5 Tips To Keep Grubs From Destroying Your Lawn

Grubs can destroy a lawn quickly. You wake up one day and a greening up lawn isn't greening up. You might have grubs. Here are the main things you need to know to keep grubs from killing your lawn.

First I should say that some of the grub killing chemicals are thought to likely harm bees. We need bees for pollination and food. So if you don't mind dead spots in your lawn, skip the chemicals.

The first step in proper grub control is knowing the size of your lawn. You can't even go to the store and buy grub control products without knowing how much area you are treating. You don't have to be exact down to the square foot. Try to get to within 1,000 square feet.

The next important thought is put down the correct product. Grubs go through a few life cycles. Different chemicals kill grubs at different life cycle phases. If you put the wrong product down for the current grub life cycle, you will have wasted your money and not killed the grubs.

Imidacloprid is the most reasonably priced grub control, but it only works on the early life cycle of grubs. Imidacloprid has to be applied in July to possibly early August. The experts advise applying it in the first two weeks of July. The chemical will remain in the roots through fall, and kill any small grub. That takes care of your grub control until the next July.

If you want a more fool-proof, season long grub control, use chlorantraniliprole. Yes, you have to find a bag that has the world's longest word. This chemical will kill grubs at most life cycles. It also stays systemic in the lawn for the season and will kill the next cycle of grubs.

If you are just starting with grub control, I'd start with chlorantraniliprole.

Now you have the size of your lawn and know the correct product. Buy the right amount of product and apply it all. The bags will usually do 5,000 square feet or 12,500 square feet. You'll have to read the label. Don't put less than recommended, and you are wasting your money if you double-up.

A very important tip is to water the grub control in within a few days. You can wait for a good rain heading your way, and apply the grub control before the rain. That's your only option if you have a lawn too big to water. The chemical in some grub controls will break down in hot, dry weather. So if you leave the chemical on your lawn and not watered in, it won't be effective. You've wasted your time and money again.

Finally, remember these are chemicals. You have to use proper safety equipment to protect yourself. Disposable chemical resistant gloves are important. I find the bags of grub control dusty. I wear a good dust mask when I pour the chemical into a spreader. That dust is not dirt. It's chemical.

And the biggest safety tip- do not wear sandals when you are applying any chemical. Wear your oldest pair of tennis shoes and then throw them away. The best option, if you want to have proper protection for the future, is to get a pair of chemical resistant boots. You should have these boots on when you apply weed killer also. The tops of your feet are the second most absorbable area of skin on your body.