Yellow leaves, green veins (new growth)
Iron chlorosis from our alkaline clay. Azaleas, gardenias, roses, hollies, pin oaks. Fix: chelated iron spray plus soil sulfur; long term, pine-bark mulch or a different plant. See the soil guide.
Yellow lower leaves, wilting in wet soil
Overwatering / poor drainage. The number one killer of new plants here. Fix: stop watering until the top inch is dry, pull mulch back from the stem, improve drainage with expanded shale next time.
Dusty, stippled, faded leaves; fine webbing
Spider mites — worst in hot dry weather on tomatoes, junipers, marigolds, roses. Fix: blast leaf undersides with water every 2–3 days; insecticidal soap or horticultural oil in the cool of the morning.
Sticky leaves, black sooty film, ants
Aphids, scale or whiteflies — the stickiness is honeydew and the black is mold growing on it. Fix: a hard spray of water, then insecticidal soap; horticultural oil for scale in winter; systemic for crape myrtle bark scale.
White powder on leaves
Powdery mildew on crape myrtles, roses, zinnias, squash. Fix: more sun and air, water at the base not the leaves, a fungicide or neem oil at first sign; choose mildew-resistant varieties next time.
Circular brown patches in the lawn (fall)
Brown patch in St. Augustine and Zoysia when nights cool. Fix: water only early morning and less often, lawn fungicide at first sign, no nitrogen after October 1. See the lawn calendar.
Dry-looking lawn patches by concrete (summer)
Chinch bugs in St. Augustine — they suck the sap and the grass looks drought-stricken but does not respond to water. Fix: confirm by parting the grass at the edge of the patch; treat with a lawn insecticide labeled for chinch bugs.
Turf peels up like carpet (July–August)
Grubs. Fix: a curative grub product now, a preventative next April–May. Birds and armadillos tearing up the lawn are a tip-off.
Holes chewed in leaves overnight
Caterpillars, snails or slugs. Caterpillars (including tomato hornworms): Bt spray, which is safe for everything else. Snails and slugs after rain: iron-phosphate bait, and pull mulch back from tender plants.
Brown scorched leaf edges in summer
Usually heat and water stress, not disease — especially on Japanese maples, hydrangeas and anything planted this year. Fix: deep watering at the root ball, afternoon shade if possible, mulch. Do not fertilize a stressed plant.
Written by the Nursery Professionals at Landscape Source Nursery, 167 Ole West Lane, Rockwall. Questions? Call (469) 698-0037 or send us a note.