QuestionI have St. Augustine grass and in the front yard it has turned brown all over! A lawn care company left a "diagnostic" stating that chich bugs have killed my lawn. Will I have to resod the whole lawn or will it return in the spring? I have sprayed insectacide on the lawn and there are only a few sprigs of green popping up and the emergence of some moss-like weeds trying to take over. Help!!!
Answer The important observation is the pattern of browning; straight or curved edges, circular patterns and the like. Can you recall?
However to answer your question.
It is essential to identify the cause of the 'brown out'. You can eliminate (or not) insects by soap flushing the lawn where there is some green St. Augustine existing. Identify all the harmful insects and treat before doing any replanting. It is prudent to soap flush again 10 to 14 days after, to make quite sure that there are no harmful bugs. If you judge that there is enough material to regrow and cover the area you can do this now. If not you can wait until you are ready to resod.
For the record, the chinch bug is quite small, black, and has a narrow silvery band across its "shoulders". Note that the immature insect is red with a similar band across its back and these immatures should be considered as a pool for continued infestation and future problem to you. The pest usually starts from the dry areas on the lawn and this can indicate a problem with the irrigation system.
If none of these make sense, then it was a fungus problem. Now that is dramatic! When the conditions are right a fungus can take out a lawn overnight. The good news is that if a fungus caused the problem, it is not now an issue. But when you replant and put the lawn on a watering program to maximise establishment, be prepared to avoid a fungus attack but, if it does occur, you will be able to identify and treat it in its earliest stage.
