Do I have a watering issue or insect damage?

The heat of the summer is the MOST important time to know the difference between a watering problem and an insect problem.

Chinch bugs, grubs, army worms...they all wreak havoc over the summer months and into the fall. Its also the hottest, driest time of year, which means irrigation issues are no longer hidden by an abundance of rain.

Watering issues tend to be pretty even and widespread. Its usually a larger area that is affected, and that area will be "browning" evenly across the entire area. It might be a broken sprinkler head, or an entire zone thats not working, or it may even be your entire lawn because you're just not watering enough. Either way, the signs will be evenly distributed amongst a large or semi-large area of concern.

On the contrary, insects damage is much more patchy, sporadic and random. It could be a small spot on this side of the lawn, and an even smaller spot on the opposite side...with a few scattered in between.

Insect damage WILL start to look like a widespread watering issue if you let go too long without dealing with it. But if you keep an eye out and catch it early on, it is very easy to tell the difference and you can deal with it accordingly.

As always, if you need help identifying what you are dealing with, we are here to help!