James, of Bethesda MD writes, “The grass on my lawn has always been less than perfect, but this time of year it is worse than ever. Just lightly raking or blowing leaves off it causes the grass itself to come off in clumps and expose the soil. What can I do?”
Dear James:
I am happy to provide, as promised, an attempt to respond to your question intelligently.
It’s always tricky to handle a pest identification/solution query without seeing the problem with one’s own eyes but here goes: from your description it sounds as though your lawn is suffering from a long-term siege by grubs. These wretched creatures have probably been gorging themselves all throughout the previous growing season (and probably earlier ones, too) on the roots of your grass.
As I mentioned in my October column, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a smart approach to take when faced with any sort of disease or pest problem. Briefly:
1. Set acceptable (and reasonable) tolerance levels.
2. Monitor and identify pests.
3. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, i.e., select the toughest plants.
4. Control is the last element of an IPM program and the last resort.
Sadly, there isn’t much to be done about grubs in November. Lower soil temperatures are encouraging the little blighters to burrow (toward dormancy and a deep, refreshing slumber from which they’ll awaken with renewed voracity) thereby making any chemical attempts to get rid of them more difficult. A better approach is also a natural and less toxic one: a one-two punch of milky spore and beneficial nematodes.
Milky spore is a disease that kills grubs. The spores are applied to the lawn which the grubs ingest when they feed on the thatch or roots of treated grass. When the grubs die and decompose they release spores back into the soil. Patience is a virtue here since it may take a season or two before you’ll see improvement.
Spraying beneficial nematodes in the early fall controls grubs. Nematodes are microscopic worms that actively search for pre-adult insects like grubs. After invading the body of the grub, the nematodes release a bacterium that infects and kills them.
Soapbox Statement of the Day
I believe that enormous, sweeping swathes of verdant green turf are a bad idea; unless you live on a golf course, a baseball diamond or anywhere in Ireland. The first two localities provide perfect turf as a requisite condition for the sport they host, while Ireland’s naturally occurring conditions make growing glorious grass a breeze. Really, most of us have no urgent need for a backyard that will accommodate lawn tennis or the USPGA Tour. That’s why we have such great public parks and golf courses.
So what’s so terrible about creating your very own flawless green carpet that is the envy of the neighborhood? From a water use perspective alone, lawns are thieving gluttons. From a chemical reduction point of view, a monoculture (growth of a single plant) typically increases the need for pest and disease control. And although it’s possible to get that gorgeous green stuff without drenching it in chemicals, some misguided souls feel compelled to use gallons of nasty goo; and that nastiness eventually gets tracked into your house via everyone’s feet and/or hands. Remember, too, that the smaller stature of pets and children (combined with their shared tendency to roll around on the ground and their notorious insistence for sticking their paws into their mouths) puts them in close proximity to treated turf.
Limiting the amount of real estate dedicated entirely to turf can be a beautiful and sustainable way to add interest and diversity to your yard — AND allow you more time to enjoy the lawn area you do have by reducing the amount of time you’ll spend mowing, watering, worrying about your water bill, etc. Consider widening (or creating) a border around lawn areas with xeriscape (low-water consumption) plants or adding some other plants into the lawn itself such as chamomile or thyme. Both these herbs will tolerate foot traffic although neither will be a match for a spirited game of Frisbee. Check out http://www.stepables.com/ for inspiration.
Water for Thought
This startling statistic is from an EPA publication called Outdoor Water Use in the United States that you can view here: www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/outdoor.htm
An American family of four can use 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day.
YOICKS! If those numbers don't inspire you to reduce your home turf, I suggest you consider relocation to the Emerald Isle.
Gentle readers may submit questions and I will do my best to answer them intelligently.
Jacqueline Murphy, the proprietor of Garden Calls, garden guru service, offers “horticultural therapy”, garden design and staging expertise for residential landscapes with a focus on intelligent, sustainable design. A Smith College graduate, horticulturist and writer, Jacqueline has written for Fine Gardening magazine and books published by Reader’s Digest and Time Life. The garden guru is in and may be reached here: Garden.Calls@yahoo.com
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