So in continuation of my lawn-being-tore-up thread that ended up getting locked because of too many snarky comments about killing animals (thanks guys ) I did a bunch more research and it appears that while some squirrels are doing their thing, the majority of my lawn damage is from critters coming out at night (skunks, raccoons etc) and digging for grubs.

Does anyone have any experience with these granular grub control products like Scott's GrubEx1?

I'm a bit leery of applying anything on my own as I had a very bad experience with putting down fertilizer in July of 2018 (I had no clue what I was doing and severely burned my lawn) so should I have Lawn Doctor do it? They come several times a year and do fertilizer, pre-emergent etc. Or would this be easy enough to do myself?

I have the tell-tale turf pulling up like carpet and it looked like this in my back yard in one section:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PASig,

This is what you need to use.
Widely available (Home Depot, Lowes, anywhere that sells lawn stuff).
Easy to use, just follow the label.

http://www.spectracide.com/pro...-lawns-granules.aspx

Edit to add - looks like you have armadillo problem to me.

Milky Spore is a natural bacteria that kills grubs. When the grub dies and decomposes, it releases more spores. What’s not to like.

quote:

Originally posted by dusty3030:


Edit to add - looks like you have armadillo problem to me.

That's not my lawn, just an example of what i saw last week, not quite to the extent of that but rooted up looking and grass coming up in sheets like it was just sitting on top of the soil.

Looks like my lawn after an Armadillo attack. Or feral hogs

Grubs are dormant this time of year. They are still there but sleeping until spring when they eat like crazy, lay eggs which then hatch into June bugs and the cycle continues. Merit (Bayer product) is the most effective, but it is best applied in mid spring or early summer when the little buggers are active. You can try some of the other products but this time of year they will work some but not at their best which is spring summer.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
Grubs are dormant this time of year. They are still there but sleeping

Which is why these critters are going crazy trying to dig them up and eat them I guess?

I've used GrubEx. Used it late this spring. It seems to do the trick. But you have to apply it in late spring to early summer. That's the only time it works. So, sorry, but you're out of luck this season.

And, if you have a grub problem this season, odds are you'll have it every season. Problem is, as you've discovered, often you don't know you have a grub problem until it's too late to address it. So, if you really want to maintain a nice lawn, I'm afraid the only solution is to put grub control down every season, as a preventative measure.

(You might get away with every-other-season. That's up to you.)

quote:

Originally posted by JWF:
Milky Spore is a natural bacteria that kills grubs. When the grub dies and decomposes, it releases more spores. What’s not to like.

Milky spore is good for longer lasting grub control. It can take a year or two to reach full effect, but it works well and potentially lives in the soil for many years.

- Bret

I have been using GrubX for two years now and its the only thing that has worked very well. I apply it every three months.

My soil is sandy and moles tunnel everywhere killing grass and fluffing up the soil going after the grubs.

I have been fighting this issue since the mid 1980’s when we bought this home. I was trying to use the end of hose sprayers that kill grubs and every kind of bug and it helped but just never worked as well as the grubx granular applied every three months.

I've decided to give the Scott's GrubEx1 a try and do you think it would be OK to apply it now and then again in late March or early April 2020?

I realize I'm way past the window for the ideal application time, but it can't hurt to put it down now to get a head start for next year, right?

It says it lasts 4 months at an application.

As far as repairing the holes, just let them heal on their own or should I be trying to patch them and reseed?

My front lawn looks like someone just drove a core aerator back and forth 10 times.

There is a product that is supposed to kill grubs overnight - Bayer Advanced 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus. I have not tried it myself though but may be worth checking out and reading the instructions, as it may need to be watered in, etc and reviews. Good luck as grubs can be a PIA.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bi...les-700740/202019111

I would go ahead with the GrubX now and get a head start on the process.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I've decided to give the Scott's GrubEx1 a try and do you think it would be OK to apply it now and then again in late March or early April 2020?

I realize I'm way past the window for the ideal application time, but it can't hurt to put it down now to get a head start for next year, right?

It says it lasts 4 months at an application.

As far as repairing the holes, just let them heal on their own or should I be trying to patch them and reseed?

My front lawn looks like someone just drove a core aerator back and forth 10 times.

I patched my lawn up the best I could by rearranging the ripped up sod so it again covered surrounding bare spots where it looked to belong and it came out pretty good the next spring. It would not hurt to put some seed down but I did not. I also fertilized in the spring.

Maybe your lawn is infested with mole crickets.
Did you lay new turf that could have been infested?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I've decided to give the Scott's GrubEx1 a try and do you think it would be OK to apply it now and then again in late March or early April 2020?

It won't do anything for you, but if you're in to throwing money away: Sure, why not?

I use Milky Spore. One application gets you 8-10 years of no grubs. It's not poisonous to pets or humans.

Grub X isn't going to work for you now. The grubs need to be actively feeding in spring / summer. As said above it would be a waste of money.

The pyrethrin (TRIAZICIDE I listed in my first post) or the organophosphate (grumpy1 listed a link above) kill on contact whether the grub is active or not. They will kill all insects that come in contact with it so they are not selective.

That is almost certainly raccoon damage. Grub control may work but I might have a better approach. Try critter ridder. It is a blend of pepper and capsaicin and drives their noses crazy. Keeps them out of garbage and lawns. A combination of both critter ridder and grub control would be most effective. Getting rid of just the grubs wont stop them from digging up earth worms.

quote:

Originally posted by dusty3030:
The pyrethrin (TRIAZICIDE I listed in my first post) or the organophosphate (grumpy1 listed a link above) kill on contact whether the grub is active or not. They will kill all insects that come in contact with it so they are not selective.

Including earthworms, which are beneficial? What about desirable insects that come in contact with it on the surface, such as butterflies, dragonflies and bees?