August Lawn Update: Chinch Bugs, Dead Spots, and Why Your Watering Matters
Quick answer: It’s the middle of August here in Texas, which usually means it’s real hot and real dry — and that’s when chinch bugs show up. If you’ve got an ugly dead spot in your St. Augustine lawn, especially where your sprinklers aren’t giving good coverage, chinch bugs are a likely cause. The best place to find them is right where the dead grass and the green grass meet, and staying on top of your watering is key to keeping them from getting out of hand.
Good morning — I’m Michael Romine with Houston Grass, and this is our weekly update.
The dead spot I stopped to check
I stopped by a spot recently because I saw a real ugly dead spot in the middle of a common area in my neighborhood, and I suspected it was probably chinch bugs. I got out and looked around, and sure enough — if you scan the edges, it was eaten up with chinch bugs.
The funny part: as I pulled up, the people who maintain the neighborhood pulled up right behind me. It was their irrigation crew. They’d noticed the spot too, and they came in and fixed the sprinkler head — that’s what the torn-up spot is — and fixed another one over at another dead spot.
One of their sprinkler heads was actually just buried too deep. It wasn’t broken or anything, so it wasn’t getting good coverage. And this is exactly what happens when you rely on an irrigation system, you’re not getting any help from Mother Nature, and an area doesn’t get water for a while.
Why this happens in August
This is exactly what would happen in your yard if you don’t maintain your sprinkler system. You’re watering — but maybe you’re watering in the middle of the night and you’re not watching your sprinkler heads. We’re not getting much help from Mother Nature right now, so if you rely on your irrigation and it doesn’t get water for a while, you’ll get eaten up with chinch bugs.
We’ve been talking about it — this time of year comes around every year, and you’ve got to stay on top of that watering.
The Bermuda grass clue
In that common area, the spot where my shadow was is all common Bermuda grass now. Here’s what normally happens: as the chinch bugs eat the St. Augustine, they kill the grass, and the common Bermuda grass is normally what comes back. So if a dead St. Augustine spot is filling in with common Bermuda, that fits the pattern.
How to check for chinch bugs
I came and checked the perimeters for chinch bugs. Here’s the tip: you always check right where the dead grass and the green grass meet. That’s usually where you’re going to find them.
Sure enough, there were chinch bugs. There weren’t a ton, but there were enough to obviously do damage. That’s worth remembering — it doesn’t take a ton of them. This was a pretty good-sized spot, and it kind of got out of hand before somebody caught it.
Watering helped
I noticed how much softer the ground was the next morning, so the crew got the irrigation system running — they must have run it pretty good overnight. That may have subdued the chinch bug activity a little bit. Either way, this is absolutely the sign of it.
We’ve got grass, year-round
We sell grass year-round, like I always say. Right now we actually have every single variety we sell available — we’re not out of anything. We’ve got Cobalt St. Augustine, Palmetto St. Augustine, plenty of Raleigh, the Bermuda grasses, and the Zoysia grasses. Everything is available.
Growing and selling grass is all we do, so we’re here pretty much all year round except for Christmas week. If you’ve got any questions or need any help — or need some grass — we’re here and can get it.
If you’ve got any questions, please give us a call at 281-431-7441 and we’ll see what we can do to help. Thank you.
Frequently asked questions
What causes ugly dead spots in a St. Augustine lawn in August? Chinch bugs are a common cause, especially in hot, dry weather when you’re relying on your irrigation and part of the lawn isn’t getting good water coverage.
How do I find chinch bugs in my yard? Check right where the dead grass and the green grass meet — that’s usually where you’ll find them. It doesn’t take a lot of them to do damage.
Why is common Bermuda grass growing in my dead St. Augustine spots? As chinch bugs eat and kill the St. Augustine, common Bermuda grass is normally what comes back into those spots.
Can watering help with chinch bugs? Running the irrigation well can subdue chinch bug activity a little. The main thing is to stay on top of your watering and keep your sprinkler heads maintained so every area gets good coverage.
Why do sprinkler problems lead to chinch bugs? A head that’s broken — or just buried too deep to give good coverage — leaves areas dry. When you’re not getting help from Mother Nature and a spot doesn’t get water for a while, that’s where you get eaten up with chinch bugs.
Houston Grass — it’s all we do. Every variety of St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Zoysia grass we sell is available now. Give us a call with any questions.
