Infestation!

[CGW]

A small area of my garden is infested with? the grass has died and the ground is very soft to walk on, anybody any idea what it is and how to treat it?

[worgeordie]

Sounds more like a water leak under that part of the garden,

is that possible? dig a hole to see whats under there and see if it fills with water.

regards worgeordie

[CGW]

24 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Sounds more like a water leak under that part of the garden,

Sure its not a water leak, its in an area that has no water pipes, never been a problem for the past four years but now holding water, (we have had a lot of rain) surface has "round" bits of dirt all over as if something is burrowing!

[Mister T]

Lawn grubs, if not too large and area, cover with bags , cardboard or similar. Soak it thoroughly, after a couple of hours lift the covers and they will have surfaced, birds love them. Failing that, flood the ground and they will drown.

[worgeordie]

25 minutes ago, CGW said:

Sure its not a water leak, its in an area that has no water pipes, never been a problem for the past four years but now holding water, (we have had a lot of rain) surface has "round" bits of dirt all over as if something is burrowing!

The round bits of earth are worm casts,no problem and are good for the garden.

regards worgeordie

[Bob12345]

Pictures would help a ton for a topic like this.

[CGW]

41 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

Pictures would help a ton for a topic like this.

You asked ? I think Mr T is correct?

 

[Aussieroaming]

As stated lawn grubs. I used borax powder on them or ant powder

[sirocco]

Hello;

Try the "Septoria turf" ou "Septoriose"

[masuk]

4 hours ago, Mister T said:

Lawn grubs, if not too large and area, cover with bags , cardboard or similar. Soak it thoroughly, after a couple of hours lift the covers and they will have surfaced, birds love them. Failing that, flood the ground and they will drown.

yup.  sounds like cut worm.  they eat the roots.   drowning is the solution, as you suggest.

[rwill]

some types of grass don't grow well in shade either.  Is that tree causing shade in that area?

 

[CGW]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

some types of grass don't grow well in shade either.  Is that tree causing shade in that area?

 

It "was" Malay grass which usually is ok in the shade, this has been good for about four years, tree been cut right back this year so not so shady right now - mind there is not a lot of sun either! ?

[CGW]

I drowned! that area of garden today, with the help of some rain, hopefully it will get rid of them, now I know what it was can see why they decided to feed on this area, it is well drained, top of a long slope, the areas further down that become water logged when it rains, they haven't ventured into.

Thanks for the help all who posted ? 

[Greenside]

I've had trouble with this for three years and I think this year I'm making some headway.  Last year the damage was pretty bad and spreading from the previous season so I did a bit of research.

 

Broadly speaking the pests that eat the grass roots are called white grubs.  There are different species but the ones in my garden looked like this.  Dig out a rectangular section of turf on the edge of the already affected area to a depth of about three or four inches and you'll probably see some.  While you're at it, count how many are revealed and calculate the area you found them in - this gives you a benchmark of some kind to see if your treatments are working.

The bad news is that by the time the grass has gone brown, chemical treatment is less effective.  This year I started in May using Sevin (dangerous stuff so take the precautions very seriously) but we still have a lot (maybe 120m²) so I'm treating around the edge of the damage now with a double dose in the hope that will keep them confined and starving.  I think there is another chemical you can use that will get to the eggs before they turn to grubs but I missed the window of opportunity last year.

 

You may find this guide helpful and the attached pdf gives a lot more detail about what you're (we're) up against.

 

The good news is that if you resist the temptation to strip the carpet of brown grass up from the ground, there are often enough surviving roots left to mend the damage after a month or so.

 

If anyone else has been successful with major infestations and keeping them at bay over a period, please post because I'd try anything!

 

 

Very helpful info here: Turfgarass Insect & Grub Control.pdf

Edited August 1, 2018 by Greenside
Formatting

[Greenside]

CGW, how did your drowning strategy work out?

[CGW]

On 8/2/2018 at 12:22 PM, Greenside said:

CGW, how did your drowning strategy work out?

It looks a lot better thanks, grass is growing back, trying to keep off the area till it dries out somewhat, like standing in quick-sand at this time! ?