Patch of lawn is turning yellow (lawns, landscaping, fertilizer, bug)

[TheStupid]

Please see the picture. One big patch of my lawn is turning yellow. Does anybody know how to treat it? It looks like the blade of grass is turning yellow first, then the whole grass is gone. I am in Texas.

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by TheStupid

Please see the picture. One big patch of my lawn is turning yellow. Does anybody know how to treat it? It looks like the blade of grass is turning yellow first, then the whole grass is gone.

Looks like the work of Cinch Bug. With this years drought we had a really hard time with them too. Google "cinch bug, pic, chinch bug treatements" to decide if that is the problem and which way you want to treat it.

['noer]

I agree with the post above - it looks like chinch.

But - - if you have grubs in yuor area, make sure to check and see if that might be it.

If it turns yellow, then dies, it could be grubs.

They destroy the root system underneath, then the grass turns yellow and dies.

If it is grubs, that dead grass will lift up like a carpet because the root system is gone underneath.

You can also dig down under ane affected area and see if any grubs are there - you only need to dig less than a foot deep.

I do lawn care in south Florida, and the grubs are terrible right now.
Killing enire lawns - and I am doing re sodding constantly.

[rickers]

If you continue having these lawn problems (lawns are a pain in the butt for me) you might want to consider a type of self maintaining landscaping such as rock gardens with natural vegetation that doesn't need so much water. Neighborhoods with every house having a perfect lawn seems way to stepford-wife-ish for my tastes, Give me a cactus garden any-day.

[bjornb17]

How do you get rid of chinch bugs?

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by bjornb17

How do you get rid of chinch bugs?

There are many many different applications on the market. Personally, I like liquid that you attached to your hose and spray. Go to home depot or any hardware/home improvement/nursery store and look at the different insect applications that are on the market. From experience you will need to treat at least twice for a bad infestation

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by rickers

If you continue having these lawn problems (lawns are a pain in the butt for me) you might want to consider a type of self maintaining landscaping such as rock gardens with natural vegetation that doesn't need so much water. Neighborhoods with every house having a perfect lawn seems way to stepford-wife-ish for my tastes, Give me a cactus garden any-day.

Just because you can't take care of your lawn doesn't mean you should look down on those that can . That's called jealousy .

[TheStupid]

Lawn is one of the worst environmental waste, in my stupid opinion. The amount of water to take care of the lawn and the amount of chemicals that we dump there....

I bought some spectracide(?) and a spreader to dump it on my lawn. It seems to stop the yellowing to spread further.

[wheelsup]

I've never once watered my lawn (I refuse to waste water and $$ on grass), even when over seeding, and use almost exclusively organic fertilizer on it. I am also investigating the use of beneficial nematodes that take care of pests without pesticides.

I live in the SE US. 8-10 hours of sun a day. In July/August it starts to get a little crunchy but in Sept. it comes right back. It's TTTF.

What kind of grass do you have? If you do not know, I'd start there.

[Ketabcha]

Originally Posted by TheStupid

Please see the picture. One big patch of my lawn is turning yellow. Does anybody know how to treat it? It looks like the blade of grass is turning yellow first, then the whole grass is gone. I am in Texas.

I live in Texas, too, and that looks like grubs to me. They can ruin an entire yard in less than a week. I've had quite a time with them this year and so have my neighbors. One way to treat the yard is with a spray bottle or insecticide attached to the hose. It works. Check with your local garden store they will point out the best stuff to use. It comes in granules or liquid. I prefer the liquid because you don't have to spread anything first. Just pop the bottle on the hose and fire away.

Some folks use powdered laundry detergent, specifically Tide. Spread it and then hose it down until it bubbles. BUT, this is not long lasting. You'll have to do it again in a couple of weeks. The insecticide is better and takes care of the problem. Neither one hurts St. Augustine or Bermuda.