Lawn grubs, which is a collective term for army worms, cutworms and sod web worms, are a group of lawn pests that can attack any lawn – a healthy lawn is their favourite! They are leaf eating caterpillars and are the larvae of an adult moth and can cause quite a lot of damage to your turf in a small period of time.
Did you know? Lawn grubs can feed on 30cms of lawn each and every night.
Lawn grubs themselves can be green, brownish green or black in appearance and sometimes even have stripes. They hatch around 5 to 7 days after eggs are laid into your lawn, and that’s when the major damage to your lawn is done.
Did you know? Lawn grubs are usually found between September and March, and especially after heavy rain.
Lawn grubs cause root damage to your lawn, which means that your turf can no longer take up the moisture and nutrients it requires. This causes your lawn to go dry and straw-like – similar to drought conditions. When at its worst, your grass will actually be able to be peeled back easily from the soil surface as the roots have been eaten away. This is when you will inevitably find a large number of feeding larvae.
There are a few signs and symptoms that may pop up if your lawn is suffering from lawn grubs:
Remember, if the grass is loose and you can easily pull it away from the roots it’s highly likely that your lawn is suffering from grub damage.
Did you know? Couch and Kikuyu turf varieties are usually the most prone to attack and Buffalo to a lesser extent.
The first thing to remember when it comes to treating lawn grubs is that it can take a little time! There are many products on the market that can help you get rid of lawn grubs, so we recommend heading to your local turf provider (or Rosemount Turf) to see what they have in stock.
We highly recommend LSA Grub Guard, which is a broad spectrum insecticide. The great thing about it, is that it also works as a preventative measure. Grub Guard contains the active ingredient Esfenvelerate (a broad-spectrum insecticide toxic to most insects, but less toxic to birds, and of minimal toxicity to mammals), so it’s safer to use than any other pest control product. In addition it also prevents some damage to your foliage as it can be applied when the moths appear, prior to the actual attack.
We also recommend checking out both of the following Lawn Solutions Australia videos regarding lawn grubs:
Unfortunately, eradicating lawn grubs does not mean that they will not return. If you still have healthy lush patches of lawn, you are still at risk from lawn grubs and will need to keep your eye out for further attacks. Consider fertilising to encourage new turf leaf growth – this can help!
We understand that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is having a significant impact on all Australians and that it is a difficult and unprecedented time at the moment. We wanted to assure you that health and safety are the top priorities for Rosemount Turf management and staff. There are certain measures that we have put in place to ensure that our customers and employees are safe. We are being vigilant with our office and ensuring all surfaces are sterilised and cleaned regularly.
We would like to remind you that orders can be made online or over the phone and paid for via credit card, so no cash handling is needed. We can arrange delivery and the placement of your turf over the phone with our administration staff when you purchase. You don't need to be home when it is delivered.
If you have any further questions regarding any of our safety policies that we have in place during this time, or would like to discuss some new turf, give us a call on (07) 5448 6398.
Rosemount turf along with Lawn Solutions Australia is reaffirming our commitment to consumers with our ability to produce and deliver high quality turf products to consumers. No contact is required during the ordering or delivering process.