With temperatures hitting near the 100⁰ mark lawns without irrigation will be going into dormancy. But at this time it is also prudent to be on the lookout for evidence of chinch bug damage; since summer drought stress and chinch bug damage can look very much alike at this time of the season.
If you suspect chinch bugs may be damaging an area of turf, especially in a sunny sandy area, the easiest way to check is to cut off both ends of a coffee can, place one end into the ground in the affected area and fill the can with water (a little liquid detergent seems to get them). If they are there the chinch bugs should float to the surface. See Billbugs Chinchbugs for more information.
Archive for the ‘Pests’ Category
Drought Stress?
Friday, July 22nd, 2011Scouting for White Grubs
Friday, September 17th, 2010Much of the following is a repost of an earlier post – But useful this time of year.
Now is probably a good time to start scouting for white grubs. Certainly the weather we’ve received this season has made it difficult to guess the appropriate time to begin scouting. However, if you’re likely to see grub damage this season they are going to have to start feeding soon. (more…)
Recovering from Drought
Monday, August 30th, 2010Much of the Northeast has seen below normal rainfall since April 2010 as well as unusually warm temperatures, especially during July. This has led to drought concerns throughout the region. However, the recent rains of the last week should be enough to bring the lawns out of dormancy. New green growth over 60% or more of the lawn area is a good sign that the lawn can recover. So what can you do to aid our lawns or athletic fields in the recovery process? (more…)
Billbugs Chinchbugs
Monday, August 23rd, 2010Billbug and chinchbug activity is continuing in some areas, although the bluegrass billbugs appear to be nearing the end of their larval activity. So the worst should be over for this year. Chinchbugs are well into their second generation this year. Remember that billbug and chinchbug damage resembles drought stress, but the affected turf does not recover in September when the temperatures moderate.
August – Asian Longhorned Beetle Month
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Scouting
Friday, September 11th, 2009Now is probably a good time to start scouting for white grubs. Certainly the weather we’ve received this season has made it difficult to guess the appropriate time to begin scouting. However, if you’re likely to see grub damage this season they are going to have to start feeding soon.
White Grubs
Thursday, August 27th, 2009Normally we would begin looking for evidence of white grubs in our residential lawns at this time of season. However given the extremely wet summer we have had in the Northeast this year I think you are probably safe to hold off your scouting activities for a couple of weeks. (more…)
What’s Up
Friday, July 10th, 2009This season we have been called out on several occasions to consult with facilities and grounds directors that are experiencing poor growth rates with their turf. Due to the steady rainfall we have been experiencing in the Northeast this season the problem has been inevitably associated with soil compaction. (more…)
Red Thread
Friday, July 3rd, 2009Rain, when is it going to end? It’s July 4th weekend and in the Northeast we are still waiting for summer to come. In the meantime the damp, wet conditions have been ideal for red thread, a fungal disease that gets its name from a red thread like structure that grows from the upper portions of the infected grass.
Mow High, Leave the Clippings
Thursday, May 21st, 2009The importance of mowing high in an all natural turf care program cannot be stressed enough. Applying the proper organic and all natural materials while important cannot make up for improper mowing.
I was recently called in to look at a sports field where the trustees wanted to go organic. They were concerned that the field was not responding. What I saw was a bluegrass sod field that was infected with leaf spot. I believe the major contributor to this condition was the fact that the field had been cut at 1 ½ inches.
The fellow that mows the property says that his equipment cannot cut the field that short. Yet he has never checked to see at what height the blades are off the ground on his mower deck. Do not rely on the markings on the mower. An easy gauge for cutting at 3 inches is as simple as nailing two pieces of 2 x 4 together and slipping them under the blades. Tip them on their side and you have a gauge for a 3 ½ inch cut. I must also make the important point: PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT RUNNING.
Improper tire inflation can also affect the height of cut. Routinely check tire inflation and also the dolly wheels on the mower deck. More than once I have seen fields scalped for lack of proper inflation or a missing roller on a deck. The operator blithely went on mowing without ever looking to see the results of his efforts.
Leaving the clippings is also important. It has been our experience that clients that routinely had their mowing service provider routinely remove clippings the level of organic matter in the soil also went down year after year to the point that the soil conditions would not support desirable soil biology. Earthworms love clippings and are ten times better than any mechanical means for aerating the soil. Water absorption, both speed and amount, is directly related to the number of earthworms living in the soil.