Horticulture Hotline 05/16/22
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Some years we know through rainfall where our lawns are getting too much water and we need to work on our drainage. This year it is so dry and windy, we can learn a lot about our irrigation systems and how well they are covering our landscape. If you noticed discolored grass, dig into the soil and see if it is just dust. Since we are way behind on rainfall this year, we are seeing a lot of dying areas due to a lack of water. Many of these places have irrigation; however, due to the wind and lack of good coverage; they are still experiencing dry spots. This is the type of year that companies that install and maintain irrigation systems are very busy. You might need to put an irrigation head into the corners of your property or you need to adjust the heads that are already there to spray into the dry areas. If it turns out that lack of irrigation is causing the brown patches, you could also hand water these areas if you don’t feel like going through the expense of adding a head. We usually average 48 inches of rainfall in Charleston, so irrigation systems aren’t usually required to provide all the water, just supplement it.
Since the grass was so stressed from a lack of water, the little bit of rain we had the other day was enough to generate a brown patch outbreak. I also saw some grey leaf spot on St. Augustine grass. Brown patch sits and waits for the moisture, temperature and for a susceptible host plant (your grass) to get lined up and it attacks.
This dry weather also helps hide fire ants. With plenty of moisture, fire ants usually have a visible mound. As dry as it has been, fire ants are still out there foraging even though they do not have a distinct mound. Be careful, they are harder to see and they will still bite the fool out of you!
The dry weather has also brought the nasty rascal, the chinch bug, out on St. Augustine grass earlier than usual. I actually saw chinch bugs back in April. In the old days, it didn’t seem like we worried about the nasty rascal until July 4th; however, anytime there is a dry spring, they will be out early.
Fleas also have come out in full force this spring. They were bad last year, and it appears they will be bad again this year. Nylar growth regulator will help control these guys inside and out. Also, include an adulticide with this growth regulator. When treating fleas, using a product with a growth regulator will help you break up their life cycle. Managing them will be a lot easier with the use of a growth regulator.
Water, water, water! A lot of grass and trees are severely stressed from the lack of rain. Adding organic matter to your yard or a wetting agent will help improve water retention. Many people will see a 30-60% reduction in their water bill from applying these products to their lawn. Trees don’t show stress as obvious as your grass does; however, trees are very important to the landscape and are expensive to take down and replace. Trees that are under drought stress usually die from borers or some other secondary insect, when all they really need is a little water.
As humans need to drink a lot this time of year, so does your grass! Water, water, water! The nighttime temperatures are finally warming up to the point where grass should grow and start filling in bare areas.
Always read and follow product label.
