Landscaping and Lawn Care Blog

This year has been one of the worst in Middle Georgia for armyworm infestations. We have seen multiple yards get hit by armyworms this year. It is important to be on the lookout for sign of these pests. They can infest your lawn and ruin your grass almost overnight. They come in large numbers, hence the name armyworms. This army of mouths is always hungry and will devour turf very quickly. They reproduce rapidly, so a case of armyworms in one yard can quickly spread throughout the entire neighborhood. In this post, we'll look at some signs of armyworms to keep your eyes out for and what to do if you spot them.

It's springtime and with the warm daytime temperatures, you probably expect your lawn should be fully out of dormancy by now. However, we've been noticing a number of yards around Middle Georgia that haven't greened-up all the way yet. You may feel concerned if this is the case in your yard, but don't panic. It probably isn't anything to be concerned about. In this post, we're going to take a look at what could be keeping your lawn from fully exiting dormancy during this time of the year. We'll also discuss some things that you should be keeping an eye out for as your yard continues to wake up.

​The Bagworm is a perennial insect that gets its name from the silken bag it constructs around itself for protection. Bagworms can strip a plant bare, killing entire trees. They can spread from one plant to another rapidly. If left untreated, bagworms will leave only a skeleton plant behind everywhere they go. They camouflage themselves to look like a part of the plant. Bagworms often prefer evergreen trees, and they can easily be mistaken for pine cones at a distance.

​Fire ants are seriously aggravating pests. Aside from the regular annoyances that come with other kinds of ants, fire ants pack a painful bite that itches for days. Kids and pets often end up covered with these pesky insects after disturbing the colony's mound. Any damage to the mound results in hundreds or thousands of soldier ants rushing out to defend the colony. A hand, foot, or a pet's paw accidentally going into a fire ant mound for just a second will come out swarmed. Not to mention, those mounds they create stick out like a sore thumb. Even if you avoid disturbing any of them, the mounds are an eyesore rising out above the grass on your lawn. Thankfully there are ways you can control and reduce the number of fire ants on your property though. But first, it's important to understand that totally ridding a property of fire ants forever is an unrealistic goal, especially if the area has been a long-time habitat for them. You can definitely put a large dent in their numbers and make a very noticeable difference. Once you reduce the total population in your yard, long-term control becomes manageable. Keep reading to learn what you can do to combat fire ants in your yard!

​Take-all patch disease is caused by a root-infecting, soil-borne fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis f.sp. avenae. Take-all patch appears as a brown, circular patch in the turf. It can ruin the appearance of large areas of turf in a fairly short amount of time, if it is left untreated. On sports fields take-all patch can ruin the playability of the turf as well. This is especially true for golf courses. A small case of take-all patch on the greens can quickly become an out-of-control nightmare across the entire course. It can cover great distances, spreading rapidly on shoes, golf cart tires, golf balls, and other equipment as golfers play-through the course.

Sports fields aren't the only turf areas where take-all patch causes problems and creates an eyesore though. It's also a common and very frustrating issue that many homeowners deal with in their own yard. Understanding take-all patch is an important step in learning how to reduce the chances of your lawn becoming a victim.