Information About Your Yard

This is paragraph text. Click it or hit the Manage Text button to change the font, color, size, format, and more. To set up site-wide paragraph and title styles, go to Site Theme.

Information About Your Yard

South Carolina's heat, humidity, sandy coastal soil, and seasonal swings put a lot of pressure on a lawn. This library walks through the pests, diseases, and habits behind the most common problems we see in Horry and Florence County, along with straightforward steps you can take and where our team can step in.

A construction worker wearing a blue hard hat is working on a roof
Information About Your Yard
Each pest feeds a little differently, but the warning signs tend to look similar at first: patches of grass that turn brown and don't respond to extra water. Catching the pattern early makes treatment far more effective.

Signs to watch for
  • Irregular brown or yellow patches that spread outward, especially in hot, sunny areas
  • Grass that pulls up easily or feels spongy underfoot
  • Small notches or ragged edges chewed into blades, most visible early in the morning
  • Visible insect activity when you part the grass at the edge of a damaged patch
What causes it
  • Chinch bugs thrive in hot, dry St. Augustine lawns, especially near driveways that hold heat
  • Mole crickets tunnel through the sandy soil common throughout the coastal plain
  • Sod webworms and armyworms feed at night and can strip a lawn quickly once numbers build
  • Drought-stressed turf is far more attractive to feeding insects than healthy, well-watered grass
What you can do
  • Water deeply and consistently so turf stays healthy and less appealing to pests
  • Keep grass at the correct mowing height for your grass type, since scalped lawns stress faster
  • Look closely at damaged areas before treating, since different insects call for different approaches
  • Clear out thatch buildup that gives insects a place to hide close to the soil
They're the larvae of beetles like Japanese beetles and June bugs, feeding on grass roots through late summer and fall. Because the damage starts underground, a lawn can look fine one week and pull apart like loose carpet the next.

Signs to watch for
  • Turf that feels spongy and lifts up like loose carpet when you tug on it
  • Brown patches that pull away from the soil with little resistance
  • More digging than usual from birds, armadillos, or raccoons hunting for food
  • Roots that look chewed or missing when you check beneath a damaged patch
What causes it
  • Beetles lay eggs in turf during summer, and the larvae feed on roots as they grow
  • Grubs cut off a grass plant's ability to take up water once roots are damaged
  • Frequently irrigated lawns can attract egg-laying beetles searching for soft, moist soil
  • Damage tends to show up in late summer and fall, once grub populations peak
What you can do
  • Check for grubs by cutting a small square of turf and counting larvae underneath
  • Repair damaged patches with fresh sod once the underlying grub activity has settled
  • Keep the lawn properly watered, since healthy turf recovers from light feeding better than stressed turf
  • Correct drainage issues that create the soft, moist soil grubs are drawn to
It typically shows up as circular or irregular patches of discolored grass, sometimes with a powdery coating you'll notice most in the early morning. Fungus spreads fastest wherever grass stays damp for long stretches at a time.

Signs to watch for
  • Circular or irregular patches of discolored, dying grass in gray, tan, or reddish-brown tones
  • A white, gray, or powdery coating on blades, most visible in the morning
  • A musty smell hanging over consistently damp areas of the yard
  • Thread-like strands stretched across the grass on cool, dewy mornings
What causes it
  • Warm, humid nights give fungus the moisture and time it needs to spread
  • Evening watering leaves grass damp overnight, extending that window even further
  • Compacted soil and poor drainage hold surface moisture longer than healthy turf
  • Mowing too short or too infrequently stresses grass and leaves it more vulnerable
What you can do
  • Water early in the morning so grass has time to dry out before evening
  • Improve airflow around dense or overgrown beds bordering the lawn
  • Mow on a regular schedule at the correct height, rather than removing too much at once
  • Address low spots or drainage problems that keep certain areas consistently wet
Heat stress puts a real strain on lawns across the Grand Strand and Pee Dee regions, especially along driveways and south-facing yards where pavement reflects extra warmth. It rarely kills a lawn on its own, but it weakens grass enough that other problems can finish the job.

Signs to watch for
  • Grass that stays flattened or takes a while to spring back after you walk across it
  • Blue-gray or dull coloring compared to greener areas nearby
  • Wilting or curling blades during the hottest part of the day
  • Brown or straw-colored patches along driveways, sidewalks, or south-facing areas
What causes it
  • Extended stretches of high heat and humidity typical of a Horry and Florence County summer
  • Grass cut too short, which limits the plant's ability to shade its own roots
  • Inconsistent or shallow watering that never quite reaches the root zone
  • Reflected heat radiating off pavement, driveways, and building foundations
What you can do
  • Raise the mowing height during peak summer months to protect roots and hold soil moisture
  • Water deeply a few times a week rather than lightly every single day
  • Avoid mowing during the hottest stretch of the afternoon
  • Give extra attention to narrow strips of grass that sit next to concrete or asphalt
More lawn problems trace back to watering habits than almost anything else, and it's often less about how much water a lawn gets and more about when — especially through a South Carolina summer.

How much & when
  • Most lawns in this area need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, rainfall included
  • Water early in the morning, ideally before 10 a.m., so grass can dry before evening
  • Water deeply and less often rather than a little bit every day
  • Adjust during extended dry spells or heat waves, and cut back after heavy rain
Common mistakes
  • Watering in the evening, which leaves grass damp overnight and invites fungus
  • Frequent, shallow watering that keeps roots near the surface instead of growing deeper
  • Sticking to a fixed schedule regardless of rainfall or actual soil moisture
  • Ignoring runoff on slopes or compacted soil, where water pools instead of soaking in
Mowing looks simple, but the height, frequency, and even the sharpness of the blade all affect how well a lawn handles South Carolina's heat and humidity. A consistent routine, more than any single treatment, is what keeps grass dense enough to crowd out weeds, pests, and disease on its own.

Getting it right
  • Set mowing height based on grass type; most warm-season lawns here do best between 1.5 and 3.5 inches
  • Follow the one-third rule and never remove more than a third of the blade height at once
  • Keep mower blades sharp, since dull blades tear grass instead of cutting it cleanly
  • Mow more often during peak growing season rather than cutting a lot off all at once
Common mistakes
  • Scalping the lawn too short, which weakens roots and invites weeds and heat stress
  • Mowing wet grass, which clumps and can spread fungus across the yard
  • Letting grass grow too long between cuts, then cutting it back hard all at once
  • Mowing the same direction every time, which can compact soil and leave ruts
Not every yard issue fits neatly into pests, fungus, or heat. These four show up just as often across Horry and Florence County properties.

Weeds
Bare or thin patches give weeds an opening to take hold. Consistent mowing, watering, and fertilizing keep grass dense enough to crowd them out on its own.
Thatch buildup
A thick layer of dead grass and roots between the soil and living turf blocks water and nutrients from reaching the roots. Periodic dethatching or aeration clears the path back down.
Compacted soil
Heavy foot traffic, parked vehicles, or nearby construction press soil together, making it hard for air, water, and roots to move through it. Aeration loosens compacted areas so the lawn can breathe again.
Standing water & drainage
Low spots that stay wet after rain create the exact conditions fungus, grubs, and root rot need. Regrading or adding drainage redirects water away from the problem area for good.
Most lawns in Horry and Florence County are warm-season grasses like centipede, St. Augustine, Bermuda, and zoysia, which means fall isn't about overseeding the way it is further north. It's about clearing away what the growing season left behind and setting the yard up for a stronger spring.

Before the first frost
  • Gradually lower the mowing height over the last few cuts of the season
  • Clear fallen leaves regularly so they don't smother grass or trap moisture that leads to fungus
  • Apply a fall fertilizer lower in nitrogen and higher in potassium, to build root strength rather than new growth
  • Reduce watering frequency as temperatures cool and growth naturally slows
  • Aerate compacted areas while the lawn is still active, so roots can recover before winter
  • Repair bare or thin spots now, while soil temperatures still favor recovery
Around the property
  • Clear out planting beds and remove summer annuals that have finished their season
  • Refresh mulch or pine straw to insulate roots ahead of winter cold
  • Trim shrubs and hedges before plants go dormant, rather than after
  • Walk the yard for drainage issues that summer rain may have made worse