In-Ground Irrigation: Preventing In-Ground Pests

Lawn pests can be choosy customers. They prefer the lush, healthy lawns - they're high class like that! You've spent time and money on creating a fabulous lawn and now pests are creating dead patches, yellowing areas, and other problems. How can your in-ground irrigation system help prevent lawn pests?

Our inground sprinkler experts at Nutri-Lawn Irrigation Burlington have put together a short list of the lawn pests most likely to attack your lawn and solutions to eradicate them. As always, give our team a call and request expert advice or a quote if you're unsure what you're dealing with.

Grubs

June Beetles, European Chafer Grub, and the European Crane Fly are the most common lawn pests we encounter. Most healthy lawns are able to recover within a season from these infestations if caught early, but no one wants to find them in their yard.

Commonly, the damage these grubs cause are dead patches of grass in an otherwise healthy lawn. There needs to be a large infestation to cause widespread damage, but left unchecked they can spread. These grubs are voracious eaters, but because this life phase is short usually lawns have a chance to recover in the same growing season.

To diagnose this problem, lift up a small section of lawn and see what's there. You're looking for white/grey/brown, juicy, orange-segment shaped critters beneath the patches of dead grass.

I Have Grubs. Now What?

There are a few things that handicap your grass in fending off these nibbly beggars: improper mowing techniques (cutting lawn too short), poor watering practices, poor fertilization, poor drainage or soil compaction, a thatch problem, and/or too much shade are common factors that encourage grubs and disease.

A lawn already struggling with any of these things will have a harder time recovering from grub season. Grubs may be impossible to eradicate completely, but they don't have to destroy your lawn. Leave grass blades at least two inches long above the root. Ensure fertilizer is diluted according to manufacturer instructions and properly absorbed. Regular aeration prevents thatch problems and can alleviate soil compaction issues.

How Irrigation Prevents Grub Damage

Deep healthy roots recover from pest damage. It's a pretty simple solution. Over-watering encourages grass to grow shallow roots which leave the plants vulnerable to grubs and other pests. Under-watering stresses plants which makes them vulnerable to heat, stress, and pests.

An in-ground sprinkler system can be programmed to deliver just the right amount of water to different parts of your yard, take current weather and soil moisture conditions into account, and deliver water at optimal times of day to prevent mildew or evaporation. A well-programmed in-ground sprinkler system ensures that your plants receive just the right amount of water, at just the right time, to encourage deep roots to grow so your lawn grows thick and healthy. With deep roots to help your lawn withstand whatever the weather or grubs can throw at it. Request a free quote today about installing an in-ground sprinkler system for your property!