
the winter weeds. Some people use profanity while describing them at the
counter of Possum’s!
If your yard has thatch, drainage, or compaction issues, now
is a great time to aerate your lawn (and beds where possible) before you apply
your fall preemerge. Aeration is a great cultural practice, which will among
other things help your roots grow throughout the winter giving you a head start
for the spring.
Although we had a mild winter, the cool wet spring made it
rough on predators and disease that usually keeps army worms in check, and the
results have manifested themselves across the Lowcountry. If you have a Bermuda
grass lawn or pasture, you may want to take a look and see if you see any army
worms. Although bermuda grass is their preferred dinner, you might want to
investigate your own lawn. They will eat other grasses.
A friend of mine that grew hay used to say he could hear
army worms munching on the grass as they crossed the fields. Since army worms
eat the green leaves off the plant, he would lose big dollars to this worm.
Athletic fields, Golf Courses, and home lawns lose the aesthetic value of the
green grass, and the worms thin the canopy of the grass where weeds will move
in if given a chance.
Since army worms are in direct contact with the ground, they
are very easy to control. Bug Blaster, Bifen, Sevin, Cyonara and Acephate will
all put a hurting on army worms. Thuricide (Bt) and Spinosad are organic
products that will also work well if you get them while the worms are small.
Since the population of worms was so high and hit so hard, keep your eye out
for a second hatching.
For those of you with St. Augustine and Centipede, keep your
eye out for the sod web worm. These rainy overcast days are perfect for them to
hatch out and begin to eat your grass. Watch for moths in your yard around
dusk. If you begin to see a moth that gets out of the grass, flies for 6-10 feet
then lands again (like a bobwhite quail for you bird hunters) you may want to
consider using one of the above mentioned products. Usually sod web worms would
not come out until September / October; however, with the crazy weather we are
having, scouting for them could not hurt.
In my travels this week, I saw brown patch (large patch)
fungus in several yards, and the “nasty rascal the chinch bug” is still sucking
the life out of many lawns. Thanks to all the rain and high humidity gray leaf
spot is still alive and doing well.
