The Playbook

The opponent: Early-season pests (insects and diseases)
The coach: Dr. Jill Calabro, plant pathologist for Nufarm
The game plan: Lawn care operators (LCOs) face a number of challenging insects and diseases as winter turns to spring, but covering these bases can set you up with a platform for victory:

Make an inhospitable environment for pests – Sanitation is a key part of your preseason preparation. Remove all dead plant material if that hasn’t been done yet, and prune plant dieback that may have occurred over the winter. (This is applicable for both insects and diseases). For scale control, consider making an early application of Distance Insect Growth Regulator, which is an excellent choice for integrated pest management (IPM) or insect resistance management (IRM) programs. As we move into early summer, it will become time to start thinking about preventive grub applications. In addition to superior residual grub control, a preventive application of Arena Insecticide will also control other tough soil- and surface-feeding insects such as billbugs and pyrethroid-resistant chinch bugs. 

Run a full-court press against disease - Most ornamental diseases occur early in the spring, so that is the best time to protect landscape plants. For LCOs who engage in disease control, preventive fungicide applications for ornamentals are of critical importance. But they have to be done at bud break or as soon after bud break as possible to protect rapidly expanding leaves. A tank mix of Tourney^® and 3336^® fungicides from Nufarm makes for a great combination, covering the majority of landscape diseases on woody ornamental plants. Last but not least, a preventive application of Tourney or Heritage^® fungicide is standard for brown patch control.