Some might recall that last year we talked about some ways to get rid of those pesky lawn grubs that can make your lawn look like a well played upon school playground.

Last year we mentioned spraying on beneficial nematodes, those microscopic organisms that love to have those grubs for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as using the Tachinid fly, that fly that glues its eggs to the back of Japanese beetles, and then the larva hatches within 24 hours and bores into the beetle to feed – voila! No more Japanese beetle grubs next year!

We also talked about that tried and true method of just picking any Japanese beetles you might see off your flowers and plunking them in a jar with a few inches of alcohol – when I was a kid I used gasoline.

But those grubs are there because without a doubt your lawn has shallow roots from watering too much – remember – any more than an inch of rain or water from your sprayer a week will actually hurt your lawn by making shallow, not deep, roots.

You also may be mowing your lawn so that it’s too short, making it just right for those insects that love wet, sunny conditions. By leaving your lawn at least 3” long, you will be making those bugs go somewhere else.

If you need to use some sort of organic pesticide, you have a couple of options. Red cedar oil will repel and kill both larvae and adult Japanese beetles. Not only that, but red cedar oil also repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes,  ants,  termites,  fleas,  and many nasty bugs.

Neem oil also works; it’s even sold in a hose end sprayer as Safer Grub Killer and will kill both the grubs and adults.

So if you’re frustrated that your lawn is looking like one of those dirt and spotty grass lawns you might have seen in your travels, don’t despair!  You can soon make it looking like the deep rich carpet you have in your living room!