A homeowner asked, "Will I need chinch bug treatment every year?"
And, "Why do I have chinch bugs and my neighbour doesn't?"
Chinch bugs like warm, sunny conditions. They're like "fair weather" enemies. You are most likely to find them in the sunniest spot on your lawn. Check for them on the south facing lawns, away from trees, shrubs, even fences. Any where that there isn't any shade.
Chinch bugs overwinter in the bushes, along the house foundations, anywhere they can hide for the winter. They are back on the lawns now. (a bit earlier this year than most years.) We are finding them now. This picture is not very clear but it show how small the chinch bugs are.
With the new organic treatments for chinch bugs, not all chinch bugs will be eliminated. We can achieve a level of control that permits the lawns to not show visible damage. This means a few chinch bugs will survive to come back another year.
There are a few things you can do to reduce chinch bug damage and populations.
1. Mow the lawn high. We recommend 3" mowing height. The longer grass blades shade the soil and keep it cooler. A little bit extra shade may be enough to discourage the chinch bugs.
2. Water deeply and infrequently. A stronger, healthier lawn will withstand chinch bug damage better. Chinch bugs suck the sap from the grass. Damage is always worse, for instance, on bentgrass, which is a shallow rooted variety. Deep watering encourages deep roots.
3. Overseed with perennial ryegrass with endophytes. Short version- endophytes discourage chinch bugs. So by having more endophytic perennial ryegrass in your lawn = less chinch bugs.
And the neighbour- maybe he has more shade and is doing all the right things. Sometimes, though it's the neighbour who neglects his lawn that seems to avoid chinch bugs, while you look after your lawn and why do you get the chinch bugs?
I guess, you have to look at it from the point of the chinch bugs. If you were a chinch bug looking for a lawn to feed on, would you choose a neglected lawn or would you choose the green, succulent one that a homeowner can take pride in? Since chinch bugs are sucking insects, small wonder they pick the nice lawns. One of the downsides of having a nice, green lawn.
Chinch bug Article in Library.
Showing posts with label endophytic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label endophytic. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2009
Why do some people get chinch bugs?
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Ontario Turfgrass Symposium Summary Day One
Ontario Turfgrass Symposium Summary Day One
One can always learn a thing or two by listening carefully to what seminar speakers have to say. Sometimes it is the same old, same old. Yet those “same olds” are often the important foundations to what we do and how we do what we do. Hearing them again can only serve to reinforce their importance and to remind us of how to improve our lawn care service.
Necrotic ring spot infection often occurs during the spring when the soil is moist, and temperatures are between 10-20 degrees Celsius. Spores or mycelia in the thatch infect the root of susceptible lawn varieties such as Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues. The symptoms may not appear for 12-18 months later. Those symptoms include sunken, dead or dying patches 4 inches to 2 feet across. Typically there is a green center or frog’s eye.
1. encourage deep rooting by aerating and proper nutrient applications
2. promote growth in the spring and fall, but to reduce summer succulence (soft tissues)
3. overseed with resistant grasses- perennial ryegrasses.
1. Increase the mowing height as this will cause the grass to grow faster
2. increase the mowing frequency.
Since the disease has 2 week latent period, the grass can outgrow the symptoms.
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Nancy Hudson of the Newfoundland
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Dr Sophie Rochefort of Viridis-Conseil presented information on the use of Endophytic Turfgrasses to control chinch bug . An endophyte is a fungus that lives inside a plant in a symbiotic relationship. The endophyte produces alkaloids that affect insect pest responses.
The second response is antibiosis – here the insect pest feeding and reproduction are affected to such a degree as to reduce damage to the host plant.
Certain perennial ryegrasses have been shown to exhibit endophytic properties.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Grass types can reduce insect damage
Grass seed- we are looking at a new grass seed supplier. We were discussing the different mixes. We wanted to make sure that the new mix included some endophytic perennial rye grass seed.
What does "endophytic" mean for the lawn? Endophytic grasses reduce chinch bugs and other lawn pests. They contain materials that are either toxic to the insects or that cause the pests to avoid these plants. Perennial rye grasses have been developed to reduce the chances of insect damage. Never use endophytic lawn grasses in pasture areas as the endophytic grasses are harmful to horse and cattle. Our mix uses a "turf-type" perennial rye grass. This designation is to distinguish between fine textured varieties that are suitable for lawn use from those varieties that have coarse, unsightly leaf blades.
Mixes with Annual rye grass are generally not recommended. The annual rye grass is useful in some situations as it germinates rapidly. However, it is not long lived. Generally, turf-type perennial rye grasses will do the same job of germinating quickly and thus providing some cover and protection for the slower germinating grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass.
What does "endophytic" mean for the lawn? Endophytic grasses reduce chinch bugs and other lawn pests. They contain materials that are either toxic to the insects or that cause the pests to avoid these plants. Perennial rye grasses have been developed to reduce the chances of insect damage. Never use endophytic lawn grasses in pasture areas as the endophytic grasses are harmful to horse and cattle. Our mix uses a "turf-type" perennial rye grass. This designation is to distinguish between fine textured varieties that are suitable for lawn use from those varieties that have coarse, unsightly leaf blades.
Mixes with Annual rye grass are generally not recommended. The annual rye grass is useful in some situations as it germinates rapidly. However, it is not long lived. Generally, turf-type perennial rye grasses will do the same job of germinating quickly and thus providing some cover and protection for the slower germinating grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass.
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