Hello, Everyone!
We live in suburban Montreal where our lawn looks totally chewed up! We have been told that the cause is grubs (whatever that is).
We have lots of questions, and would be thankful for any good information:
1. What caused this? SOME other neighbouring houses have this problem too. (Did we do something to bring this on?)
2. What we can do for it? Do we need to hire a professional, or can we solve this problem ourselves? (We're not afraid of hard work!)
3. How long will it be in this sad condition?
4. What kind of financial investment are we looking at?
5. Is there something we can do to prevent this happening again? (So far, it hasn't found its way to our back yard yet)
Thank you very much for any help you can offer us.
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Don't use chemicals. They shouldn't be necessary.
The "ripped up" look of your lawn is probably due to skunks or some other creature which is lunching on the fat grubs under your lawn. This is the time of year (late Aug/early Sept) when we see the most damage. Those fat grubs are eating their fill before burrowing underground for the winter. They'll have another snack in the spring before they become June bugs and interfere with your picnics.
Get on the phone and start calling around to the best garden centres looking for "beneficial nematodes". These microscopic creatures are sold in a sponge. You soak it in water for the specified time and then water the infested lawn with it. They're a completely environmentally sound pest management: they burrow into the sides of the grubs and kill them. The list of stuff that the nematodes get rid of is long; many of the worst pests in the garden. But they won't harm the earthworms, or the ladybugs, or any of the wonderful creatures you WANT in your lawn. Patches of our lawn were completely dead when we bought our property; by August, you could roll up the turf like carpet, since the grubs had eaten all the roots. The skunks were setting up camp beside the smorgasbord we had provided. We put down grass seed in the worst parts and put the nematode treatment over everything. By spring, it was a new story, and the benefits have lasted for five years now. Do your nematode treatment when they're active. You probably still have a few weeks for them to work. The nursery will tell you.
Don't resort to the chemicals.
I have had this problem so attach some info I found:
These turf destroying grubs are plump, C-shaped insects with three pairs of legs. They are whitish with dark areas near the rear. They have a distinct, brown head. The adults are beetles commonly referred to as chafers, May beetles or June beetles. Adult female beetles lay their eggs in the soil. The grubs hatch and spend most of their life beneath the soil feeding on underground plant parts. Most have rather long life cycles with the grub stages lasting from several months to two or three years. Grub feeding destroys the roots, leaving the tops to wither and die. In heavy infestations, roots are pruned off to the extent that turf can be rolled back like a carpet.
Fall is the best time to inspect for grubs, although early spring can also bring on early infestations. At these times the grubs are near the soil surface feeding at the root zone. Use a spade to cut three sides of a strip one foot square and three inches deep. Force the spade under the sod and lay it back, using the uncut side as a hinge. Use a trowel to dislodge soil from the exposed roots. After inspection, replace the strip of sod to insure roots can re-establish contact with the soil. Repeat this procedure in several other areas of the lawn to locate possible white grub infestations.
For whitegrub elimination, treat with Permethrin Pro or Oftanol; water the insecticide well, in order to deliver the material deep enough to kill the grubs.