85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate,
MA 02066 ~
781-545-1266
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85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate,
MA 02066 ~
781-545-1266 |
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Controlling Grubs in the Lawn
What is a grub? White Grubs are damaging pests that begin invading lawns in early spring and again in summer. These pests do their damage below ground, so the problem often goes undetected until too late. A sign to look for may be birds and animals digging up your lawn looking for grubs to feed on. To find out for sure do a test in a few spots around the yard. Cut a 1’ x 1’ square in your turf about 2-3" down and peel up the section of lawn. Grubs are usually white/gray in color and curl up when uncovered. If you rummage through the top couple of inches and see more than 3-4 grubs than it is probably time to take action. When do they attack? There are several types of grubs that are capable of damaging lawns. In Massachusetts, grubs have two life cycles in a year. Most grubs will attack from early to late spring depending on how quickly the soil warms up. They start the second stage in mid-summer. What to do? Organic Methods: Kennedy’s staff always prefers recommending environmentally friendly methods for controlling any pest. Beneficial Nematodes and Milky Spore are two types of earth friendly grub controls. Milky spore has received more publicity of late and is more readily available. Milky spore is a disease that kills grubs over time. It is a great long term solution if this disease establishes itself in the soil. This methods of grub control is expensive in the beginning because it is recommended to be applied up to six times in the first two years. However, once it is established, it can be effective for over 10 years. Like all organic products, using them requires patience, understanding, and an environmental conscious mindset. Milky Spore is not a sure bet to control grubs, but is the best organic method available that we know of. Chemical Controls: Dylox is what we call a contact insecticide. It will kill soon after it is watered into the lawn. Dylox is considered the most effective of all the contact killers. Kennedy’s recommends Dylox when large populations of grubs are found and need to be killed soon. Dylox can be used anytime the grubs are actively feeding. Use them early in the life cycle, because as they get larger they are harder to kill. Chemical products act quickly, and therefore don’t last long in the soil. Some grubs may be missed, but it is often necessary if you want your lawn to be healthy enough to use the next product called Merit. The other chemical that kills grubs is called Merit. It is considered the best chemical control for grubs. Merit is a systemic insecticide. This means the grass plant absorbs the product into its system. While chewing on the grass’s roots, the grub eats a dose of poison. Merit works very slow, but lasts a long time. Kennedy’s usually recommends applying Merit once only in June/early July to kill the second life cycle of grubs. Merit can not be used in the spring because it is not effective when the soil is cool and takes too long to work before the grub turns into a beetle. Always read the label! Kennedy’s opinion: Now we have given you all the information you must make a decision. We recommend using biological controls if the environment is more important to you than a perfect lawn. For the rest of you in search of a grub free healthy lawn, use merit only at the right time, usually in June. Use Dylox when grubs are active for faster action. Always read the label! Another thing: Be careful when purchasing grub control products at hardware or discount stores. Many of these products are sold all over the country and in different climates. Sometimes the directions are misleading and tell you the product can be applied "all-season" or they give you a wide window of when you can apply them. Do not buy these products and spread it at the wrong time, you’ll be wasting your money and applying chemicals to the ground for no reason. At Kennedy’s we take pride in knowing the answers and guiding you in your decisions. We train and employ a knowledgeable staff. Sometimes you pay a dollar more, but we strive to give accurate advice and we promise not to let you leave with the wrong product!
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