A beautiful lawn is like a work of art; it takes a lot of patience and dedication to create. After spending your weekends in the seat of a tractor, behind a spreader, and at the end of a trimmer you expect results. Thick, hardy, green results.
In many lawns across our region grubs, living in the soil, are waiting to feast on all of your hard work. Understanding the life cycle of a grub, and the available options for controlling grub populations, will help you keep the lawn you’ve worked so hard on beautiful all season long.
Grubs, the larvae form of beetles, feed on grass roots causing brown patches to form in your lawn. Check for grubs by cutting a 2-3” deep square of turf and peeling back the section. Grubs are usually a white/gray color and curl up in a “C” shape when uncovered. A healthy lawn can support 4-6 grubs per square foot, more than that requires grub control.
First stage grubs hatch in the late summer making August/September the most ideal time to apply grub control. Dylox and Sevin, contact insecticides, activate soon after they are watered into the lawn. They can be used anytime grubs are actively feeding; however, they are most effective early in the life cycle.
Merit, a systematic insecticide, is absorbed into the grass and stored in its roots affecting grubs when they feed. Merit should only be applied once, in June or early July. This will allow it to activate in time for grubs to hatch and begin feeding in August and September. Merit is active for a longer period allowing it to affect a greater population of grubs.
Dylox, Sevin, and Merit are the active ingredients used in name brand products to control grubs. Before purchasing a grub control product read the label so you can determine if it is the best choice for your lawn based on the time of year and grub life cycle.
Understanding the life cycle of grubs is key to controlling their populations and keeping your lawn green and healthy. We’ve created a Grub Control timeline of “what to use and when to apply it” for the best grub control results above.