How to Reseed a Lawn After Damage From Grubs

A lawn isn't safe from nature. East of the Mississippi there are a slew of warm weather beetles that can leave behind grubs that kill the grass of a perfectly manicured yard. If you're one of the unlucky ones who have an infestation of grubs each summer, you may need to reseed a lawn after damage from grubs. Grubs (Normally referred to as White Grubs) are the offspring of beetles. Japanese, Chafer, and the others come out to feed when the weather gets warm. You can reseed a lawn after damage from grubs but that won't protect you next year from another grub attack.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Seed (regional grasses)
• Fertilizer (starter type)
• Lawn stakes
• Caution tape
• Water
• Rake (hand and long handle)

1. Peel back the areas of lawn that have been eaten by the grubs. Discard the damaged grass sod. Remove all the bad areas first rather than going from spot to spot. Go back to the exposed areas and use a hand rake to turn the dirt over and aerate the soil. Look for grubs and grub larvae now and remove them when they are present.

2. Water everywhere you will reseed a lawn after damage from grubs. Making sure that the new seed has the best chance of growing back into a healthy lawn is dependant on your care before and after seeding. Water the damaged areas for at least five minutes before moving on to the ext spot.

3. Go back to the first hole in the lawn and spread starter fertilizer down before you spread the grass seed. Water each area again for three minutes once the fertilizer has been spread. Each spot of damaged lawn is now ready for reseeding. Get your grass seed and head back to the first spot.

4. Spread out grass seed evenly over the entire area of the damage and overlap it onto the healthy lawn. Overlapping the seed will help to bend the new growth after it has germinated and begun to fill in the damaged area. You should have six seeds of grass for every square inch of exposed earth. The overlap can be less but it is recommended that you keep that spread a full two feet into the healthy lawn.

5. Aerate the soil and seeds and fertilizer together with a hand rake or long handled rake if the area is that big. Mix the seeds so that you get as many of them under the soil at a depth of one quarter inch. Grass seed that is enclosed in soil has the best chance of growing. Not too deep, not too shallow, and not on top, the seeds will grow well when you cover them with a quarter inch of dirt.

6. Water each area until an inch of water has fallen on the new grass for up to 60 days. Mow the grass after forty five days or when the grass reaches a height of over three inches. Mow the grass to the three inch level and continue to care for the damaged areas until the grass is grown and healthy.

Tips & Warnings

• Labor Day is the time of year for grub damage repair. Check the pH of the soil to choose which fertilizer is best for your lawn. There are natural ways to get rid of lawn killing grubs. Find out more about which nematodes seek out and kill grubs before they get a chance to damage your lawn's grass.
• Many pesticides and pH altering chemical will kill a lawn as fast if not faster than the grubs. Naturally occurring grubs are the result of adult beetles leaving behind their eggs. Reduce the number of plants that attract these beetles and you can avoid a terminal case of grubs. Using the right products to eradicate pests can harm other aspects of the garden. Research what side effects come from the use of natural or chemical insecticides before putting them to use in your own home.

References

• Landscape America
• Lawn FAQ from Illinois.edu
• Controlling White Grubs in Turfgrass

Resources

• Consumer Reports - Growing Great Grass