Annual Bluegrass Control
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) is a cool-season, annual grass that spreads by seed. Annual bluegrass has a tufted habit with bright green leaf color and fine texture. It is native to Europe and is...
Category: Lawns
Annual Trampweed
Has your lawn been invaded by a weed that goes to seed in early summer with white, fluffy, dandelion-like seeds? This invasive, winter annual weed is Facelis retusa, or annual trampweed. It’s been...
Bermudagrass Scale, Rhodesgrass Mealybug, & Ground Pearl
Bermudagrass scale, rhodesgrass mealybugs, and ground pearls are infrequent insect pests of turfgrass and primarily occur in the Sandhills (midlands) and Coastal Plain of South Carolina. These...
Moss & Algae Control in Lawns
Mosses are nonparasitic, primitive green plants that have fine branched, threadlike stems with tiny leaves. They reproduce by means of wind-blown spores. Mosses typically form a thick, green mat on...
Lespedeza
Description Common lespedeza, also known as Japanese clover (Kummerowia striata, syn. Lespedeza striata), is a very common summer weed that can easily choke out thin turf. It is often found in open...
Nematode Problems in Home Lawns
Nematodes are major pests of lawns throughout the Southeastern United States. They are microscopic roundworms that live in the soil and on plant roots. Nematodes are particularly a problem in areas...
Gray Mold (Botrytis Blight)
Botrytis blight or “gray mold” is a widely distributed disease caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. It can infect some vegetables, soft fruits, flowers, trees, and shrubs, especially...
Grassy Weeds
Grassy weeds are true grasses or monocots. A grass seed germinates and emerges as one single leaf. It develops hollow, rounded stems and nodes (joints) that are closed and hard. The leaf blades...
Poison Ivy
Eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a woody, perennial vine or small shrub that can be found in fields, pastures, woodlands, farms and home landscapes. As a vine, it attaches itself to...
Gray Leaf Spot on St. Augustinegrass
Gray leaf spot is a fungal disease (caused by Pyricularia grisea) that occurs most commonly on St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), but occasionally may also be found infecting tall fescue,...
Broadleaf Weeds
Most broadleaf weeds have netlike veins in their leaves and nodes containing one or more leaves. They may have showy flowers. Broadleaf weed seedlings emerge with two leaves. Because of differences...
White Grub Management in Turfgrass
White grubs are the larval (immature) stage of several different scarab beetles. In South Carolina, as well as the rest of the southeastern United States, turfgrass can be attacked by the grub stage...