There are a lot of different weeds, insects, and diseases that can kill your Florida lawn. You might think you only have to worry about such things in the hot, humid, rainy season, but the fact of the matter is that the colder months between November and February can be just as detrimental to the future health of your lawn. Also, some insects or diseases are easiest fought in the winter.
Insects that make turf weak and susceptible to weeds are numerous, but there are two primary insects that cause a problem in these cooler months. The first is the mole cricket. This insect doesn’t look like much, but it can eat away at your grass very quickly. They are actually most active in the cooler months, so that’s when you’ll need to prepare to battle them.
Another insect that causes significant issues is the hunting billbug. These larvae will bore down through the leaves, the stalks, and into the roots of plants, including your grass. Billbugs are a problem year-round, but they too are most active in the colder months.
Diseases
Sod disease is usually only considered when conditions are very hot and very wet, but there can be some diseases that affect your grass year-round, including in the winter. The most common of these is the brown patch fungus, which occurs when grass is left very wet for more than 24 hours in temps under 80 degrees.
The other sod disease you need to be aware of in colder months is leaf spot. This causes spots to occur on the leaves which can eventually spread and kill the entire lawn. Leaf spot is common in warm-weather turfs like those offered in Florida, and you’ll need to keep a close watch for it in the cooler, wet months.
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