Your Lawn Problems
Worm Casts
Allolobophora species of earthworms are responsible. These worms feed on decaying
vegetation in the soil and deposit their muddy excrement on the lawn surface. They
blunt mowers, smother suppressed growth, and cause ideal germination sites for weeds.
They also encourage lawn disease, and attract mole populations.
But earthworms can have a beneficial effect on the lawn also as there burrowing
activity can help the aerating and drainage on the lawn, also they can incorporate
organic matter into the soil.
We find that you have to strike a balance here between removing the problem and
causing another one.
Lawn master have products that will suppress this problem for a few months over
the worst period, October - February or can remove it completely if required. If
you have a worm cast problem please contact you’re nearest Lawn master depot.
Moss
Probably the most common problem, that customers complain about, or ask our opinion
on, is moss. Mosses are very simple plants, which with liverworts are classified
together as bryophates. Most are generally lowly plants, which are not seen very
easily. They are very common and occur in almost any terrestrial environment where
moisture is available. Mosses produce no roots as such, but they do produce structures
called rhizoids, which have a purely anchoring function, with water and nutrients
being absorbed via the arial part of the plant.
There are approximately 600 species of moss in the UK, of which about 30 plus can
occur in turf. They can be grouped into 2 major categories, according to their growth
habit: -
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Cushion or mat forming, indicating mower scalping, or grown on hard surfaces, paving
or tennis court |
Trailing mosses, symptomatic of poor drainage and shaded areas.
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There are normally 2 major growth periods for moss during the year, autumn, when
spores are produced, and spring, when spores are produced, before dying off.
Lawn master use a moss killer that will last for up to a 3-month period, and also
have the experience and expertise to keep it away. If you have a major moss problem,
or a recurring moss problem, talk to us, and we will explain the best remedy for
returning your lawn back to full health.
Leather Jackets
The leatherjacket is the larva of the crane fly, and is 30-40mm in length when fully
grown.
The crane fly is on the wing between late July and early September. During this
time they can lay their eggs below the surface of the turf. The larvae or (leather
jackets) hatch 2-3 weeks later, when they start devouring your turf grass roots
and stem bases with biting mouthparts. The larvae can then feed right through to
the following June.
Damage is not obvious until the springtime when the Leather jackets are growing
fast. The first visible signs of damage are seen as straw-coloured patches of turf,
which later become bare and can become invaded by weeds. Feeding birds are also
a good indication that leather jackets are present.
Early treatment recommended to Avoid Lawn damage.
The chart shows the increased likelihood of damage by leather jackets, Lawn Master
will apply an insecticide for the control of leather jackets between, November and
end of March; this treatment will remain active for about nine weeks.
Dog Urine Damage
Dogs can cause real damage to a lawn when they urinate on it. Urine from a dog or
bitch can cause scorching of the turf. There are no simple answers and no magic
cures or products on the market that can provide a quick fix.
Apart from training the dog to use one area of your garden with bark laid down,
or keeping the dog off the lawn completely there is little you can do. You will
stand little chance of weakening the problem by following the dog around with a
hose or bucket of water to weaken the impact
Moles
Moles are another problem you may have in your lawn.
Thing you can do are-:
- Mole traps (quick inexpensive)
- Mole deterrents
- Cut off their food supply
If you have tried to remove this problem from your lawn with little or no success
then please contact your local Lawn master depot and we can put you in touch with
our pest control specialist.
Chaffer Grubs
The chaffer grub is probably the most worrying insect that you can ever have in
a domestic lawn.
There is only one legal and beneficial killer that will have any impact on chaffers.
How do you tell that you have chaffer grubs?
- Can you can pull the turf up like a wig or roll the turf back like a carpet.
- Do you have dead brown turf areas?
- Do you have birds or other animals digging in your lawn?
If you can answer yes to one of the above you probably have Chaffer grubs, and you
need this problem sorting sooner rather than later. Once the birds discover these
in your lawn, it’s like ringing the dinner bell, and you will end up with no lawn
left in a short space of time
The life cycle of this pest can be quite long of up to two years, in the colder
months from October onwards they start to burrow deeper into the soil of up to 12
inches and go into hibernation, during this winter period they are harder to kill
with chemicals.
When the soil temperature rises in the spring they again produce larvae for the
next generation, then moving closer to the surface again to destroy the roots of
your grass.
There is a pesticide available now to deal with this problem.
We constantly get asked about Beneficial Nematodes for control of chaffer grubs.
This is an alternative to a pesticide, often searched for on the Internet in desperation.
What are Beneficial Nematodes?
Beneficial nematodes in there infective stage find and kill insects. They release
their own unique bacteria that infect the insects then reproduce producing more
bacteria again. They are non harmful to humans or pets
They have to be put down when the conditions are perfect to stand any chance of
working, they are photosensitive so you only have a few hours for them to work in
the right conditions, they cannot be stored after opening as they die. These products
are unrestricted because they are normally harmless to the environment.
Do they work?
Not really, we would always favour an organic application where possible over chemicals,
but it would have to work. We have tested them and feel you would do more damage
by throwing the packet at the grubs rather than applying the contents to them, don’t
waste your money.
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