Dear Ian
I have a problem on my lawn. The grass is going yellow and brown in large patches. I feed and cut it regularly but there are a few rushes on it. Is the soil too wet? Regards F. T. Templemoyle
Reply
If only things were that simple. The lawn is probably a bit on the wet side but this is only the start of the problem. It sounds to me as though you have a bad case of leather jackets; these are a 1-inch long, grey or brown legless grub. In poorly drained soil or after a wet autumn as we had, they can be a real nuisance. Crane flies (Daddy long legs) lay their eggs in the soil in late summer, usually in the turf or as in my case last year, inside pots in my tunnel. These hatch out into the grubs that cause the damage by eating the roots of the grass. This results in the yellowing of the leaves and eventually death for the plant. You will probably see a lot of activity from starlings on your lawn too as they try to dig up the pests.
CURING THE PROBLEM
I was talking to someone last week that sprayed his lawn with a chemical that made the leatherjackets come to the surface of the soil. The dead pests were then swept up. He collected enough of the leatherjackets to fill a large plastic carrier bag from Dunne’s! I’ve forgotten the name of the product so you will have to ask at the garden centre, The Co-Op sells it as well. Alternatively you could try the natural method. Improving the drainage of the soil will help to keep them down. Another method would be to water an area and cover it with plastic sheeting overnight. In the morning you can lift the sheeting to expose the pests. Leave them on the ground for the birds to feast on or start sweeping them up.
I have a problem on my lawn. The grass is going yellow and brown in large patches. I feed and cut it regularly but there are a few rushes on it. Is the soil too wet? Regards F. T. Templemoyle
Reply
If only things were that simple. The lawn is probably a bit on the wet side but this is only the start of the problem. It sounds to me as though you have a bad case of leather jackets; these are a 1-inch long, grey or brown legless grub. In poorly drained soil or after a wet autumn as we had, they can be a real nuisance. Crane flies (Daddy long legs) lay their eggs in the soil in late summer, usually in the turf or as in my case last year, inside pots in my tunnel. These hatch out into the grubs that cause the damage by eating the roots of the grass. This results in the yellowing of the leaves and eventually death for the plant. You will probably see a lot of activity from starlings on your lawn too as they try to dig up the pests.
CURING THE PROBLEM
I was talking to someone last week that sprayed his lawn with a chemical that made the leatherjackets come to the surface of the soil. The dead pests were then swept up. He collected enough of the leatherjackets to fill a large plastic carrier bag from Dunne’s! I’ve forgotten the name of the product so you will have to ask at the garden centre, The Co-Op sells it as well. Alternatively you could try the natural method. Improving the drainage of the soil will help to keep them down. Another method would be to water an area and cover it with plastic sheeting overnight. In the morning you can lift the sheeting to expose the pests. Leave them on the ground for the birds to feast on or start sweeping them up.
Horticultural.
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