Re: [gardeners] Dead St. Augustine around oak
Jeannine Kantz (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 16 May 2000 21:41:37 -0500
Have not found chinch bugs or grubs and doubt they would make such a
perfect circular pattern. The grass around the tree in the center of the
ring is fine. Outside the ring is fine. Its just a line on the ground right
under the drip line of both trees thats dying. They have not been sprayed
with anything that I know of, but I just moved into the house a year ago
and the circles were visible then. They have steadily worsened, down to
bare ground, but have not spread out any bigger than a year ago, just
noticeably thinner grass. Truly weird. There are no pets or anything in the
yard that would make that kind of wear pattern. I'm going to try a regular
feeding and watering program before I resort to pesticides or fungicides,
but its really vexing me. We've had a lot of rain this year so far, and
some runners are beginning to run back into the bare areas. It may be a
combination of factors-the drought last year, neglect for the years before
I moved in, etc. We'll see.
At 07:29 PM 5/16/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Jeannine Kantz wrote:
>>
>> I saw a similar message to this one from the 98 archives. My St Augustine
>> is dying in a ring that coincides exactly with the dripline of my live oak
>> trees. The trees have been there about 5 years. The grass is fine
>> everywhere else. It seems to be coming back this spring, but we've had a
>> lot of rain. I'm in zone 8-College Station, TX.
>>
>> 1. Could this be from tannic acid in the live oaks?
>>
>> 2. Can it be corrected some how?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Jeannine Kantz
>> jkantz@tca.net
>> *************************************
>> Yesterday is the past,
>> Tomorrow is the future,
>> Today is a gift,
>> That's why we call it the present.
>> *************************************
>
>Is it dying from the trunk out or just at the dripline? We have lots of live
>oaks in the area and if the sun can reach under them the San Augustine grows
>under there. I have white oaks, red oaks, and pin oaks in my yard and the San
>Augustine grows under them okay but the limbs are trimmed up high enough that
>the sun reaches under the trees.
>
>Doubt that it is tannic acid but could be chinch bugs, chafer grugs, or June
>beetle grugs that is killing your grass. Pull up a clump of grass by the
roots
>and see if there are white grubs under it. Hope this helps.
>
>George
>
Jeannine Kantz
jkantz@tca.net