Grub Worms

[Stephen & Erica Chenelle]

Have grub worms in lawn. Researched it and every website seems to say that spraying is ineffective unless done in 2nd week in Aug when larvae is infant. Any experiences. They're eating up my lawn now??????

[Peter H]

There is a ton of misinformation out there about grubs Stephen ( and Erica ). The subject is complicated due to the fact that there are different types of grubs out there and different chemicals that work in different ways. Applications can also vary depending on your climate. Lets not forget that there are also lots of people writing stuff on the subject who have never actually gotten their shoes muddy.

There is a preventative application that you can put down in the summer that gets the baby grubs soon after they hatch, but you are too late for that now. There are other chemicals that work on grubs, but the grubs must ingest the insecticide for it to be effective. You can apply those whenever the grubs are feeding.

Take the time to read the instructions. The application is a bit tricky. It's most effective when applied in the rain. I would not suggest going above the recommended application rate as these chemicals can have the same effect on birds, dogs, etc. as it has on a grub. In a high enough concentration they will kill a human. Also don't expect to get 'em all in one application. A bad infestation can take 3, 4, or more applications, with an appropriate wait in-between so that you do not compound the dose.

Good luck

Peter H

[Die Spammer !!!]

this sounds alot like that stevo punk LOL

[Steveo]

What meaning do you expect your delusional self-important statements of unknowing, inexperienced opinion to have with us?

[Tony Serwatuk]

If you'd rather not use pesticides (I don't), a safer alternative is to have a sprinkler system installed in the spring. With a regularly scheduled watering cycle you'll effectively drown them out within 3 weeks. I used to wake up to a dozen or so birds feasting on the grubs in my lawn in the morning hours, but they have nothing to eat now.

Just a thought...

[Peter H]

Lawn sprinklers are another route to go and will work if the infestation is not too severe, but there are downsides. Beyond the fact that more and more scientists are beginning to realize that we are squandering our fresh water resources in trivial ways like this, you must be very careful with your sprinkler system. In my 10+ years in the lawn care business I saw many lawn problems, but by far the worst were the ones that were caused by excessive irrigation and homeowners who insisted on having a lush green lawn right through the summer months. If you go the sprinkler route I would recommend that you be very careful with it. Use it only when required and in the heat of the summer I would shut it down and let your lawn go dormant, which is what it wants to do.

Peter H

[Tony S]

You make a good point regarding the squandering of fresh water resources, however a smart irrigation program recommended and implemented by a knowledgeable contractor will not only help with mild to intermediate infestations, it will also reduce the overall consumption of water for those homeowners who do insist on a lush lawn. The correct irrigation design which factors in soil type (run-off/absorption rates etc.) as well as proper water requirements pertaining to individual plant and turf types can safely, effectively and efficiently get the desired results. Irrigation is a very subjective issue (as is the use of pesticides) but education and knowledge on the part of the contractor and the homeowner is paramount.

Here in Toronto, the safe use of pesticides has come under serious scrutiny of late, leaving homeowners and lawn-care businesses faced with a newly passed by-law (albeit an unnecessary, confusing, convoluted, conflict producing, polarizing and unenforceable one) limiting the use of them. While there continues to be a huge uprising of the horticulture industry to have the "ban" re-evaluated and/or struck down, with some amendments made appealing to both the industry and the activists, it seems that this issue is far from over. If the activists have their way, the by-law will have an enormous impact on the industry, and homeowners will need to find alternate solutions to infestation problems.

Tony.

[Peter H]

Well I think that Toronto will follow Halifax's lead and the results will be the same. The companies in the business will pack up and leave and the homeowners will buy and attempt to apply the pesticides themselves. Personally I can't see the by-law being repealed and I don't think that there can be any common ground between the industry and the " environmentalists". There is no sol'n... in 5 years we will see the results. If anyone doesn't know what turf looks like when pesticides aren't used you only have to take a stroll through a schoolyard or check out a boulevard in Toronto these days. What you have there is not really turf, it's more a combination of knotweed, dandelion, blackmedic and dirt. Lawns as we have grown to know them will be a thing of the past in Toronto.

Peter H

[Pat Kiewicz]

That's more lack of watering and improper mowing than lack of pesticides (along with, in the case of the school grounds, compaction unalieviated by core aeration). Those areas also probably could use an annual dose of slow-release fertilizer in the fall and never get any fertilizer, ever. Pesticides would not be enough turn those lawns lush. (In the past, maybe, they would have had a more frequent mowing schedule, and even some fertilization, but that would take more employees and is an easy thing to cut back on to save money.)

My 'showpiece' front lawn has not seen a pesticide in 10+ years. It does get watered, mowed regularly (high, often, with a very sharp blade and the clippings mulched), and fertilized (organic or slow-release fertilizers, late May, early Sept, late October -- all low-phosphorus formulations as recommended for watershed protection).

[Peter H]

Well all I can say is that in 10+ years of professional lawn care I never saw a "showpiece" lawn that was maintained w/out pesticides. In theory is suppose that it's possible as long as you've got the time to pull the weeds and are fortunate enough that the bugs don't find you, but it's highly unlikely. On the other hand I guess " showpiece " is a rather subjective adjective.

Peter H

[Steveo]

"Showpiece" is a relative term. Turfgrass variety, location, and cultural practices cause many variations in appearance. That standard is also relative to the beholder. My front lawn is mono-strand midnight bluegrass. It requires -much- more care than say a turf type tall fescue blend, but since I'm in the business it's no big deal. I'd never sell a homeowner mono-midnight, unless I warned them of the care it requires.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', really rings true here.

[Pat Kiewicz]

"Showpiece" as in lush, green, and almost weed-free (most of the weeds being tree seedlings, or at the margins by the flower beds). As in casual visitors being impressed. As in my friends ask my advice about lawns. Children have told me I have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood. It appears to be mostly bluegrass, and I think it was sodded by an earlier owner.

According to research (Michigan State), proper irrigation can protect lawns from grub damage, as vigorous grass can outgrow the grub feeding. So no, I haven't had much problems with grubs -- even when some of my neighbors have had their lawns nearly wiped out. (They follow the 'let it go dormant' school, generally, which lets the grubs win.)

I am constantly seeing lawns being abused by both homeowners and professionals who mow too low. And far too many people don't realize that one blade sharpening in the spring is probably not enough -- and some of them don't even seem to do that much! You can do everything else right, then destroy all that work with improper mowing.