Kyle's
Corner - Your Lawn Right Now
6/25/07
The drought is finally ending as our regular summer rains begin in earnest across Central Florida. Though they are still a bit spotty we are getting enough to wake up the grass and to begin the healing process. Most lawns have at least one area that was hurt and thinned out due to lack of enough water. With the rains here now these areas will now begin to fill back in.
It is important to note that Chinch bugs prefer to start up in the hottest driest areas of the lawn and we will need to keep an eye on areas that look to be damaged. If you see an area that does not look right CALL IMMEDIATLEY!! Chinch bugs multiply quickly this time of year and will be our primary focus right through September.
The University of Florida has confirmed pockets of pyrethroids resistant Chinch bugs in Clermont, Winter Garden and Windermere. These chinch bugs are resistant to the pyrethroid class of insecticides and those are the ones we rely on. There are few alternatives.
Between the watering restrictions, the resistant strains of Chinch bugs showing up and the lack of interest in bringing new products to the market for lawn care I believe St. Augustine grass will be cease to be our number one choice for lawns in Florida. It may in fact cease to be a choice at all. Many individuals, home builders, and municipalities are now choosing Zoyzia grass and Bermuda grass. Both of which can survive will less water and fertilizer than St. Augustine. Note that I said “can survive”. Neither will thrive in drought conditions.
Drought conditions will kill St. Augustine grass as it has little natural ability to protect itself from dry conditions while Zoysia and Bermuda will simply go dormant and not grow until conditions become favorable again. This makes them good choices as replacements at first glance but they both have drawbacks that you won’t see in the advertisements. I will go into more depth on these grasses and other choices in a future article.
For time being we will need YOUR help to keep tabs on your St. Augustine lawn. Should you see anything that does not look right just call and we’ll be right there to take identify the problem. Do not wait to see if it gets better on its own as things can quickly get out of hand and you do not want to pay to have grass replaced when all it would have taken was a timely call.
Kyle
* Don’t forget the program change we made to your lawn schedule for the 2005 season. An additional crabgrass preventer application will be applied in May or June just before the summer rains cause another heavy germination of crabgrass. This application is applied independently from your regular every other month application and will be charged at your regular summer rate.
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