CHINCH BUGS IN LAWNS

Now is a good time to examine lawns for chinch bugs. Look around the base of the grass plants where the stem of the plant goes into the thatch layer or soil. Pull back a little of the thatch or soil around the base of the plant and look for small black bugs with triangular white patches on their wings, about 1/8 inch long. Immature chinch bugs (nymphs) can vary in color from reddish to black and will have a white band across their back.

If you can find more than 20 chinch bugs in two minutes of searching you can expect to see some damage from the chinch bug feeding. Chinch bugs will continue to be active throughout July and early August. We offer lawn insect control treatments as either a liquid or granular application if you have chinch bugs feeding on your lawn.

LAWNS THINNING IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

We’re finding a few thinning lawns with Leaf Spot/Melting Out disease in Bloomfield Hills. This lawn disease is generally a problem on Kentucky bluegrass lawns. Leaf Spot/Melting Out causes lesions to form on the grass blades. The lesions are often surrounded by a yellow zone that fades into the adjacent healthy green tissue. Older grass blades are usually more susceptible than younger grass blades.

Melting Out lawn disease may also invade root tissue, causing wilting of foliage and reddish-brown dry rot of the root that becomes black as the disease progresses. As the disease continues to spread the lawn becomes thin with no specific pattern development.

Cultural control methods include increasing mowing height and light applications of nitrogen to encourage the grass to grow out of the disease. Also, remove grass clippings to reduce the amount of infected grass blades, which can cause further infection. Fungicides can be applied to stop or slow the spread of Leaf Spot/Melting Out if the disease is active.

If your lawn has been damaged by Leaf Spot/Melting Out some seeding may be necessary. The best time to do seeding in Bloomfield Hills is in late summer or early fall. There are several varieties of Kentucky bluegrass available and many have been bred to be resistant to this disease. The specific varieties of Kentucky bluegrass should be listed on the grass seed package.

Bluegrass varieties resistant to Leaf Spot/Melting Out include:

• Blacksburg
• Brilliant
• Liberator
• Midnight
• Moonlight
• North Star
• Total Eclipse
• Wildwood