P:On the plot I have a lawn with an area of 1.5 acres. I set it up by bringing peat soil onto the sandy ground. Two years later, a lot of empty spots appeared on the lawn surface (grass disappearance, drying out), which was caused by the beetle larvae nibbling on the grass roots.
Digging through the lawn, I dug up a lot of cockchafer larvae. The following year, I fertilized the acidic soil (pH=6.0-6.5) and re-planted the lawn, properly caring for and fertilizing it.I found the larvae again, and in the summer the grassless squares appeared on the lawn again. I am afraid that the same thing will happen to me again this year.
Contents:
- What should I do to avoid beetles laying eggs in the ground on my lawn in the future? How to destroy the larvae?
- Chemical and biological combat
- Popular lawn diseases
What should I do to avoid beetles laying eggs in the ground on my lawn in the future? How to destroy the larvae?
O:Due to the hidden lifestyle of grubs, fighting them is quite difficult. Adult individuals of the cockchafer emerge from the ground in spring, in April / May, and start feeding on the leaves. This period, known as swarming, lasts approximately 6 weeks.Fertilized females bury themselves in the ground at a depth of about 20 cm and lay their eggs in the deposits.Egg development takes 6 weeks.
Hatching tiny grubs initially live in the top humus layer and feed on decaying plant parts.In the second and third years the grubs feed individually on the plant roots.The fourth year is the year of pupation. In August, adult beetles emerge from the pupae and remain in the soil until spring.
Chemical and biological combat
The chemical method of controlling grubs consists in applying soil insecticides before sowing or planting plants.The higher of the given doses is used against older larvae.Preparations are used in spring and autumn. When planting trees, pour a little preparation on the bottom of the holes and mix it with the soil used to bury the roots.
There is also a biological anti-grub preparation containing parasitic nematodes.Certain methods to prevent their mass occurrence are helpful in the fight against grubs.The soil (regardless of its origin), which we want to apply in the garden, should be carefully sifted before scattering, and the pests sown from it (including wireworms) should be destroyed.
Birds, moles, shrews and runners are natural enemies of grubs. Let's try to build hiding places for our allies in the form of branches or dry, he althy leaves gathered in one place. After the temperature drops at night, the beetles become numb, and then in the morning they can be easily shaken from the low trees.
Popular lawn diseases
Sheets are placed under the trees, onto which the beetles, shaken off the branches, fall.Also, cultivation procedures consisting in loosening the surface layer of the soil cause the drying of this layer, contributing to the mass extinction of young grubs.Treatments should be performed on dry and sunny days.
With an already established lawn, first check whether watering it with the preparation will be a sufficiently effective treatment.If not, unfortunately, the lawn must be liquidated, the soil must be sifted, mixed with the above-mentioned preparations and set up againlawnInsecticides have a fairly long grace period, therefore the cut grass cannot be fed to animals, but can be composted.
