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By Paul Schattenberg
Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Lawns throughout the Lone Star State are dead and dying. While drought is the main suspect, other forces may be at work, according to Texas AgriLife experts.

"Chinch bugs thrive in hot, dry weather and feed primarily on St. Augustine grass, but can also damage Bermuda and zoysia grass, although this is rare," said Molly Keck, integrated pest management specialist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County. "They prefer areas of the lawn that absorb the most heat, like where the grass meets the walkway, driveway or foundation of the house."

Chinch bugs are thought to insert a toxin that kills the grass while they suck out its juices. They feed on stems and nodes near the base of the plant, leaving brown patches that will continue to grow larger if left untreated. Damage to lawns has been extensive throughout Texas due to the extended drought which has created ideal conditions for the pest to feed and proliferate.

Grown chinch bugs are typically about 0.2 inch long. Adults are black with white wings showing a triangular black mark; immature bugs are wingless and bright to burnt orange with a light-colored horizontal band across their back.

Keck said chinch bug damage often looks like fungal damage — dead grass with a "halo" of yellow grass surrounding the dead spot — so it’s important to try and find out if they’re present.

One way to check for the pests, she said, is to take an empty can with both ends open, a piece of PVC pipe or other cylinder and work it into the soil so it will hold water in an area of the lawn where the grass is yellowing.

"Fill the can with water and after about 10 minutes you should see chinch bugs floating to the top," Keck said.

Lawns infested with chinch bugs can be treated using an insecticide that's labeled for use on the pests, she said.

Some ways of managing lawns to reduce the possibility of chinch bugs include aerating the turf and applying a layer of top dressing, as well as not over- or under-watering, according to other AgriLife Extension experts.

Grub worms also are active during the summer months and into early fall, and their damage is often confused with that caused by chinch bugs, said Dr. James Reinert, an entomologist with Texas AgriLife Research in Dallas.

Reinert said grubs are white, C-shaped, wormlike creatures with three sets of legs and are the larvae of beetles that take flight in May or June, usually following a storm.

"Grubs are one of the biggest problems in lawns throughout Texas," he said. "While chinch bugs feed on the surface of grasses, grubs feed on the root system. If grubs are present, the grass will pull up easily because the anchorage of the plant to the soil has been cut off at the roots."

Without roots to take up moisture and plant nutrients, the grass will brown and die and appear to be under drought stress, Reinert said. Grass damaged by white grubs can be pulled up easily or even rolled up like a carpet, while grass under drought stress remains anchored to the soil and cannot be easily pulled up, even though it is turning yellow or brown.

Dead or dying grass roots will be black or brown, while healthy roots are white, he added.

Reinert said seeing a significant number of May or June beetles flying near a home is a good indication of grubs in that or a neighbor's lawn.

"If you dig into the soil two or so inches deep about three weeks after a major beetle flight, this is the time to look for grubs," he said. "They will be small this time of the year, but if you begin to find four or more per one square foot, they may cause damage to the lawn later in the summer or fall. Damage will depend on the condition of the turf and how well you manage your lawn."

Reinert added that other smaller, straighter and legless wormlike larvae may also be found in Texas lawns.

"These smaller ones are the larvae of the hunting billbug, which have become more damaging in recent years," he said. "When populations of these insects are high, they can be just as harmful as May or June bug larvae."

Reinert said white grubs too can be treated with an insecticide specifically labeled for use on them.

"If you discover white grubs and are using granular treatment, you need to water it well to push the insecticide down to the target site to kill the grubs where they are feeding on the roots," he said.

While turf grass disease isn't typically a problem in hot, dry weather, it can occur when a lawn is under drought stress, said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension horticulturist in Travis County.

"Stress from drought, as well as too little or too much watering, can lead to turf grass disease," Richards said. "A common turf grass disease in the summertime is take-all root rot, a fungal disease that affects mainly St. Augustine lawns, but also Bermuda, zoysia and other turf grasses."

Serious take-all infestations produce large discolored patches, dead roots and significant loss of grass stolons or runners.

"In the summer take-all is common in lawns throughout the state and is often mistaken for a chinch bug infestation or another turf grass disease known as brown patch," Richards said.

But brown patch kills only the leaves, while take-all kills the plant's roots and stolons as well.

"If your lawn gets large yellow or brown spots in the spring, odds are it's take-all; but in the summer it could be something else," she added. "Identifying the real cause can save you time and money."

AgriLife Extension offices in counties throughout Texas have soil sample collection kits and forms for mailing turf grass samples to the Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory at Texas A&M university in College Station. The lab is part of the university's department of soil and crop sciences, and the fee for routine testing is typically about $30.

Additionally, researchers continually try to develop new resistant turf grass cultivars, Reinert added, but resistance may wear down over time since the pests are constantly evolving and adapting.

"We are always working on new cultivars of grass that will resist these pests and the other abiotic challenges, including drought and heat stress," he said.

By Rod Santa Ana
Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Breaking ground for a new citrus center in South Texas signals the next chapter in the book of 60 years of research excellence, said Dr. Michael D. McKinney, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System.

McKinney and others ceremoniously turned spades of soil June 23 to kick off the construction of new research facilities for the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center at Weslaco.

"We break ground today for new facilities at the birthplace of the Star Ruby and Ruby Red, dark red grapefruit varieties that are grown and enjoyed all over the world," McKinney said.

He said the next 60 years would bring unimaginable marvels.

"The research conducted here is of great advantage not only to this area, but in Turkey, Australia, South Africa and many other citrus growing regions," he said. "This new center will help extend that reach into phases we haven't even thought of yet."

Other speakers at the groundbreaking included Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples; Dr. John da Graca, center director; state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr.; state Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez; Dr. Steven H. Tallant, president of Texas A&M-Kingsville; Ray Prewett, president of Texas Citrus Mutual; and Geof Edwards, of the architectural firm Kell Munoz in San Antonio.

Da Graca said the ceremony marked the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.

"Since 1948, citrus research here was conducted in refurbished army barracks that were dragged to Weslaco from the deactivated Harlingen Air Base," he said.

"They've been remodeled many times over the years, but maintenance on these old structures has been tedious and expensive."

Da Graca said the new facilities will be state-of-the-art.

"The first floor will have meeting rooms, classrooms, diagnostics laboratories and administrative office," he said. "The second floor will house research laboratories, student cubicles and faculty offices. A large open laboratory will include space for specialized equipment and containment labs for tissue cultures, a cold room and mass spectroscopy equipment."

Construction is scheduled to begin in July and should be completed next summer.

Martinez said the new facility will be an area showplace.

"I am so proud to be here," he said. "The new Citrus Center will be a jewel in the crown for Weslaco and the Rio Grande Valley. It has been a long time coming."

Staples said the center would attract experts and researchers from afar.

"This center, with its continued research, will be an anchor for the citrus industry," he said. "It will attract people from all over the world to learn here, to train here. It will continue to place Weslaco as a big, bright spot on the map."

Tallant said the new facility presented endless possibilities and was part of a much larger construction effort at the main Texas A&M-Kingsville campus, some 120 miles north of Weslaco.

"Imagine decoding the genetic basis of cold tolerance to resist future freezes here," Tallant said, referring to two tree-killing freezes in the 1980s. "This new center will be an example for the whole world to emulate. It's been a great 60 years and will get even better."

Lucio noted the impact of the center's history.

"We do research here that impacts the entire world," he said. "I am very proud of the scientists and workers here. They need to be thanked, not just by me, but by the people of the Valley and the whole country. They reap the benefits on their kitchen tables each and every day when they have citrus or orange juice or grapefruit juice at breakfast."

Prewett, who was praised by Lucio for his lobbying efforts in Austin to fund the new construction, brought applause from the crowd of about 100 when he alluded to the area's $120 million citrus industry.

"We do grow the best grapefruit in the world," he said. "But the credit for the good fruit and the strong industry is a credit to this place. On behalf of the citrus industry, thanks. Our successes couldn't have happened without this center."

Edwards, of the architectural firm contracted for the new building, said the final designs were the result of excellent collaborations with citrus center staff.

"I was amazed at all the agricultural successes this center has enjoyed over the years," he said. "And those successes will continue in a first-class, world-class facility that we can all be proud of."

As summer progresses remember to raise the blade on you lawn mower. By allowing your turf to grow taller it will develop a deeper, healthier root system capable of surviving on less water. When it comes to watering: less frequent, longer and deep soakings are better that frequent short applications of water. If you are tired of mowing and watering all together, consider planting native buffalo grass next year.

Have a favorite gardening tip you’d like to share? Texas Gardener’s Seeds is seeking brief gardening tips from Texas gardeners to use in future issues. If we publish your tip in Seeds, we will send you a free copy of Texas Gardener's 2009 Planning Guide & Calendar. Please send your tips of 50 words or less to the editor at: Gardening Tips.

July is perfect time of year to order wildflower seed for planting in August or September so don’t wait until you see them blooming next spring to start this project. Most local garden centers and nurseries have seed now for you to select from. If you would rather make your selections from the comfort and coolness of your living room, then visit Native American Seed at www.seedsource.com or call them at 1-800-728-4043 and ask for their free catalog.

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Texas Gardener’s Seeds is published weekly. © Suntex Communications, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved. You may forward this publication to your friends and colleagues if it is sent in its entirety. No individual part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher.

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Publisher: Chris S. Corby ● Editor: Michael Bracken

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