Name two cultural controls that reduce turf pest pressure.

• A. Proper irrigation management to reduce leaf wetness and mowing height adjustments to reduce stress
• B. Over-fertilization and frequent irrigation
• C. Allowing lawn to dry completely
• D. Avoiding aeration and dethatching

Answer: (A)

Two cultural controls that reduce turf pest pressure involve environmental management and keeping the turf healthy. Managing irrigation to lower leaf wetness makes the canopy less hospitable for many pests and for diseases that thrive in moisture, so pests have fewer favorable conditions to spread. Adjusting mowing height to reduce stress helps produce a denser, tougher turf with better vigor and recovery, which resists pest injury more effectively than stressed, thin turf.

The other options either promote conditions that pests love (lush growth from over-fertilization and frequent irrigation), cause drought stress that can destabilize the stand, or neglect practices like aeration and dethatching that help keep soil health and thatch levels down—both of which can worsen pest problems.