The KPRC Radio Gardenline Tip By Randy Lemmon For 5/25/06 Printer-Friendly Version




Those Chitty-Chinch Bugs Chewin' Up Yards

I'm not trying to be too silly with the alliteration in the headline, but it also helps prove the point that they are pronounced with a CH. I can always tell when the "transplants" from northern states are asking questions about this bane of St. Augustine lawns, because they say "CINCH BUG."

Fortunately, if you know what you are looking for, they can be a cinch to take care of. I made the prediction on the air this past weekend, that if you had Chinch Bugs last year, and you haven't put in a sprinkler system, you will likely get them again this year. But as we noted from years of experience with this nasty pest, if you don't know how to diagnose them, then you are missing half the battle in their control.

Again, the dominant numbers of chinch bug-free lawns out there are the ones with quality irrigation systems and the most susceptible are the ones where the residents go on vacation during the summer and forget to have someone water their lawns for them while they are gone. And all it takes is one to two weeks and you can lose your entire lawn to chinch bugs if not taken care of properly.

Here is our permanent tip sheet from our GardenLine Web page if you want to know the ins and outs of diagnosing these critters, and exactly how to control them once you confirm that you have them.

Next-to-Last Road Show GardenLine for the Spring

This Saturday's GardenLine is being broadcast from Richards Total Backyard Solutions on Highway 6, north of Westheimer and one block south of Briar Forest. If you are in the market for a new pool, spa, outdoor kitchen or anything that improves your backyard setting, you will want to stop by for a visit while we are on the air from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 27. Plus, you know we have some free goodies for you courtesy of many of our great sponsors. So, stop on by anytime between 8 to Noon this Saturday and come see a great pool company and get some free gifts to boot.

And be sure to check out kprcradio.com/pages/events-randy.html, Randy's event page, to see where Randy will be for the next few weekends. Bring your plants, bugs, and diseases for identification purpose.

And you can still purchase a copy of my new book "Gulf Coast Gardening with Randy Lemmon" at www.lulu.com/content/142186. If you are a garden retailer interested in stocking this book, please call the Nitro Phos Warehouse at 713-228-1868 for wholesale ordering information.
Until our next issue, here's to great gardening from the GardenLine, heard exclusively weekend mornings 8 a.m.-noon on TALKRADIO 950 KPRC.