6 Furry Reasons Your Lawn is Dying

Furry marauders can do significant damage to your lawn without swift action. Some solutions are easier than other, some pests are easier to control or get rid of than others. Identifying the animal causing the damage will go a long way to helping you find the root cause and fix the damage. Who knows – maybe you’ve simply pegged a four-legged scapegoat while the real bandit continues without consequence.

Dog Urine

Dog urine can be the equivalent of pouring undiluted fertilizer on your lawn. One solution is to immediately water down the area, but this requires constant vigilance. Long term, consider training your dog to keep their business to one area of the yard to reduce the damage or take your dog off property. But always consult a veterinarian before tampering with food or water.

Raccoons

Waking up to find patches of sod flipped or rolled up? You’ve probably got a raccoon problem. These furry bandits are after grubs, but the time to get rid of the grubs is in May/June (we’ll share more about that topic later). In the meantime, you can spend money on a variety of deterrents (sprinklers, nettings, sprays), but you may be just as wise to tap the sod back into place and let the raccoon feast. Raccoons are smart and stubborn and many deterrents cease to be effective if they continue to be rewarded with food. Look at it this way – means fewer grubs to kill later. Plan ahead and treat your lawn so they won’t bother your lawn next year.

Skunks

Are there holes in your lawn every morning? You may have a skunk problem. While skunks will eat grubs, they’ll also eat a variety of insects, so do some research to find out what they’re feasting on and then get rid of the food source. These guys will leave if the food disappears. And if you have a dog, you’ll be glad to eliminate this stinky visitor.

Squirrels

Squirrels are hard to deter. They may dig small holes, but the damage to trees and lawn is usually minimal. However, squirrels are often the scapegoats of the lawn damage set. Squirrels are not nocturnal, so if the damage is being done at night, consider blaming a raccoon or skunk instead. Squirrels do dig small holes, but if you’re noticing quite a few holes, you’re probably looking at a skunk or dog. Likewise, squirrels don’t aggressively roll or flip sod.

Moles

Lawn moles can destroy an entire lawn with their tunnels searching for grubs, insects and especially earthworms. Cats, foxes, hawks, and snakes are natural predators, but if those are in short supply you have to tackle the problem yourself. Thankfully, moles only reproduce once a year.
There are poison baits in the shape of earthworms, and tunnel traps you can use, but if your neighbours also have mole problems, but don’t do anything about it, you may never win this war.

Voles

Voles and moles are often confused with one another because both burrow and create tunnels. Voles are rodents however and they’re herbivores. They’re after your lawn roots, your flowers, bulbs, and trees more than insects and grubs. These guys reproduce quickly, so you may face an infestation before you realize you have a problem. Again, if natural predators are in short supply, you can purchase traps.

Take back your yard with a consultation from Nutri-Lawn Ottawa! Let our knowledgeable experts assist you in getting to the root of the problem. Contact us today!