Tropika Turf dying

Yeppoon, Australia

Hi there I am Jason from Australia.

I got some turf - Tropika Blue (Digitaria didactyla var. swazilandensi) layed in the start of October. Therefore it is nearly 4 months old.

Come about mid to late December parts of the lawn started to deteriorate. It only seemed to be the parts in the sun so I increased the watering. I got back from work this week and have seen it take a turn for the worse. I thought it was just the turf settling in and the heat knocking it about (30-40Celsius) days. So I have been watering in morning every 2nd day.

So I pulled a few weeds out and checked how moist the soil was and found HEAPS of these little critters... What are they? And are they the cause of my issues.. I have parts on my lawn close to the house that is protected by the shade 50% and it is bright green with NO trace of these bugs?

It only seems to be higher on the slope that gets 80-90% sun during the day.

Thanks,
Jason.

Thumbnail by boony124 Thumbnail by boony124 Thumbnail by boony124 Thumbnail by boony124 Thumbnail by boony124
Yeppoon, Australia

They are slow moving. They are soft.
The one on my finger is on of the larger ones I could find let alone pickup.. There are many smaller 1/2 - 1/4 of the size of this one also.

Minot, ND

I cannot be absolutely certain, but the white critters look a bit like mealybugs, sap-feeding relatives of aphids (plant lice), but I doubt that they would cause the type of damage seen in your images. It is possible that a fungal/mould disease of some kind is present - "Patches of grey mould often seen in spring and autumn." - http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Digitaria_didactyla.htm

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