Allow me to introduce you to my friend. The grub. As is often the case with my friends, I'm going to have to kill him. It was this little creature that did this to my lawn ...
Grubs are larvae of different insects. The European Chafer, or Japanese Beetles, or whatever else. No matter what larvae they are from, grubs are hungry little creeps. They're grazers that line up to chew on your lawn roots the way old people line up for Crab night at The Mandarin.
All it takes is a couple of seasons with these grubs to destroy an entire lawn from the underside up. They just keep eating and eating and eating your lawn roots until the lawn says "Forget this ... death would be easier". And it up and dies.
I've had grubs for years and every year my lawn gets worse and worse. But grub control is one of those weird things that has to be done with very specific products, at certain times of the year. It's a process
So this year, what with fixing up the front yard and everything, I decided it was time to figure out how and when to get rid of these stupid, swollen, wet, wormy things.
My first thought was to hold a "Survivor-style" contest on the street and see who could eat the most amount of them, but even though I put out a signup sheet on a clipboard with a pen attached to it all professional like, no one signed up. Apparently my neighbours aren't any fun. Or adventurous. Or maybe they're all just full.
So I went to my local garden centre and asked a girl I know and trust, what I should do.
Nematodes.
That's what she told me. Nematodes. It rang a bell, but I had her further explain. Nematodes are a natural, chemical free way to get rid of grubs. My suspicion flags immediately went up. ALARM, ALARM ... Green bug control never works! Slowly back away. Leave now!
But I heard her out and then went home and did some research. Turns out .... Nematodes really work. They're the #1 chemical free way to get rid of grubs along with many other destructive bugs. If you're looking for a chemical application, check out Merit Grub control. (It's almost 100% effective.)
So what is a nematode? Nematodes are microscopic worms. You apply them to your soil or lawn and the nematodes work their way down into the subsurface where they make their way into the offending bug. In my case, grubs. Within 24-48 hours, the grubs they came in contact with are dead. Simple as that.
Grub control with Nematodes takes place at the beginning of May and late August to Early October. Twice a year. Once when the grubs in your lawn are just coming up to the surface prior to turning into whatever bug they're going to turn into (May), and once when the new eggs have hatched and the new population of grubs is feasting (August - October). If you only think to put nematode control down once, the later application in August or October is the best time. Past October the grubs burrow deeper into the soil where they're harder for the nematodes to find and kill them.
So there you have it. Get rid of those gross grubs that gorge on your grass. Grimmediately.
One package of Nematodes like this costs $25 and will treat 2,000 - 4,000 square feet of lawn. You can order Nematodes on the Internet or find them in a cooler at your garden centre. Note all of the pests it gets rid of. Even termites!
When you open the cardboard box up, inside will be a baggie with a damp sponge inside.
After packaging, the Nematodes work their way into the damp sponge and hang out. As soon as you unfold the sponge you'll see them. They look like a mush blob.
Pour about a gallon of water into a bucket and put your sponge in and swish it around vigorously. Stretch and pull the sponge. You're trying to get all of the Nematodes out. Swish, swish, swish. This bucket is now your concentrate of Nematodes.
You can either apply them with a Nematode sprayer that gets attached to your hose, or ... if you have a smaller lawn, just water them in with a watering can. Fill up your watering can and then add around a cup of the Nematode concentrate.
If you use the watering can method, remember to shake your can of water every so often to make sure the Nematodes are evenly distributed. Otherwise they'll all just sink to the bottom. Now just walk around your lawn and water!
Your package of Nematodes will come with full instructions.
I'll leave the signup sheet on the fence, just in case ...
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Joy
Karen,
What about the worms that eat inside of my trees?
It is definitely a grub looking creature.
I can't find any info on it.
Thank you,
Joy
Hank
It is early March and I live in the coastal area of SC. Is it too early to treat for grubs in my garden soil? I tilled a raised bed (about 8ft by 8ft) a few weeks ago and found dozens of grubs in the soil. I am sure there were more, but that is what I saw. They nearly killed my zucchini last year. Can I treat with Nematodes or something else now as I am planting?
Nancy Hipkins
Does this nematodes kill the grass?
Karen
No. There are several kinds of nematodes. These ones are specifically for killing the grubs that eat the grass roots, not the grass. ~ karen!
Rick Berkenbush
I too am battling those little pests. I did some research and came up with milky spore and nematodes. I did the applications of the milky spore which involved using a shaker since the product is like powder. The nematodes were in a package to be mixed with water and applied with a hose end sprayer. That did not go very well since the sprayer seemed to not like the suspended nematodes. I wound up sprinkling my entire 1/3 acre lawn with them. I probably did something wrong but I have no idea what. I will try again in the spring. You may want to check out Arbico organics, they had some useful info on this subject. So far I still have a skunk problem and I will catch that black and white bugger and bring him to work and let him go there. That should be interesting.
sandi grows
Thank you for this post. Now i know how to get rid of these nasty things.Check out my site sandigrows.blogspot.com.
Marta
Funny, but.... What about the worms (Nematodes) and my kids! A further goggle search found that these great nematodes.... Well known parasitic Nematodes are: Hookworms, Pinworms, Guinea Worms, and Intestinal Roundworms. Practicing good hygiene is the best way to prevent an infestation of Nematodes. Children are very susceptible to Nematodes since they like to handle pets and play in the dirt. "Dogs and cats infected with these worms contaminate their surroundings by passing eggs or larvae in their feces (waste).
Nope! Not for me! I have enough worms and I'm trying to get RID of them! Not bring a new one to the family!
Karen
Marta - Your children will not "catch" Nematodes. What you're talking about and what I'm talking about are not the same thing. ~ karen
Michael
Check this out! We are so doing this!
Karen
Michael - I have a hunch you meant to send that to someone else as opposed to leaving a comment. Although ... I could be mistaken. ~ karen!
Claudine
Placed my predatory nematodes in the garden last night.
Karen
Keep em watered! ~ k
Claudine
I'm working very hard to keep the soil moist. The weather's been jumping about here. I'm looking forward to digging around in a couple of days to see if there's been much effect. Thanks Karen!
Maksim-Smelchak
Be careful. Nematodes are heck on vegetables gardens.
Karen
Maksim - There are a variety of nematodes. The nematodes that you use for lawns aren't the same ones that wreak havoc on vegetables. :) ~ karen!
Mary Werner
I was about to say that nematodes are horrible in Florida and they ruin a new vegetable garden quick but I always read your comments and found that we must have the root knot guys! New info! Thanks. Oh, my Dad had to dig and eat a grub during survival training in the army during WW2. He didn't try them for 14 days or I'm sure it would have developed into a habit and been a protein treat I would have had to endure also.
Sue
Yep, beneficial nematodes are awesome! Love how they take care of the fleas, too! In fall they will get the larvae for root weevils that eat the roots of pretty plants like heucheras and take big fat notches out of rhododendron leaves once they're all grown up. Best. pest. control. ever.
When to apply them is really based on when your soil warms up, so if you live somewhere warm you can put them on earlier than now. If it's too cold, they just tunnel down deep and don't stop to eat on the way, and it's wasted.
So jealous that you can get them at Costco in Canada!
Sadly, I don't have chickens. If I happen across random cutworms, grubs, whatever before the soil has warmed up, I put them in my platform birdfeeder. Little birdies need their extra protein too!
candace
I dug a bunch of these guys out of my garden while I was working it a few months ago, not really knowing what they were, except that they were disgusting! And, being a spaz about it, just tossed them out of the garden straight into the yard, hoping the birds would get 'em...Oops! Didn't realize they'd wreck the lawn :(
Thanks for the nematodes reminder & how-to. They sell them at certain pet stores here in TX because of their ability to kill fleas. Bonus!
Karen
Candace - A few grubs are normal. If you dig up a very small patch of grass though and find 10 or 15 of them ... you've got a problem. ~ karen
Kimber
Fantastic info, thanks for sharing Karen!
Wendy @HerBallistic Garden
Wow! Great information! Really great! I've been gardening the last few days and have found many, many grubs in my gardens....I'll be getting this. Thankyou so much for posting about this grub remedy! It's like you read my mind wondering what to do about them. wendy
Erin Hall {i can craft that}
Great info. I am not sure if I have grubs or not as this is our first year in our home and the previous owner did nothing in lawn care so our lawn looks trashy. However I have not seen any starlings feeding on the lawn which a tell tale sing you have grubs.
Kim from Milwaukee
Adding compost to your soil will inoculate it with 'friendly' nematodes that will destroy the bad nematodes, i.e. plant nematodes. Compost will also help the soil to hold water, keeping the good guys alive.
Aren't grubs good bait for fishing as well?
Angie
My hate for grubs is now surpassed by my love for you, and for sharing this wonderful bit of information!
Melody Madden
It never ceases to amaze me all the "stuff" I've learned from you.. things I don't even know that I need to know ... anyway, thanks. This is another one of those things ..
Karen
You're welcome. I must admit, being so curious can be very tiring. I'm feeling nappy today. ~ karen!
J9
Being a nursing student, I was looking to see a regurgitated ball of grease the other day; however, I was not prepared for a giant grub displayed on my smartphone this morning. Yuck! Get 'em!
Gayla T
First, I would like to say that I enjoyed my short stint as a friend. From here on out please consider me as your worst enemy. Secondly, there are some nematodes called root knot nematodes and you do not want them. See, there is one thing I remember from my quest for my useless horticulture degree. I have found that it impresses no one, especiallly grubs and nematodes. You probably do not have the root knot guys as they like warmer climates like we have here in KS. The hens would have loved to take care of the grubs for you but no, you had to kill them. They probably don't want to be your friend either. From what I hear they have a very high homocide rate already.