Sugarcane Mosaic Virus
What if I told you there is a virus right now spreading through Palm Beach County that can destroy your St. Augustine lawn. Given all the crazy things we have dealt with in the past 3 years you would be inclined to believe me, and rightfully so. Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) has actually been in the US since 1920’s, and now its spreading faster and further than ever before…but why and why is it so bad?
It always comes down to sanitation! The disease is spread through sap containing the virus and can be transferred to other areas mostly by mechanical means such as lawn mowers and other equipment. To minimize spread of sugarcane mosaic virus all equipment used should be sanitized. This can be done easily just by washing your equipment after each cut, preferably with soap. No fancy chemicals are needed to accomplish this, the soap will break down the virus just like washing your hands. In the recent years and specifically this year (2022) we have seen a housing boom like no other. With this boom we have increased our need for several services including mowing! Now ask yourself HONESTLY how many times after your lawn being cut do you see the guys wash their equipment. The answer is ZERO! This lack of care has resulted in boom of SCMV. I know what you are thinking “I mow my own lawn, so this doesn’t affect me”. Sadly, unless you mow your neighbors’ lawns as well you can still get it, just from being neighbors.
Now you are thinking “Well if I do get it, I can always spread some dieses X or whatever home remedy is online to control it.” This thinking would be wrong. It’s a virus and because of that there is no cure; YUP you just read that correctly. Go ahead and cross check with everyone and any peer reviewed publication and you will quickly find out it is correct. THERE IS NO CURE FOR SCMV. Once you have it, you have it. Early signs can be spotted on the leaves, streaking can be seen and in the cooler weather the problem can be seen more clearly. The leaves will appear to be green, but they will almost have a paint splatter effect with different shades of green. Over time the lawn will get worse and worse as the virus disease eventually leads to necrosis (Death).
The next part is usually hard to swallow and always results in a form of the blame game. In the early stages landscapers may tell their homeowners the lawn has (Grubs, Chinch bugs, Fungus, Lack of Water…. you name it we have heard it). This is where it gets interesting, when we determine that the lawn indeed has SCMV the homeowners first instinct is overreact and demand that we fix it. We kindly explain it’s not a fungus or anything that can be treated; it is a virus which more often than not results in the customer canceling the pest control companies contract or even better threating us to resod their property because WE didn’t prevent it (Yet we don’t cut the grass and can’t spread it). After the homeowner is done burning their bridges, they reach out to other firms which simply tell them the same thing. So, the best advice I can give is never overreact. Take a moment to breathe and do some research, get second opinions or even reach out to your local Agriculture Extension office. Once you officially have accepted your outcome the next step is replacement. Yes, you read that correctly replacement is the only option once your lawn has been diagnosed with it unfortunately. This is often a huge financial burden to most homeowners (Hence blame game, and pass the buck mentality) since a simple resodding will not suffice you will need to do a complete removal of lawn.
So, what does a complete removal constitute as. To put it simply you need to use nonselective herbicide (Round up or other brand or home brew). Now apply it to your entire lawn (If the problem is only in the front, then you can do it in stages so it’s not a massive financial burden). After your lawn has died you can then rake it back to bare dirt, this is crucial that you remove it all. The use of a tiller after is encouraged and you can rent one from Home Depot. You don’t need to put new soil in, you can if you want but it’s not necessary. Next you will want to put in new sod, it is strongly recommended you get a sod that is SCMV resistant. Examples of this would be CitraBlue, Palmetto, Bermuda, Bahia. Resistant does not mean immune, but these grasses do not show the damage as much or if any. We still encourage home owners to consider if they are going down this road to expand their gardens and plant with Native Florida plants that are pest and drought tolerant. By doing this you will be reducing your amount of sod required and enhancing your home with a new garden that encourages local wildlife. A great resource for you as a home owner would be THIS WEBSITE.
If you have questions about your lawn, feel free to ask us.