Late-Summer Lawn Tune-up - Controlling Grubs and Weeds
Late summer is the time for two notorious lawn problems, white grubs and weeds, to become serious irritants. Here's how to deal with them.
Controlling White Grubs
White grubs are one of America's most notorious lawn pests. Primarily found in areas east of the Rocky Mountains and particularly troublesome in the northeastern U.S., these tiny pests can cause severe damage and even ruin an entire lawn. In fact, damage has become such a concern, consumers now spend more than $100 million annually to control white grubs in the U.S.
White grubs live in the top few inches of soil and feed on the roots of lawn grasses. White grubs range in length from about 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches, milky white with a brown head and almost always are curled into a "C"-shape.
White grubs are the larval or "juvenile" stage of various breeds of scarab beetles including Japanese beetles, chafers, June beetles and May beetles. These adults of the grubs can also cause damage to roses, trees and other plants around your yard.
Damage from grubs usually shows up in the late summer and early fall. Symptoms are compounded when the turf is stressed by heat and drought. Some of the symptoms of grub damage include:
- A general thinning and weakening of the lawn
- A wilted or dried-out look to your grass, even when soil is moist
- Large, brown, irregular patches of grass
- Large patches of dead turf that can easily be pulled up in one piece, much like a piece of carpet. Underneath you'll find the grubs.
- Moles, birds or raccoons digging in your grass; these animals love to feed on grubs, so frequent visits could be a sign of white grubs.
Tips for Controlling Grubs
- Be sure your lawn is healthy and strong by watering, mowing and fertilizing regularly during the spring and summer.
- Click here for additional tips on watering, mowing and fertilizing.
- If your lawn has a thick layer of thatch (spongy layer of grass stems and debris between foliage and soil), aerate or dethatch.
- If you have a serious grub problem, use Bayer Advanced™ 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus Granules. It will kill grubs overnight and also controls mole crickets, cutworms and sod webworms. Next spring, follow-up with Bayer Advanced™ Season-Long Grub Control Granules with Merit®. One application will control grubs all summer.
Controlling Lawn Weeds
Proper watering, fertilizing and mowing will go a long way in preventing lawn weeds. But sooner or later most homeowners want to take stronger action. Bayer Advanced™ offers a complete line of lawn weed-control products, including Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate, which kills over 200 different types of weeds. Which one of our products is right for you depends on what type of lawn (warm-season or cool-season) you have, where you live and the type of weeds present.
For more information on Bayer Advanced Lawn weed-control products, click here.
Products Mentioned In This Article
Bayer Advanced
