Lawn Rangers Tips
Don’t Let Them Bug You!
While good cultural practices are the best and preferred way to control insects, there may still be occasions when hungry and homeless pests nest in your grass, quickly damaging an otherwise healthy lawn. Chinch Bugs, June Bugs, European Chafer, Japanese Beetle, Sod Webworm, Leather Jackets are some of the pests that can cause browning and damage to you lawn.
If your lawn isn’t responding to water, the chances are good that insects are taking over. Since some insects or their predators that feed on them can devastate your lawn in a matter of days, call us at the earliest indication for a free consultation.
Heat stress is the leading cause of lawn deterioration and pest infestations!
Temperature control is what you are trying to achieve. The more moderate the conditions the lesser the probability of stress and subsequent infestations of weeds and insects.
Water is the lifeblood of your lawn. Don’t wait until the lawn starts to get brown before you start watering. If you start watering your lawn early in the year (late May, early June) and provide one inch of water per week, your lawn is less likely to suffer from heat and drought stress which leads to thin turf, more weeds, and a warm place for insects to lay their eggs. This is what insects look for, the warmest place in your lawn that gives their eggs the best chance to hatch and a crop of food to feed on. Those mid-May warm days are when chinch bug adults are most likely to come out of their winter hibernations and look for a nice warm, dry place to lay their eggs.
The second most important thing you can do is mow your lawn at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches and mow it frequently enough that you are only removing a third of the blade. Grass cut to 3 inches will provide maximum beneficial moisture levels. The lower the temperature at soil level, the more vigorous the growth, the less likely you are to have weed and insect infestations. Brown patches appearing in your lawn are the first sign that the lawn is going into stress. WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!!!
If you catch it early and continue to water regularly, avoid the stress of mowing and other lawn activity, the lawn will probably recover and at worst limit the permanent damage to a very small local area. Pesticides do not improve the lawn; they have only one purpose, to control the pest problem. By applying a pesticide you are only ridding the lawn of the pest, now you must nurture the lawn, make it healthy by fertilizing and adding other soil amendments, watering, mowing properly, aerating, and top dressing to produce a healthy lawn.
