Telltale Signs Your Lawn Has a Grub Problem

July 20, 2020

There’s nothing quite like having a beautiful, healthy lawn. Homeowners tend to take pride in their lawns as they not only boost their property’s curb appeal, but also increase the quality of the time they spend outdoors. However, having a healthy lawn requires regular care. This is especially true when you consider all of the different things that can hurt the health of your lawn, such as the presence of grubs.

How to Identify a Grub

Grubs are essentially an immature form of a beetle. When they mature, they will turn into beetles. As grubs, they can do serious damage to your lawn. Beetles will lay their eggs in the middle of summer, which means that grub problems tend to emerge towards the end of summer when they begin to hatch. They can be identified by their white, C-shaped form. Grubs are about the size of your fingertip.

How to Identify Grub Damage

Grubs are actually pretty common. Most lawns will have a few grubs here or there. It’s when you find more than ten grubs in a small area that you have a serious problem. This is because grubs feed on soil. If there are too many grubs, then they can compromise the roots of your grass, thereby damaging your lawn. The following are a few signs that you have a grub infestation that’s causing serious issues for your lawn:

Spongy Areas

The first sign you have a grub problem is if you see an area of your lawn that’s spongy. If you spot a spongy area of lawn, peel the turf back to see if there’s a grub presence beneath. If you see more than five grubs in that area, then you can assume their presence is causing damage to your lawn.

Brown Patches

Brown patches are a good indication that there’s a grub problem, especially if you’ve been watering your lawn regularly. These brown patches form because grubs have destroyed the roots of your grass. Roll up the turf under these brown patches. If you see a lot of grubs, then you have your answer as to what the problem is. If you don’t see any grubs, look for the roots of the grass. If the roots are missing, then it’s probably because the grubs have destroyed them.

Loose Sod

Because grubs feed on soil, they cause the turf above them to loosen. This means that you will be able to easily lift the turf up. If you notice brown patches or spongy areas of your lawn and the turf doesn’t lift up easily, then it may be a different issue altogether that’s causing the problem. If the turf lifts easily, then it’s likely due to a grub problem.

Damaged Lawn

If you spot areas in your lawn that appear damaged as a result of wildlife digging through your soil, then you can probably trace the damage back to a grub presence. Animals such as raccoons, moles, skunks, and birds feed on grubs. This means that if they find grubs in your lawn, they will dig up the ground causing damage to your lawn as a result.

How to Protect Your Lawn Against Grub Damage

There are several ways you can protect your lawn against grub damage. You can aerate your lawn and you can apply different types of lawn treatments that will prevent the spread of grubs as well as kill off existing grubs. To take care of a grub problem in or around Ann Arbor, MI, contact  Twin Oaks Landscape to schedule an appointment today.