July is here and adult beetles are waiting for their little ones to hatch. Unfortunately, most homeowners are waiting for beetle larvae for a different reason. Beetle larvae – grubs – attack lawns, causing severe amounts of damage. Fortunately, grubs are not an undefeatable foe. With the right Ottawa lawn care, you can rid your lawn of these pests to save your grass.
Nutri-Lawn Ottawa recommends beneficial nematodes as your primary weapon in battle. Nutri-Lawn Ottawa lawn care services can wipe the problem out for you, but it's advantageous for every homeowner to understand how the nematodes work, as well.
How nematodes work
Not all nematodes are beneficial. The nematodes that you'll want for your Ottawa lawn care are beneficial parasitic nematodes that are used as natural predators for certain insects (listed below) that can be found in your yard.
Nematodes search through your yard to find their prey. Once they've hunted their prey down, the nematodes enter into the insect through any orifice available. From there, the nematodes infect and kill the host by excreting bacteria.
After the host insect dies, the body is left as food for the new nematodes that are rapidly multiplying within the corpse. Each time they multiple, you are gaining a larger supply of warriors in your battle as the new nematodes then go off to infect more grubs.
Nematode prey
Nematodes work on a lot of insect foes, but not all. Their main sources of food are European chafer, May and June beetle, Asiatic beetle, black vine weevil, common chafer, Japanese beetle, and the strawberry root weevil. Nutri-Lawn Ottawa uses beneficial nematodes for their Ottawa lawn care because nematodes are entirely harmless to both people and animals.
The proper application of beneficial nematodes
There is two times during which you should apply beneficial nematodes. These are spans of time when grubs are visible on the lawn. The first is during the mid-May to mid-June range. The second comes in mid-August and lasts until part way through October.
The most important thing to remember about including nematodes in your Nutri-Lawn Ottawa lawn care services is that nematodes require moisture to survive. You bring nematodes to life by mixing them in with a bucket of water and spraying them over your lawn. Previous to application, you'll need to wet the lawn with your sprinkler system to ensure an appropriate environment for the nematodes. Softer soil allows your nematodes to burrow more easily. Post-application, and for up to 10 days following, continue to water your lawn to create a moist environment.
What to avoid
You'll want to completely avoid pesticides in your Ottawa lawn care before and after nematode application. A good rule to follow is the 10-day window – no pesticides 10 days before or 10 days following the application.
Avoid spraying in one place. Make sure you're creating a nice even application by shaking your sprayer and moving across the lawn. You'll also want to avoid a windy day. The wind can carry your miniscule nematodes away from your lawn, or can cause them to congregate in one area.
Finally, make sure your nematode application isn't happening on a day with poor temperatures. Anything above 30 degrees Celsius or below 14 degrees is going to be too harsh for your grub-hunting friends.
Fortify your lawn against summer pests with Nutri-Lawn Ottawa lawn care services. Receive your complimentary quote from Nutri-Lawn Ottawa today!
