While a good soaking is great for our lawn, there are a few post rain pests to keep an eye out for. This weeks turf tip helps you identify some pests and avoid the problems they bring.
TRAFFIC
If all the rain we had left your lawn extra soggy, traffic can be one of the worst post-rain pests for you. From pets to kids to even the poor postie; a soggy lawn can be torn to shreds by heavy traffic.
Prevention is the only real cure for this pest. If an area of your lawn has been left extra soggy you need to keep as much traffic off it as possible. That could be as simple as getting the kids to play out the front, not the back. Or you might need to get more elaborate and fence off any extra waterlogged areas of your lawn.
If you do end up with some damage from traffic there are some solutions. If you have an indented wheel mark from the postie bike or other similar indents, you can use topdressing sand to help level out the lawn. Wait till your lawn is completely dry before topdressing to get the best result.
You can buy small amounts of top dressing products from Bunnings such as lawn top dress mix or washed sand.
LAWN GRUBS
Of the post rain pests, lawn grubs could be the most dangerous. Lawn grubs are extra prevalent after wet weather, so it is important to be extra vigilant at times like this.
While the brown patches seen after an infestation might not come for a while, there are other signs of lawn grubs you can spot early.
These include the white egg sacs on the eaves/fences/foliage/furniture of your home, white moths flying around at sunset and lawn grub predators such as birds or orange/black wasps.
If you see the egg sacs it is important to remove them by hand. Unfortunately, many people just hose off the egg sacs, which just sends the grub straight to their lawn. The lawn grubs will eventually emerge from the sacs looking for food, and your lawn will be their food.
If you did get some of these post rain pests and you need to take further action, there are some important tips to follow when using lawn pest control products.
Always use pesticides in the afternoon/evening, kill bugs at night and weeds in the morning. When spraying for lawn grubs you will need a second or third application to break the lifecycle. So follow the instructions and spray multiple times in 7-10 days apart. Always read the label and follow label rates carefully.
After applying pesticides you can bring any brown patches back to life with a high of fertiliser.
CONTACT US
Call the name you can trust in turf on (07) 3114 8281.
Jimboomba Turf Group is open Monday to Friday between 7.00am and 5.00pm (with pick up available before 3.00pm) and Saturdays between 7.00am and 12.00pm. You are welcome visit and see first-hand the quality turf varieties in stock at our Sales and Administration Office at 1/243 Bradman Street, Acacia Ridge. Get directions here.
If you are ready to get growing, head over to our online shop and place your turf order or lawn maintenance order – our online shop checkout is 100% secure (for Visa, Mastercard and Zip). Place your order online here.
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