Lawn care is not easy these days. Are the dandelions winning?
A dandelion root is strong. I was digging out a couple of dandelions from a vegetable garden bed. The dandelion on the right was showing a few leaves at the surface. That skimpy little root had had its top six inches of root cut off. Yet a little while later, it is able to send up several shoots up through six inches of soil. This means that when you are digging out dandelion roots- if you only get the top six inches of the plant, it may well have the ability to sprout from the remaining root. If you look at the plant on the left, you can see that even a slender root can send up shoots and regrow.
Fiesta is a registered "organic" weed control product that is used in lawn care programs to reduce the weed for our lawn care customers in Ancaster, Burlington, Hamilton and elsewhere.
How well do Nematodes work?
We were at a Turf Seminar earlier this year Sponsored by Landscape Ontario. Pam from the Guelph Turfgrass Institute and OMAFRA presented her research findings on nematodes. Under her laboratory conditions she was getting 50-60% control of the grubs. (Okay it is an outdoor laboratory, but the conditions are somewhat controlled and everything is done according to specifications.)
So under real life conditions, we are are going to be lucky to get 50% control.
And we have found that nematodes take 4 weeks or more to kill the grubs.
Unfortunately, sometimes the skunks and raccoons will dig up a lawn even if the midnight buffet is not a plentiful as it was before.
If we remove soil, will we be getting rid of some grub eggs?
There is not benefit in terms of grubs to removing soil. Grub eggs are laid in the lawn in June-July. Any that did not hatch last year are no longer viable. When the adults lay eggs this summer there is no way of knowing which spots they will decide to lay their eggs.
On the other hand, if the lawn is too high and needs to be re-leveled, or lowered or even raised up with more soil, this may be an opportune time to re-grade the level of the lawn.
Vole damage left after the piles of snow have melted
This Lawn care customer had a fair bit of snow piled here. The voles like it under that pile of snow. It protects them from cats and other predators. They can carry on with their winter lives with ease. It's like living under a Dome.
Put a bit of soil and some grass seed. Most of the damage will repair itself. But a bit of soil and seed will help in those areas that may not heal on their own.
