Nutri-Lawn Blog

With the record hot, dry weather we have been having this summer, I wanted to bring to your attention a beneficial lawn service that we recommend to customers to help recover their drought stressed lawns; Kelp Seaweed Extract.

Happy Thursday, readers. I hope everyone is staying cool out there!

With summer in full swing, many areas of Canada are experiencing periods of extreme heat and little to no rainfall. With these conditions in mind, proper watering techniques become absolutely essential to maintaining a healthy, robust lawn. Like us, our lawns get a little thirstier in hot conditions, so adjusting your regular lawn care schedule accordingly is an important lawn care task during the humid summer months. 

Grubs and animals can be a frustrating combination for a homeowner, that's for sure. Animals such as raccoons and skunks can cause significant damage on Innocent lawns, as most are nocturnal and do their damage when there isn’t much chance of preventing it. Many home remedies and retail products claim to correct or prevent this problem from happening, but most are ineffective and some can even make the problem much worse. Here are some steps to help get rid of raccoons and skunks making a mess on your lawn in search of white grubs. 

The extent and severity of grub damage can vary from minor to severe. There are several factors that influence damage, but as a general rule it is most severe when infestation levels are high. 

With summer around the corner, many Canadian homeowners are starting to reap the rewards of a well-maintained spring lawn. Unfortunately, many lawn pests and insects are also doing the same! 

Lawn pests such as white grubs are often a difficult-to-detect issue for the average homeowner until it's too late. While it's not hard to notice browning areas in your lawn, you could write that off as a multitude of things; lack of rain, summer stress, or just a need for seed.

Unless you get down to soil level and really have a peek, you might not realize the tiny little insects eating your grass blades, slowly but surely. That's where Grub Talk comes in.

Here are 4 common lawn pests that our technicians across the country encounter.

European Chafer 

The European chafer is a common white grub species that attacks lawns across many parts of Canada, completing its life cycle in one year. The adult beetles lay their eggs in June and July. These eggs hatch in late July early August and the larvae begin feeding. This feeding continues into late fall before the white grub overwinters as a 3rd instar larvae.

Feeding takes place for a short period in the early spring until May when the larvae pupate into an adult beetle. The larvae has a “open zipper” raster pattern that distinguishes itself from other white grubs. The adult beetle is tan colour and measures about 15mm in length.

Welcome to Grub Talk, ladies and gentleman, a weekly educational series on the life and times of the notorious white grub. Also known as the European Chafer beetle, May/June beetle, or Japanese beetle, the white grub can be found in many lawns across Canada, and is a pest that can tear up even the strongest of lawns if left untreated.    

Most homeowners don't know that white grubs are present until they suffer significant turf loss from secondary pests, such as animals who feed on the grubs and cause damage. The key to success with white grubs is identifying that they are present before any turf damage is visible, so monitoring early and often is the best practice! 

The life cycle of the white grub consists of 4 stages: Egg, Larvae, Pupa, and Adult. During this 4 stage process, the white grub transforms itself in shape, size, colour and feeding habits. It also changes where it lives during its life cycle. White grub species all complete their life cycle in 1 year, with the exception of the June Beetle, which has a 3 year life cycle. 

Read on to learn more about the white grub life cycle

Look out, readers! Spring has spring but so have the pesky weeds. 

Welcome to May, folks! The weather is warmer, the skies are bluer, and the lawns are starting to get greener - what's not to love?