Grubby Lawn Grubs...!!
I bumped into my neighbor the other day (Hello Neighbor!), and he was digging up lawn grubs. These pesky insects are the more damaging versions of June Bugs which many of us fellow Ottawans are familiar with (who among us remembers pelting each other with June Bugs when we were younger?!?!)
There are a fair number of resources on the internet (search Google using the terms "lawn grubs" or "June Bugs") that detail the use of biological control (i.e. nematodes) and pesticides. But wait a minute! For those of us with small children (or even Grandchildren - a nod towards my mother's Neighbor, who's famous for rolling up his sod to get rid of these critters!) who wants to use nematodes or pesticides?? The following lists a few selected sites involving biological control and pesticides:
Well, I'm here to give you a tip to aid you on how to get rid of these critters in addition to the resources above. If you're into manual labor (the most preferred option when you have small children or have a small lawn) - the best thing for you to do is wait until after a heavy rainfall. If the forecast calls for a period of no rain, you can also heavily water your lawn in the morning, then in the evening a day prior to attpempting to remove these critters manually. Think of it this way: if you're an air-breathing individual (last I checked, all of us are!) where would you rather be - in the middle of all this water, or up at the surface? Thus, the grubs are easier to collect.
Watering also serves another purpose - it allows the grass to cope with the damage to their roots. Fertilizing the lawn to encourage abundant grass growth also works (but then again, this goes towards the choice you have to make in regards to your children and grandchildren - but typically, fertilization is a better option than the use of pesticides). By encouraging grass growth, you provide the means for your grass to cohabit with negligible loss to the grubs.
Please feel free to add your own observations, trails and tribulations to this posting for others to read.
posted by -- @ 5:29 AM
4 Comments:
For those of you that have grubs, there's some anecdotal evidence that Sunlight (TM) laundry detergent (the powdered/granulated kind) - lemon-scented - will work to rid lawns of grubs if scattered on the lawn. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on why this works, or even exactly how much detergent should be spread per m2...
I have used No Name Lemon Powder "NO Phosphate" Detergent and put it on the lawn b4 a rain near the end of June. I live in Windsor. This has worked better for grubs than any poison or toxic product I bought b4.The No Name Detergent does not say "No Phosphate" and I don't know if that matters now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
I was using No Name Lemon No Phosphate Powder Detergent the last 3 years near the end of June. Put it on with a spreader just before a rain and have not had problems. The No Name now does not say "No Phospate" and I don't know if it makes a difference. Does anyone know?
I was weeding yesterday and I have a terrible problem with grubs in my lawn. 2 or 3 every 3" where I was weeding and I see the skunks have been digging in my lawn on the other side of my yard. It is October and I am wondering if it is too later to try anything to get rid of these grubs before they wreck my lawn?
Post a Comment
<< Home