Tips on Controlling Grubs

When spring arrives, it’s time to start thinking about your seasonal lawn care goals. This means fertilizer treatments, seasonal clean-ups, mowing, edging, and more. A healthy and happy lawn is something you can take pride in. But lurking just below the surface of your manicured lawn is a pest that can undo all the hard work you put into it.

Grubs

Grubs are small white worms that are the larvae of June bugs and Japanese beetles. Grubs feed on the tender roots of your grass as they grow. In the summer, they emerge as adult beetles and begin to feed on the leaves of your trees and shrubs. After they mate, they deposit another generation of eggs in your lawn, ensuring a grub infestation for the next year as well.

Signs You Have Grubs in Your Lawn

It’s important to know the signs of grubs in your lawn so you can catch it early and hopefully take the right steps before too much damage is done to your lawn. Signs of grubs in lawn include: 

• Parts of your grass are turning brown or dying. As the grubs feed on the roots, they slowly kill large patches of grass. These dead patches can turn into bare spots of dirt if left untreated.
• Pull up a square of sod. If there are more than ten grubs in that area, then you have a grub problem.
• The appearance of moles on your property. 

Do Moles Eat Grub Worms?

Moles live to eat grubs, and their feeding can have a devastating impact on your lawn. As they feed, moles tunnel under the ground creating long raised tunnels through your yard. When they breach the surface, they push large amounts of dirt and rocks onto your grass, which can suffocate it.

How To Prevent Grubs in Your Lawn

The best method to cure a problem in your turf is to ensure you take steps to stop the problems from happening at all. Grub control can start with prevention that you can do yourself.

Limit Irrigation 

One way to do this is to limit the watering of your lawn around midsummer. This isn’t something most people would think of because they want to avoid their grass turning brown, but this step can help.

Care For Your Soil 

Properly caring for your soil is another important step. The health of your soil can make or break the way your lawn develops throughout the season. Ensuring you make an effort to create a healthy area for your yard is arguably the most critical step to creating a thriving environment for your lawn.

Apply Preventative Grub Control

Chemically treating your lawn with preventative measures is one thing that can save you a lot of headaches – stopping the problem before it occurs is the best option! Continuously treating it is the key to keeping the grubs away.

Of course, while preventing the problem is the best solution, that can’t always be what happens. It’s hard to fight an enemy you can’t see. Having a professional come to assess your lawn, the possible damage, and recommend and apply proper treatments can be the best thing that you do for your yard. At Quality All-Care, we have been treating Kansas City lawns and the problems that affect them for over 30 years. If you have a grub problem, give us a call.