Raising the Bar for Turf Pest and Disease Control

Warm-season lawns in Central Arkansas deal with a lot more than heat. By the middle of the growing season, turf can be under pressure from armyworms, chinch bugs, billbugs, spittlebugs, mealybugs, grubs, leaf spot, rust, dollar spot, patch disease, and other stress-related disease issues.

The hard part is that many of these problems can look similar in the early stages.

A lawn may start with light yellowing. Then thinning. Then irregular discoloration. Then a weak-looking patch that seems to expand faster than expected. Sometimes the cause is a disease. Sometimes it is insects. Sometimes it is both. And by the time the damage is obvious, the lawn may already be under significant stress.

That is why Natural State Horticare is adding an advanced backpack spot-treatment mix to our field process.

• A Faster Response

  Our technicians are trained to watch for early warning signs during regular lawn visits. When they see turf that is showing suspicious chlorosis, thinning, off-color patches, or damage that could be related to pest or disease activity, we want them to have the ability to respond immediately.

  Instead of waiting for a separate visit, delaying action, or relying on a narrow product that only addresses one possible issue, our technicians will now carry a professional-grade spot-treatment mix designed to cover the most common pest and disease problems we see in Central Arkansas turf.

  This is not a basic insecticide or a simple fungicide application. It is a premium combination of products selected for broad control, residual protection, and fast intervention.

• Key Pests & Diseases Controlled

  • Armyworms and other turf-feeding caterpillars

  • Chinch bugs

  • Billbugs

  • Spittlebugs

  • Mealybugs

  • Grubs

  • Dollar spot

  • Rust

  • Patch disease

  • Leaf spot and other common turf diseases

  The goal is not to replace proper diagnosis or good agronomy. The goal is to give our team a responsible and effective tool when the lawn is showing signs of active decline and the issue may be pest-related, disease-related, or a combination of both.

• Its a BIG DEAL

  Most lawn care companies do not send technicians into the field with ANY pest and disease control, let alone this highly advance mix.

  There are a few reasons why.

  1. The products are expensive and the labor required for such tedious diagnostics are even more costly.

  2. It requires training. These products must be measured correctly, applied correctly, and used only where appropriate.

  3. It requires a company philosophy that prioritizes turf health over simply completing the scheduled round and moving on.

  We are making the investment because it gives our clients better protection when problems begin to show up between or during regular service visits.

• Its FREE *if you're on a preventative

  Clients enrolled in our Fungal Agro and Turf Pest Prevention programs already invest in a higher level of turf protection. These programs are designed to reduce the risk of damaging outbreaks before they happen.

  When those clients have a spot that needs extra attention, we do not want there to be hesitation. We want our technicians to treat the problem early.

  That is why spot treatments with this mix will be included at no additional charge for clients on those preventative programs.

  For clients who are not enrolled in preventative pest and disease programs, spot treatments may still be performed under our pre-approval policy for a small additional fee based on the area treated. This allows us to respond quickly when needed while still accounting for the cost of premium products and additional labor.

• Prevention is Still Key

  This new spot-treatment mix is a strong tool, but it is not a substitute for a complete preventative program.

  Once turf is already damaged, the goal changes. We are no longer just preventing a problem. We are trying to stop active feeding, suppress disease, protect the remaining healthy turf, and give the lawn the best chance to recover.

  Preventative programs are still the best way to reduce the likelihood of severe damage in the first place.

  The spot-treatment mix is there for the real world, because even well-managed lawns can develop unexpected issues during periods of heat, humidity, drought stress, excessive rainfall, or heavy pest pressure.

• Our High Standard of Care

  At Natural State Horticare, we are not interested in doing the bare minimum.

  We study turf problems. We evaluate product performance. We adjust our programs when we see a better way to protect our clients’ lawns.

  Adding this advanced spot-treatment mix is another example of that approach.

  • It gives our technicians a better tool in the field.

  • It gives our clients faster support when problems appear.

  • It gives premium preventative clients added protection at no extra cost.

  • And most importantly, it helps us protect the health, color, density, and long-term performance of the lawns we manage.

  • This is the difference between simply applying lawn treatments and actively managing turf health.