Grubs in the Garden
If your flower garden is invaded by the hard-to-see pests known as grubs, then next year you are likely to battle more pests because of their presence. Your garden becomes an insect breeding ground, and the small, white larvae that munch on the your plants’ roots and turn your grass brown are proof. Learning about grubs helps you avoid the problems they cause. Does this Spark an idea?
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What Grubs Are
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Grubs are beetle larvae. Those Japanese beetles shredding your ornamental flowers in the spring and summer were grubs last season. These little pests burrow into the ground, feeding on the roots of your plants and grasses. They burrow deeper for the winter and transform into one of several types of beetles. You may have spotted these pests in the soil. Thy have six small legs and look like a large, white maggot with a beetlelike head. They are often curled into a C-shape.
When You Have Problems
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Just because you have spotted one or two grubs in your garden doesn’t necessarily mean you have a problem. The grubs are only a real issue when present in large numbers. The best way to be sure is to do a test to see how many grubs are living in one square foot of your soil. Dig up a section of soil that is a foot wide and a foot deep, go through the soil by hand and count the number of grubs. If there are more than five in your sample, you have a problem.
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Effective Pesticides
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According to the Purdue University Extension, many people use pesticides for treat grubs when it’s not necessary. If you do need to treat your lawn for grubs, choose from one of several effective chemical pesticides. Look for active ingredients that include bendiocarb, diazinon, trichlorfon, isofenphos or sevin.
Organic Control
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If you are not content with the idea of putting harsh chemicals in your soil, you can take the greener approach and use organic control methods. Use an aeratator to physically pierce the grubs in the soil to kill them. Apply beneficial nematodes to the soil, which attack and destroy the grubs before they mature. Longer-term solutions include adding milky spore to your garden. Applying this substance for three consecutive seasons should rid your lawn of grubs for many years, according to the Grinning Planet.
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