Texas Lawns & What You Need to Know
St. Augustine
St. Augustine grass is a warm-season lawn grass that is popular for use in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a low to medium maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpet-like lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses. While it is very popular in Texas, it can be prone to drought stress in the hot summer months without proper watering. Common St. Augustine issues are brown patch fungus, leafspot fungus, chinch bugs, and grub worms.
Bermuda
Bermuda grass is native to warm temperate to tropical regions such as the Sunbelt area of the United States. Bermuda grasses are valued for their drought tolerance compared to most other lawn grasses. Common Bermuda grass problems include grubworms, Bermuda mites, leaf spot disease, and occasional fungi. If your lawn is 80% in the sun or higher, then Bermuda grass is the grass for you. It loves the sun.
Zoysia
Zoysia can tolerate wide variations of temperature, sunlight, and water; these grasses are among the most widely used for lawns in temperate climates. They are used on golf courses to create fairways and teeing areas. Zoysia is excellent at repelling weeds throughout the year. Zoysia is a slow-growing grass, so recovery from damage takes a while and that is why preventative measures are best used with Zoysia grass.
Buffalo
Buffalo is a difficult grass to work with. It’s often touted as being more drought tolerant than other grasses, but Bermuda grass is just as drought tolerant and not nearly so problematic. You can’t treat weeds with buffalo grass. We don’t recommend that you plant this type of turf in your yard.
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Helminth or Helminthosporium Disease
- Bermuda grass damage peaks in hot, humid, and wet conditions in early fall and spring, especially with prolonged cloud cover.
- The fungus thrives in thatch, which traps moisture and prevents it from reaching the roots.
- Heat, moisture, and thatch create the perfect environment for fungal growth.
- Early symptoms include small brown or black spots on leaves or sheaths.
- As lesions expand, they can cause entire leaves or plants to die.
- Shaded areas with poor air circulation weaken turf and extend moisture retention, promoting fungal development.
Brown Patch
- Fall’s mild days and cool nights create ideal conditions for brown patch.
- Most common in fall but can also appear in spring.
- Primarily affects St. Augustine grass but can impact Bermuda and Zoysia.
- Early detection is crucial, but symptoms often go unnoticed without regular checks.
- Most visible from late October to November.
- Over-watered lawns are highly susceptible.
- Damage can delay spring recovery.
Leaf Spot
- Leaf Spot is commonly seen in late spring to early summer in lawns that have excessive moisture.
- Leaf Spot may progress to sheath (the stem of the blade) and crown (near the top of the blade) rotting.
- “Melting out” is when the blade leaves have circular to elongated purple or brown spots, with straw-colored centers. If not treated it will die.
Take-All-Patch
- Also known as Take-All Root Rot.
- Early symptoms include yellowing foliage that turns brown and wilts.
- Found in both diseased-looking and healthy-looking turfgrass.
- Spreads mainly through roots and stolons rather than mowers or foot traffic.
- More likely to spread through infected grass, thatch, or soil movement.
- Symptoms often appear in spring or early summer as grass exits dormancy.
- Causes brown, irregular patches ranging from 1 to 20+ feet in diameter.
- St. Augustine grass damage from chinch bugs is often mistaken for a fungal infection.
Causes
Humid conditions
Mild days (70° to 90° F)
Cool nights
Lawns that have been stressed