Grubs are pests of turf grasses and eat the roots of plants and grasses. Their damage is usually mistaken for drought stress as turf appears off color, grayish green, and wilts rapidly in the hotter weather. Continued feeding from the grubs will cause the turf to die in large, irregular patches. The tunneling of the larvae cause the turf to feel spongy under your feet.

Chinch Bug damage is usually first detected when irregular patches of turf begin to turn yellow, then straw colored, indicating that the grass plant is completely dead. These patches continue to become larger and never turn green again even if you consistently water. While the Chinch Bugs are feeding, they block the receipt of water and food to the plant, resulting in turf death. Damage generally occurs during the hotter, dryer weather from June into the month of September.

Sod Webworms feed on sod while it is actively growing. Sod Webworm larvae spend the winter as a partially grown larva buried several inches deep in the soil. At the approach of warm weather in the spring, the larvae move upward towards the surface and begin feeding on the lush spring growth of grass. Damage appears as small brown patches about the size of a quarter to three inches in diameter. As the webworms continue to feed, grass has a scalped appearance with prominent dead patches present.

Dollar Spot Disease causes sunken, circular patches that measure up to 2 inches in diameter. The patches turn from brown to straw colored and may eventually increase in size, forming irregularly shaped areas.

Brown Patch Disease affects warm-season turf grasses, especially St. Augustine and Zoysia grass. This disease typically causes rings or patches of blighted turf grass that measure 5-10+” inches in diameter. It is most likely to be observed from November through May when temperatures are below 80 F. Infection is triggered by rainfall, excessive irrigation or extended periods of high humidity resulting in the turf being continuously wet for 48 hours or more.

Pythium Blight Disease primarily affects bermuda, blue grass, tall fescue and bent grasses. Symptoms may appear at any time of the year, but they will always be associated with wet soil conditions either from excessive rainfall, irrigation or poor drainage conditions. This is a root rot disease. Symptoms are typically a decline in turf quality, small or large areas will become yellow, light green or brown colored and gradually thin out. This disease causes greasy, brown circular spots that are initially about 1-2 inches in diameter and then rapidly enlarge in size.

Take All Root Rot Disease affects all warm-season turf grasses and is very hard to control. The pathogen is naturally present on turf grass roots and activates in the summer and early fall months when Florida receives the majority of its rainfall. Initial symptoms above-ground are irregular, yellow or light green patches ranging in diameter from a few inches to a few feet. Below-ground, roots will initially be thin and off-white in color with isolated black lesions. Eventually, roots will become very short, black and rotted resulting in complete turf death.

Gray Leaf Spot primarily affects St. Augustine Grass. This disease is most often observed from late spring to early fall, especially during prolonged periods of rainfall. Initial symptoms include small, pinhead size spots that are olive-green to brown in color. These enlarge and form circular to oblong spots that are tan to brown colored with distinctive dark brown edges. Under humid conditions, the fungus produces abundant spores in the center of these spots, giving them a velvety-gray appearance. Many spots can occur on a single leaf, such that severely affected leaves wither and turn brown. No distinct patches are observed, but areas may appear thin. Severely affected turf area may appear as though it is suffering from drought.

Grass cut too short resulting in scalping of grass.

Dry patch; not enough water.

Unequal distributions of fertilizer & striping from improper use of fertilizer spreader.

Fertilizer burn created from the application of too much fertilizer in one spot. Grass plants burned by fertilizer will not recover.