Pansy diseases

Pansy flowers are the best winter color for D/FW hands down. They sometimes come down fungal diseases and from time to time insects feed on them. Applying systemic fungicide and insecticide at the time of planting is the best way to rid yourself of this problem.

pythium blight

Dallisgrass control

With msma taken away Dallisgrass has taken off. There is a new product available Tribute Total which is a bit more expensive. Some people wait until early winter when the turf has gone dormant and just treat the weed with glysophate (Round Up)

Lariope disease

An old very reliable ground cover has a new pest that is killing it. Green Lariope has a bacteria that is causing the death of many plants. I've only seen it in Plano but it must be in other places. The Texas Dept. of Agriculture says there is no control.

Lawn diseases

Brown Patch is a common disease that affects St. Augustine. If you are unfamiliar with it it can be a little scary.  I normally treat it fungicide and some micro nutrients.

It can make a lawn look really bad but does no lasting damage.

Herbicde damage

Many homeowners fail to fully read the product labels and sometimes do a little damage. Many weed killers are for certain grasses but damage others.

This is an example of someone trying to control Wild Violet in St. Augustine turf with a product labeled for Bermuda only. I was able to turn the grass around but it was unsightly for a while.

Fungus problems with roses

Black spot has been around forever. Makes roses look really bad and really does quite a bit of damage. Fungicide  applied every 10 days for a month usually does the trick.

A kind of new fatal disease is Rose Rosetta. It is spread by a tiny mite.I treat them to with a fungicide and an insecticide labeled for mites with some success. If they are near other roses or too far gone it is best to remove them.

Knockout roses after treatment. Not cured but looking much better.
The photo above or to the right is the same bushes with the Rosetta disease about two months earlier.