Brizzy, I will attempt to answer your question. First, do a search for "organic controls + chinch bug". Some good information to be found there. Now some additional thoughts: 1. It is important that organic gardeners study their property daily looking for and treating problems as spotted. Every type of mowed lawn grass, northern or southern, provides a welcoming home to chinch bug. They are not fussy. 2. The three common ways that they are transported into a yard is they are blown on the wind from a neighboring property or arrive on mowing equipment by contract lawn care companies. However, the most common way is on southern grown, balled and burlaped shrubs and trees. Usually the first signs of lawn cinch bug will be spotted during the summer heat just outside newly established landscaped beds. There is nothing you can do to prevent cinch bug from camping on your lawn except to be alert for the tell-tale signs and begin treatment early. 3. Watch your lawn very carefully for spots that appear to be "thinning", perhaps turning a bit brown. Chinch bug can easily be identified on hands and knees at high noon on a sunny day when they are most active and visible. Run a hand over the suspect lawn area, parting the grass and if the problem is chinch bug you should see zillions of very tiny, shiny black bugs running around. There is no mistaking them. On-line searching should be very helpful for identifying and treating chinch bug organically.

I believe you are correct, but wanted to confirm she has St. Augustine. Chinch bugs love sunny, over fertilized, under watered, drought stressed lawn areas. Hopefully the op will respond to my questions above and we'll see if the lawn care regimen is adequate or lacking in those areas. About the link- Austin has really taken the Grow Green initiative to a high. All of the GG materials are printed for free, and are available online or at just about any nursery down here (and also the City's Development and Water/WW offices). What they are promoting are principles such as what we find on this website, like deep and infrequent watering, non-toxic pesticide or organic fertilizers, ect. They are also pushing for native landscapes, offering rebates to convert water hogging turf to what they call Waterwise Turf such as bermuda and zoysia, or mulched native beds with pathways of crushed granite. I will eventually (pending if the powers that be on this website will let me), post the Grow Green program links. Like I said, their sites mirror the same ideas and concepts that are found on this site, from lawn care to tree care.

See the tan colored spots with the dark brown edges? Those are fungal disease spots. That's what's taking out your grass. This should respond to ordinary corn meal if you have not already applied a fungicide. Call your local feed stores to find it in 50-pound bags. If they don't have it you'll find corn flour at any grocery store in FL and especially those that cater to the Hispanic population. If you get it at a grocery store there are different products packaged in very similar bags. You don't want the stuff that already has baking soda/power in it. Apply at the rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Apply to the entire lawn or else you'll have green spots. Corn is a fertilizer. The reason corn meal works against fungal disease is through the decomposition process a predatory fungus takes over the final stages. Once the predator finishes with the corn meal it takes over killing the disease fungus in your yard. This is a biological process that takes about 3 weeks. You can apply in the heat of summer or whenever you feel the need. During the 3 weeks you should see new grass coming in but it might still get the spots. After 3 weeks the new grass should not get the spots. Most people in FL are watering wrong - at least the ones writing in here report that everyone waters every day. That's wrong. Here's more. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.

Those pictures are not close enough to tell about fungus, but it's not chinch bugs. Chinch bugs always start at the hottest part of the lawn. Usually that is the corner where the concrete sidewalk meets the concrete driveway in full sun. Here is a picture of a "normal" St Augustine fungus. The tan lesions with brown borders are common. I cure that every year with ordinary corn meal from the feed store. 50 pounds should be well under $10. Application rate is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. It takes 3 full weeks to see the improvement. You'll see new grass coming in fully green and not getting the disease. The cause is too much water and/or lack of air circulation for days at a time. For example if you put a piece of cardboard on the grass and pick it up a few days later, you'll see these disease spots underneath. I have Floratam St Augustine in full sun. It grows so fast it literally outgrows the fungus. It still looks bad, but it never seems to die out like other varieties did.