# St. Augustine Stuntted Areas



## tboltmike (Jun 21, 2006)

There are areas in my front lawn that look like a bad haircut. The grass all around grows 4-6 inch in a week between mowings. Noticed these develop just before the rains stopped and are getting worse. The mower is set to the next to highest position.
A week and a half ago in applied a pyrethrin insecticide and so far no change.
Didn't think chinch bugs since it had been raining..maybe grubs.
Any ideas? Thanks, Mike


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## pick44 (Mar 20, 2009)

Might be fungus starting? Are these bad areas "round" or oblong? Under tree or in direct sunlight? More info


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Add compost to the areas... It has a dual Purpos
It adds nemotoads that fight off the bad bugs... And fertilizes at the same time

Leaf mold compost is the best

Off 1488 near Conroe is natures way resource.. It's the number one thing to use

Don't expect it to work over night and stop using insecticides


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## tboltmike (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks for the replys,
They are oblong shapes mostly next to drive and walkway. Mostly direct sun except for shade til about 9am no trees within 70 feet.
Thanks, Mike


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## slabnabbin (May 25, 2010)

I have the same problem


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## Dae1201 (Apr 12, 2011)

Try pulling up the grass. May be grub worms coming up to feed on the roots, as they come up during rainy times when the air temperature is lower and retreat deeper when the ground dries. Just a thought....


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## baytownboy (Jul 24, 2009)

At one of my other houses back in the 70's, my next door neighbor suggested I spread Tide soap all over the spots real heavy then water real good. Helped stop the spreading and added in some new growth.


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## castaway300 (Oct 6, 2007)

Is the area off color or yellowing out ?...most fungus or bug damage causes the turf to off color...pics would help


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Not trying to hijack thread, just adding to the subject with pics. Didn't see a need to start another thread on the same subject.

Mine started about the same time also, maybe a little sooner. The last few months I have been in the books so much to pass an exam for promotion in the FD that I have neglected the lawn and pretty much everything else in life. To promote under Civil Service is time consuming. Though it should all be over tomorrow at 3PM.

Back on topic, I did get a chance to treat he lawn twice (heavily) with Cutter Backyard Bug Spray. The one you hook up to the water hose. That was weeks back though and the yard steadily got worse.

The side yard and back yard is fine, no problems at all, just the front yard.

I went out this morning and pulled chunks of grass all over to inspect for bugs and did not see any using a large magnifying glass.

I'm about to treat for Nutgrass today as I ordered some stuff online for it. I have notices this year that a lot of plants and grass around the neighborhood and town have been hit by different fungus's it seems. Weeds are really bad this year also.

Here are the pics I took this morning.



















This is actually new grass coming back I believe. From the two pics above, you can see it is in the middle of all the dead grass.










Also, in some places the grass is growing a lot faster.









New runners spreading out. 









Now since this has happened, the Bermuda grass is running rampant. I hate that stuff as it grown way to fast and spreads into flower bed in a matter of hours it seems. lol!

So now when I get my St. Augustine back to growing, I will have to fight the Bermuda back and out.

Going to go over my presentation one more time today for the Civil Service Board, then when it cools down, get out there and give the lawn a good manicure as well as the flower beds and shrubbery.


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## justmyluck (Jul 30, 2010)

It looks like chinch bugs. Especially if the damage is coming off of a driveway or side walk. Chinch bugs hate moist soils. I have created property line with irrigation systems by just increasing water. I agree with mudskipper with the compost application after treating with a liquid insecticide. You will probably need to resod


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## EagleOne (Jun 12, 2011)

Yup.Thats insect damage.Need to treat.You could add compost in that particular area to decompose that thatch or re-sod.You could also rip it out and fert that area which will entice the grass to grow in that area. its too hot for fungus,no matter how much it rains. Ive worked in landscaping for years and theres a lot of good suggestions here. Great job guys.


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