Are you seeing brown patches on your lawn? Proper spring lawn care is important to help rejuvenate your lawn from fall and winter damage. Grubs may have damaged your lawn last fall devouring your lawn’s roots.  The grubs overwinter in the soil and can cause additional lawn damage during the spring season.

What are Grubs?

Grubs are the immature stage of several types of beetles. Typically, grubs feed on the grassroots of a lawn approximately two to four inches below the lawn’s surface. The major damage occurs in the fall.  Additional lawn damage occurs from animals such as skunks, raccoons, armadillos and birds scavenging through the lawn looking for the grubs. Since these animals feed on grubs, it is important to start prevention procedures early. Damage may not be apparent until it is too late, requiring costly repair.

Grub Control and Prevention

Once grubs become established in your lawn, the task of restoring the damage caused to your lawn becomes more difficult. Timing is essence for grub control! Untreated grubs can damage extensive areas or the whole lawn. The task of restoring your lawn can be expensive if it requires sodding or seeding. Grubs can increase in amount when the soil is generally moist. To prevent grubs from entering your lawn, do not over water during the summer season. Grub eggs laid by the adult beetles are less likely to survive in dry soil conditions.

Another option for grub control is the application of lawn materials before grubs can cause major damage. To prevent lawn damage, products should be applied prior to the grubs hatching in mid to late August. Preventative grub control materials are available at retail home stores and garden centers. If you encounter grubs at an early stage, use curative chemicals such as carbaryl and trichlorfon.

If grubs continue to damage your lawn, please contact your local Lawn Doctor to help restore your lawn, turf areas, and areas around your home.