Question
QUESTION: Hello,
Okay, so here is my story.  I live on Long Island.  Bought a house last year (2007) that had a great lawn.  Now, I don't know much about lawns before, but I'm getting the crash course.  So last year, I mowed, watered and thought everything was great.  Winter came and went.  This year as I was waiting for the grass to turn green, it started dying in giant patches with no real pattern.  I had no idea what it was, but low and behold it was grubs (go figure the first year im in the house).  Anyway, so I put down grub killer and watered it in.  I'm pretty sure this did the trick, but I had so many bare patches, that crabgrass came in and now my bare patches are crabgrass.  

My question is, what is the best course of action.  Should I seed in Sept. and put down crabgrass killer early next season?  Will the existing crab grass die off over the winter?  I have almost an acre of land, so I'm trying to do the most cost effective fix, but I'd like to have a nice lawn.  

Last question, As far as seed goes, should I go with Tall Fescue?  Thanks for all the help.

ANSWER: Hi, neighbor.  Pleased to meet you.

First, I think I ought to explain my attitude about Lawn Care.  It's not what you think.

The way I see it, most people in this country are just like you.  They don't know anything about growing Grass.  When a big company like Scotts comes along and produces slick commercials on prime time tv, they'll pretty much believe anything you tell them.  So when Scotts tells them to use crabgrass killer or grub killer, and shows ugly pictures of Crabgrass and Grubs, they act like they were just diagnosed with Stage 1 Cancer and they scoop up every product that Scotts makes.

When Scotts tells them to use Fertilizer with various names (designed by marketing experts), they believe that, too.

I don't think much of companies that swindle people out of their money selling them stuff they don't need.  I think even less of companies that swindle people out of money selling them stuff that's bad for them, for their Grass, and for the environment.  Scotts is coming around -- it's simply good for business to have a line of products that are pro-environment or progressive.  But their business is still mainly anti-Green and anti-American as far as I'm concerned.

On the other hand, it's a free country.  And part of living in a free country is taking responsibility for your actions.  So if people are going to be ignorant about these products, they have to bear some of the responsibility.  Maybe even all of it.  Just so you know.

My opinion about chemical fertilizer is that it's an outdated way to grow Grass or anything else.  Fertilizer was invented by a German scientist a century ago.  I'm not kidding here -- this is a 100 year old invention.  What did cars look like 100 years ago?  Gee, what did you average bicycle look like?  Did anyone even know what a skateboard was?  Or a plane?  Can you imagine what the world would be like if we pretended that nothing better had come along?  Why do you think fertilizer should be any different?  FYI: The guy who invented Nitrogen fertilizer won a Nobel prize for it.  He later used this knowledge to create the first poison gas bombs for World War I for the Germans.

Chemical fertilizer today is almost always the same stuff that was used 100 years ago.  But they don't tell you that in TV commercials.  They want you to buy their merchandise.

Now, I know you are new to this.  And you want to keep it simple.  You  have plenty to do around the house without spending your entire waking life tending the Lawn.  An acre -- holy mackerel!  That's not a Lawn.  That's a plantation.  So let's approach your Lawn Care answers with that in mind.

First, I would like to know why you believe you had a Grubs problem.  Here's my Grubs problem essay:

www.helium.com/items/488952-how-to-get-rid-of-grubs-in-the-lawn

Please tell me what led to your conclusion that you had a Grubs problem.  I'd just like to know.

Your symptoms could just as easily have been a Fungus.  This is a common problem in over-fertilized Grass.

Your Weeds problem was predictable, as you probably have learned by now.  Nature abhors a vacuum.  It is urgent that you plant a Cover Crop when you have blank spaces in the Lawn.  Clover -- Red or White -- is easily sowed and a terrific amendment for worn out, tired Soil.   It used to be a common addition to premium Grass in the 1950s.  But broad spectrum herbicides don't distinguish between Clover and Crabgrass, so the manufacturers decided to defame Clover instead.  Now everyone thinks it's a Weed.  Got to admit, they're good at marketing.

Consider this:  Most Weeds are annual plants.  They grow just like any ornamental annual, like Bachelor Buttons or Petunias.  So if you keep them from blooming or making Seeds, you are in business and those Weeds are earth history.  Dig them up, mow them down, get rid of 'em.  They'll be gone and they won't come back.

Next:  You need a Soil test.  I'd explain but I have a lot to cover here.

Next:  Sounds like you have been reading up on Tall Fescue a la L.I.Gardener -- yes, it's come up a lot lately, but those were specific problems that were solved.  One of the guys lived in Texas or Nevada or someplace.  Nowhere near Long Island.

But there are other considerations.  Some depend on your Soil test results.  Others depend on your mid-Summer weather (which we're familiar w/ because you are on L.I.).  A lot depends on your Sun -- what's your solar sun factor?  Do you get a lot, or a little?  Is your property mostly Shaded?  What about traffic -- is there a lot of Frisbee on this Grass?  How about BBQs?  All this adds up to the kind of Grass you should have.  Oh.. What are you growing there now?   Any clue?  rsvp

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:
Dear LI Gardner,

Thank you for the reply.  I was unaware that fertilizer can be so bad for the lawn.  Also, just so you know, I wasn;t fond of using the Grub Killer (I used Triazicide Once and Done by Spectracide, mainly because it was cheapest and I had a lot of ground to cover), but I didn抰 know what else to do.  Everyone told me that抯 what I had to do if we had grubs.  Okay, so to answer your first question, how we knew we had grubs.  Well, when we started to see the grass getting green and then we saw some spots get brown and then bare, my father took a shovel and turned over a few inches of the soil and we saw the grubs.  Also, we have planters surrounding our patio in the back and when we were planting some bulbs for the summer we saw a lot of grubs in the planters as well.  Also, we didn抰 put down any fertilizer so I don抰 think it was fungus.  I抎 say in the one shovel full we saw 5 or 6 grubs.  

Thank you for the link, I read it and wasn抰 aware there were other options that might even benefit the lawn and get rid of the grubs.  One questions though, where can I get my hands on those Nematodes.  I am already seeing some of those Japanese beetles on my back patio at night, as they are attracted to the light.  

Next, you are correct in that now I know the weeds were inevitable, although in the beginning of the season I used the 揥eed be Gone?to get rid of the dandelions, which now I know probably isn抰 the best way to do that, but I thought that would keep the weeds from growing in the bare spots.  I probably should have put something down to take the bare space.  However, I will add that my lawn currently does have patches of white clovers.  I thought they were weeds too, I was unaware that they could be doing any good.  

Okay so next, as far as getting my soil tested.  How do I go about doing that?  Do I take it somewhere or get a testing kit of some kind?  

Lastly, As far as my lawn is concerned, It is mostly sunny all the time.  The front yard has 4 dogwood trees in it and the back yard has no trees.  They both get a lot of sun.  Some shady parts under the trees, but mostly all sun.  The only shady part of the house is the side little strip of yard.  The ground is flat and level if that matters.  

Let me know what you think, I抎 love to hear your recommendations as far as lawn type and next steps to take.  I thank you in advance for the education.  I love learning new things and this is definitely one of the more challenging aspects of home ownership from my aspect.  Oh, one last thing, You say you don抰 use fertilizer, do you put anything down to feed the lawn?  Just wondering what else is out there.  Thanks again

Tim-


Answer
OK, we know you have a Grubs problem.  Let's learn about Grubs, Birds and Soil today.

GRUBS: Grubs are an interesting problem.

Garden Soil is TEEMING with Grub PREDATORS.  Your yard is a hostile environment for these pests.  Scientists who study them have found that Grubs seem to be a MINOR problem in Soil that has been left undisturbed over LONG periods -- older houses, for example, with established Lawns.  Or in fields or woods.

But when you have new construction, one of the first problems the homeowners find is TONS of Grubs.  Not just Japanese Beetle Grubs.  MANY Beetle species seek a cozy spot under Grass.  The world is a cruel place if you're a Grub, but if you've wiped out Grub predators in your Soil, the ones that survive your chemical assault can live a long, happy life eating the roots of your Grass before morphing into full grown Beetle adults.

I agree, getting rid of Grubs -- the larvae of Japanese Beetles, Junebugs and Masked Chafers -- is important.  Turning your Lawn into a toxic waste dump is NOT.  In fact, that's COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.  Grub killer that you buy in the store will kill one season of Grubs, but it will wipe out all the natural predators, and the next season, they come back to Grub-friendly soil.  Then you're in trouble.  If you want to stop fiddling with Grubs every Summer, you need a plan.

Tim, do you know how HARD it is to be a Grub?  What do you think the life expectency of a Grub is in a healthy Lawn?  I haven't seen any surveys, but I do know that Grubs are a problem found in (a) new construction (after the Soil has been turned inside out), (b) new Lawns (ditto), and (c) heavily managed turf.  Let's look at the things that shorten the lifespan of an ordinary Grub:

1. Birds LOVE them.  High in protein.  Great for breakfast.  Got Birds?  Your dogwoods are a good start.  Now add some water features.

2. Predatory Nematodes are delicate, practically microscopic creatures that live naturally in Soil.  They look like tiny, wiggling hairs.  Where's the Grubs, there's Grub Nematodes.  Correction:  There USED to be Grub Nematodes.  Grub Killer kills Nematodes, too.

3.  Specialized Wasps -- these are small NON-STINGING species -- are Grub Parasites.  If you know what they look like you can see them flying over the Grass in search of prey to lay their eggs on.  Eggs hatch, larvae dine, problem solved.

4.  Certain species of Ground Beetles LOVE a meal of Grubs.  Ground Beetles are fast and they're Carniverous.  That makes them ALL Lawn-friendly.  Remember that next time you get ready to step on one.  Ohio State has a cheat sheet on them:

ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2102.html

5.  Ants hunt down unhatched Grub Eggs and baby Grubs for Rations.  Got Ants?

OK, if you don't believe this one, think about this:  A study at Purdue University watched these Grubhunting Ants through Plexiglas and other views to document just how much these Bugs can eat.  A few excerpts: 'Up to 73 percent of White Grub Eggs in the Soil were taken within a 72 hour period and Ants were found to be the predominant predator.  One species of Ant, Solenopsis molesta, proved to be the primary Ant predator of White Grub Eggs in Turfgrass.'

Ants?  Who knew?

You realize, Tim, that if you kill Beneficial Insects, they are not going to eliminate that 73 percent of White Grub Eggs in your Soil.  They're dead.  All hell breaks loose.  And you still haven't solved your Grub problem.  Next thing you know, you have someone tearing up your Lawn in search of Grubs for a midnight snack.  If you lived on Long Island, that SOMEONE is Rocky Raccoon, or maybe a Mole (Gophers are vegetarians).  As it gets colder, the Grubs move deeper underground, totally out of reach.  Then before you know it, the upper layer of the Soil freezes.

See the websites for:

Buglogical:
www.buglogical.com/beneficialNematodes_control_soilDwellingPests/beneficialNematodes.asp

Suburban Habitat, a California company:
www.suburbanhabitat.com/pd_beneficial-nematodes.php

and Gardens Alive!, the mail order specialist which you already are familiar with:
www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2344

These are just three retailers who specialize in Good Bugs that fight Bad Bugs.  You just have to avoid killing them with the wrong chemicals.

Nematodes are microscopic parasites that live off Beetle Larvae -- little C-shaped worms you probably noticed under your Grass, the size of a thumbnail.  Some Nematodes are carriers of Bacteria that infect Grubs, make them sick and die of disease.  Many control not only Beetles but a list of other pests -- Cockroaches, Fleas, and/or Termites for example.

Milky Spore Disease -- 'Bacillus popilliae' -- attacks the larvae of Japanese Beetles and their close relatives.  Have a look at the photos on Cornell University's Organic Biocontrol pages.  On one side, a Healthy Japanese Beetle Grub; on the other, one infected with Milky Spore Disease:

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/images/bacillus_popilliae

The Cornell authorities tell us Milky Spore Disease was 'the first insect pathogen to be registered in the U.S. as a microbial control agent.'

But they also point out that the ubiquitous Japanese Beetle 'is the EXCLUSIVE host of the strain of B. popilliae which is sold commercially.'

Anyway, Milky Spore Disease does not work overnight even under the best of circumstances.  The 'incubation period' takes so long that I always recommend faster acting methods during the grace period, which can take several YEARS.  If someone with the Flu coughs, you don't keel over with the Flu.  It takes days or weeks and with some diseases months before symptoms appear, and then you have to get sick before you die.  That's how it is with the Grubs.  They are exposed to the Milky Spore bacteria, the germs infect them and multiply, and the Grubs get sick and die.  In between there's Winter, when nothing is going on.

Some authorities are having second thoughts about how reliable today's Milky Spore Disease is.  Some suspect that the targeted larvae may be building some kind of resistance to this disease.  Cornell points out that one Kentucky study indicated the B. popilliae marketed for Grub control were not really that good.  They also observed that even spore-sickened Grubs were inflicting the same damage to roots as healthy, uninfected Grubs.  If true, Milky Spore Disease would be a good way to control adult Japanese Beetles, but of marginal value for dealing with a Grubs problem.

Eight years, ago, researchers did some tests comparing the success rate of the most popular controls for Japanese Beetles and Masked Chafers, Cyclocephala hirta (a major pest in California), including Bacillus thuringiensis (marketed as 'Bt'), Milky Spore Disease, Paenibacillus popilliae, the beneficial Nematodes Steinernema kushidai and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, and the Weedkiller, Diazinon.  Conclusion: 'Only Diazinon and entomopathogenic Nematodes, they concluded, caused 'substantial mortality'; and S. kushidai 'activity persisted significantly longer than Diazinon.'

An abbreviated abstract is posted gratis at the BioOne website:

www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1603%2F0022-0493(2000)093[0071%3ABCAFWG]2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1

Note that the winner in this Grubs Demolition contest was Steinernema kushidai.

Cornell University posts a full page on this celebrated Nematode from Japan, where it lives in the Soil:

www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/nematodes.html

S. kushidai is just what they doctor ordered, they say, when it comes to curing your House and Garden of all sorts of pathogenic pests.  They LOVE Steinernema at Cornell, calling it 'extraordinarily lethal' for these kinds of applications, way beyond other biologic weapons.

In fact, they say, 'The only insect-parasitic nematodes possessing an optimal balance of biological control attributes are entomopathogenic or insecticidal nematodes in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis.  These multi-cellular metazoans occupy a biocontrol middle ground between microbial pathogens and predators/parasitoids, and are invariably lumped with pathogens, presumably because of their symbiotic relationship with bacteria.'

It gets better.

'Most biologicals require days or weeks to kill, yet Nematodes, working with their symbiotic bacteria, kill insects in 24 to 48 hours.'

Nematodes classified in the Steinernema species are effective against pests ranging from Termites and Fleas to Fungus Gnats.  S. kushidai specializes in 'Scarab larvae'.

These Steinernema and Heterorhabditis Nematodes are fragile fauna.  Remember that when you acquire them.  Follow directions explicitly.  They can be extinguished simply by being exposed to Sunlight, or if there is insufficient Oxygen, if it is too cold or hot., or if the temperatures change too much, too soon.  Dry Soil will kill them.  Handle with care.

Where can you get these Steinernema and their Nematode Friends?

Ohio State posts a page listing commercial suppliers of Insect Parasitic Nematodes:

www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nematodes/nematode_suppliers.htm

Not an S. kushidai in sight.  Evidently this five-star Magic Bullet Nematode is still not yet available for sale outside of Japan -- or, if it is, it is part of the proprietary Nematode Zoo sold by some of the more secretive merchants.  Browsing down the (somewhat outdated) list of suppliers on Ohio State's list, the most promising for your needs looks like a Canadian supplier, Natural Insect Control:

www.naturalinsectcontrol.com/company.html

Possibly they include it currently in one of their Nematode Cocktails.

Starlings -- MASTER Grubs Controllers.  They will annihilate the population if you have any.

Finally, I have read that traditional 'Japanese Beetle Traps' supposedly attract neighborhood Beetles and cause more trouble then they fix.  In all honesty, I have never found that to be the case.

BIRDS:  Healthy soil is home to billions of Bacteria and tiny organisms that LOVE the taste of Beetle larvae.  They LOVE to eat Grubs.  So we don't want to do anything to hurt those Bacteria and Grub-loving organisms.

Grubs that escape the Bacteria and organisms become BIRD and SQUIRREL FOOD.

Gardener Tom Clothier posts a page on the internet describing his technique for Bird luring and the theory behind it:

tomclothier.hort.net/page18.html

Reason: 'The Japanese Beetles don't have a chance on my property as the cardinals and the blackbirds pounce on them as they are emerging from the ground.'

Clothier says, 'Only 1 percent of the world's insects are listed as pests of agriculture.'  Plus, he says, 'Half the food of some 1400 species of North American birds consists of insects.  In the Spring, most of them, even seed-eaters such as Cardinals and English Sparrows feed their young a diet higher in insects than that which they eat as adults.  Through the early summer, many Birds will rear their young entirely on insects.'

Haven't you noticed how Birds love to eat breakfast?

They are eating Grubs!  Northern Cardinals, Purple Grackles, Robins GO CRAZY for Grubs.

What can you do to get more Backyard Birds?  Here's where you can get more Cardinals:

www.birdsforever.com/cardinal.html

Cornell University reports, 'Up to one-third of its Summer diet can be insects.  The Cardinal's Non-Migratory Winter diet is 90 percent vegetable matter, especially large seeds.'  Here's their URL on Cardinals:

www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/norcar/

Blue Jays are Migratory.  So they were a topic discussed by the Passport To Texas people a while back.  They noted: 'Blue Jays roam woodlands, parks and towns in search of a variety of foods.  One study found their Summer diet to contain 30 percent insects and other invertebrates, as well as some small vertebrates; the other 70 percent was made up of acorns, fruits and seeds.'  Here's the URL:

www.passporttotexas.com/birds/oct.html

SOIL:  You are going to have to be patient to solve your Grubs problem, unfortunately.  I know you don't want to hear that, but some things just cannot be rushed.  You can, however, slow them down, or stop them completely, by doing the wrong thing.

The wrong thing?  That's a list I should probably put down for you.  Some of the items might surprise you.

The Wrong Thing:

1.  Chemical Fertilizer - any fertilizer with a number higher than 10 in the N-P-K analysis.  These are by definition SALTS that SLOW DOWN recovery of your Soil and are BAD for your Grass; they build up, and up, and up, and then things start dieing.  But even ONE application stings and shocks and assassinates microbes in your Soil, because they are EXTREMELY Salty.  Salt Kills.

2.  Drought.  Yes, it's good to let your Soil and Lawn dry out, because Fungus needs moisture to survive.  But too much drought will wipe out Nematodes and other microbes that enrich your Soil -- the little food factories that generate nutrients for the Grass roots.  Earthworms also suffer, and you need Earthworms to accelerate your Soil's recovery.

3.  Fungicides, Pesticides, Herbicides -- you aren't surprised these are on the list, I'm sure.  They mess up the microbes.  They make the Earthworms miserable.  And they're bad for you, too.  But you knew that.

So, you ask, If you're not going to fertilize, how will the Grass be fed?

Fair question.

Remember the Nitrogen Cycle?

And you thought that lesson would never come in handy.

Bacteria, Fungi and Microbes are 'Soil Decomposers'.  Your Soil COUNTS on them for nutrient retention; your Grass COUNTS on them for good Soil.  If you wipe out ANY of those Soil Decomposers, you wipe out the nutrients with them.  They are like little factories making Minerals and Food Molecules for your Grass.  You need them.  They need you.

I always tell people that you need healthy Soil to build healthy Grass.  It's true.  The secret to healthy Soil is to stay away from things that are bad for it.  Not even ONCE should you sprinkle anything bad down on your Lawn.  It will hurt your Grass and your Soil.

Organic fertilizer doesn't get pumped right into the Grass.  It sits there for a while, dissolving slowly.  As microbes break it down, organic Nitrogen slowly turns into Nitrate (NO3).  This release of N is steady and smooth, the microbes working at a speed that depends on temperature and pH.  One thing is certain:  The entire process rests on the work of the microbes in the Soil.  If the population of microbes is low, there is no N.  If there is a good population of microbes, there is plenty of N.  This can be a problem in sterile Soil.  You start to depend on constant, intense use of Chemical fertilizer.  There are no microbes, no protozoa, no bacteria, no beneficial Fungi or insects or arthropods, no food chain, no Nitrogen Cycle.  You want to do anything you can to reverse that.

Your Soil -- This is where it all begins.  Organic Matter feeds the microbes.  They feed your Grass.  Teamwork.  No fertilizer needed.

Next question: What kind of Organic Matter?

Well, this is why you need to test your Soil.

All that aerating -- an educated guess.  Wanna bet you didn't need to do that?

What's in YOUR Soil?  Long Island Compacted Clay?  At best that's an educated guess.  You don't REALLY know what's down there.  What's the pH?  Salt content?  Iron and Phosphorous and Magnesium and Nitrogen and Potassium?  What's your Soil's Cation Exchange Capacity?

Cornell University runs one of the premier Soil testing labs in the world, and it's right here in New York State:

www.css.cornell.edu/soiltest/Soiltest.html

Get the whole works.  Follow the directions carefully.  Every decision you make will be determined by what your learn from that Soil Test.

You are the coach of your Soil.  You can manage your microbes and win the World Series.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER