QuestionI had my both my front and back yards sodded with St. Augustine Floratam in the summer of 2007. The yard looked great and has slowly declined. This year we have had a lot of rain (Cocoa, Fl) and wonder if this is a contributor to brown patch or spittlebugs. My backyard looks pretty good except along the north fenceline where torpedo grass has taken over. I've pulled a bunch and the SA is slowly growing back. My front yard is a different story. I have a huge area (about 10-15 dia.) of nutsedge grass and now I have some torpedo grass in that area too (had the weeds id' at the county extension office). The SA died out in that area and I figured chinch bugs, but now I am thinking its brown patch as I have used Talstar granular and the brown areas seem to creep and get bigger. I also have a 1/4 to 3/8 long black bug with orange stripes on the back that pop up out of the grass ahead of the lawnmower. The only picture I can find that resembles this is a spittlebug, but I've read they are prone to northern Florida. I don't know where the sod came from. How and what can you use to get rid of torpedo grass? I've heard Neem is good for the NutsEdge. Also what can be used for spittlebugs (I now know that I have them as I was pulling some weeds and found little patches of spittle down at the base of some of the SA)?
Answer Check out table 1 in the article at the following site.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH077
Any product that you use against torpedo grass will kill the desirable turf. Glyphosate will kill the torpedo grass in that problem patch in the front yard. I am not so sure about the nutsedge.
