chiggers

[crk]

My friend is having trouble with chiggers in her yard. She has mostly St. Augustine but has been spraying with a mix of sulfar and water to kill the chiggers. I told her that she is messing up the biodiversity in her soil with the sulfur spray. Am I right and what should she do to correct the problem?

[CaptainCompostAL]

If there is enough mature compost or other forms of organic matter mixed in the lawn soil, the use of an occasionaly dilute form of natural pesticides is not going to hurt anything.

Neem oil products mixed with water are also great for small insect pests like this in the lawn or garden.

If in doubt about the nutrients or microbial imbalances in the lawn, just soak the lawn it with a good aerobic compost tea application, loaded with a little dilute dy molasses, in order to rebuild the aerobic soil microherd.

Happy Gardening!