Every lawn owner hates the term “White grub in the lawn” for they know that if left untreated, they will end up with no lawn.  But what are grubs? More importantly, what is the natural treatment used to get rid of these grubs?

Click on the picture to get an enlarged view.

According to the Wikipedia, “white grubs or grubworms are the larvae of scarab beetles.” Here in Southern Ontario these beetles are usually “June bugs”, but some of these scarab beetles might be Japanese Beetles and every few years there is a population peak of European Chafer Beetle.

The Beetle’s Life Cycle Explained

Let’s briefly consider the beetle’s life cycle.  The beetle lays her eggs in the soil during the June/July months.  Then by August, the eggs have hatched, and the resulting grubs begin feeding on grass roots until about October when they begin their journey down deeper into the soil where they will overwinter.

Click on the picture to get an enlarged view.

By January they begin their journey back up towards the surface where they can start feeding on roots again, Around May each grub (the larvae) turns into a pupa which in turn emerges as a beetle in June.  (I understand  the June beetle larvae does 3 years underground before emerging as a beetle.)   Soon the beetle is ready to lay its eggs to begin a “new generation” of grub worms.

It’s obviously very important to carefully monitor your lawn in April/May and again from August onward especially if  there is a dry spell.  The dryer the lawn, the better the grubs like it.  Better yet, why not protect your lawn by spraying it with nematodes before the grubs get a chance to taste your lawn’s roots?  You can apply the product spring and fall.    See explanation below on how easy it is to apply.

So HowDo You Deal With a Damaged Lawn?

Of course by the time you see grub damage in your lawn, it is too late to correct the problem for the year. The grubs have already eaten your grass roots.  However you can concentrate on next year’s lawn and begin repairing the damage as follows:

1.  Begin by overseeding your lawn.

For more detail, read Organic Lawn Care, steps 6 & 7  at

http://www.plantsandgardeningtips.com/organic-lawn-care/organic-lawn-care

2. Reduce Your Use of Artificial Fertilizers.

The presence of a lot of grubs means you have an unhealthy lawn.  Nearly always, the grubs are enjoying your grass roots because they are weak and soft… caused by using too much fertilizer and probably the type that has a high nitrogen number.

“Green up” fertilizers, particularly the liquid ones, force the grass to grow far faster than it would naturally. Local organic turf specialists use far less nitrogen than is recommended on most fertilizer bags.

The solution is to mow high, often and lightly, and leave the clippings on the lawn. Healthy soil with nutrients released slowly by decomposition lets roots grow slowly and steadily all year thereby producing strong roots.  So these clipping are the best slow-release fertilizer there is for your grass.

3. Water no more than once a week, but water deeply.

See step 5  in the article Organic Lawn Care at

http://www.plantsandgardeningtips.com/organic-lawn-care/organic-lawn-care

Now that you have read step 5 in the article Organic Lawn Care, you can do one more thing. When watering, put a container on your lawn, and don’t stop until there is at least 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) of water in it.  For most sprinklers that takes a full hour.   Also check to make sure the water has penetrated the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches minimum.

4. You might consider putting up a nesting box for starlings because they raise their young on white grubs.  With their beaks, they make only tiny holes in the turf to get them.

5. Final step is to put some nematodes back into your lawn.

Nematodes can usually be found at an environmentally friendly nursery.  They may be somewhat expensive but are worth every penny.

To find a nursery near you, Google as follows:  nematode + nursery + (name of your city/state)

What are nematodes?

Nematodes are microscopic worms which are normally found in the earth.  Certain ones love to feed on the leatherjacket while others love to feed on white grubs. The nematodes enter the grub (which is the living larvae of a beetle) and release bacteria which kills the larvae. Then the nematodes reproduce inside the dead larva and later thousands of new nematodes leave the larva in search of further prey.

What do nematodes seek out?

Nematodes seek out white grubs, citrus root weevils, the Japanese beetles, the May/June pupa of the beetles, the European/Masked chafer, the black vine weevil, and the sod webworm.

How do you use the eco/environmentally-friendly product?

In the nursery, these nematodes are kept alive in a fridge, so when you buy them you should spray them on your lawn as soon as possible.

Spraying nematodes is quite easy to do. There are 3 easy steps to follow.

First, you water the lawn;

Second,  mix the nematodes (as per the instructions on the container) in a special sprayer with somewhat larger holes than in a normal sprayer to allow these tiny worms to come out with the water.

Third, you attach the sprayer to your hose and spray.  Application must be done in early everning or on a cloudy day and the lawn must be kept moist for a minimum of 3 days.

Personal Comments:

I used nematodes on my lawn back in the 1990’s.

I’ll always remember that spring when I had to use the nematodes. I happened to bring up a shovelful  of lawn only to discover that my lawn was infested with grubs.  I started investigating and found that no matter where I used my shovel to check, I would find these grubs. They were all over the lawn.  I panicked!  I had become somewhat environmentally more careful, so I did not want to spray insecticide on my lawn.

I went to the only nursery I knew had other than insecticides to offer, and that’s where I learned about the nematodes.  I had a large front yard, so I had to get two batches.  Fortunately, after spraying in the nematodes, I never again had any grubs in my lawn.  Needless to say I never used insecticide again.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 9:57 pm and is filed under grubs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.