There's more to buying the right seeds and fertilizer in the pursuit of a perfect lawn and garden. One of the most important factors in creating a lush and healthy landscape is learning to work in harmony with the creatures that already call that land home- and knowing which ones to send packing.
Georgia has quite a selection of pests in residence; everything from weevils like billibugs, which feed on grass roots to destroy a lawn in irregular patches, to mole crickets, which burrow beneath the ground and dry it out, to white grubs, another root eater, to sod webworms, which chew leaves and grasses ragged with a voracious appetite.
Each of these insects can ruin a lawn in record time. Whenever possible, it's best to prevent their spread before they get a chance to settle in. spittlebugs and chinch bugs make their home in a lawn's thatch, the layer of dead stems, leaves, roots and other lawn effluvia that settles between the lawn and the earth below. These pests are responsible for sudden, random patches of brown grass and an unpleasantly squishy texture to the ground beneath.
At the beginning of summer each year, treat your lawn to a deep, vigorous raking with a thatch rake- or if you have a particularly large lawn, rent a power dethatcher to do the trick. Once you've treated the whole lawn- and it will initially look terrible- rake up the dislodged thatch and dispose of it. Water and feed your lawn, and if you're really anxious for a new coat of green, reseed. In three to four weeks, your lawn will look richer and fuller, and it will be free of thatch-loving insects.
Another way to maintain a healthy lawn and garden is to encourage the propagation of beneficial insects. Without a single chemical, they can reduce the numbers of nuisance insects in the average Georgian lawn and garden. Assassin bugs like praying mantids feed on a variety of insects, bigeyed bugs can keep your gardens and orchards free of mites, aphids and caterpillars, lacewings are called aphid lions for a reason, ground beetles will devour slugs and snails, minute pirate bugs thrive on insects and their eggs, and spined soldier bugs will happily patrol your perennial beds.
The easiest way to fill your lawn and gardens with these beneficial species is to order some! Many outlets online will ship insect larvae or adult specimens to your home, or you can inquire at your local lawn and garden center. Make sure to follow their instructions to ensure that you get the most bug for your buck.
Prevention is wonderful, but if you suspect that lawn pests have already moved in, there are two easy ways to test for their presence. The first method is flotation, which is ideal for detecting a chinch bug infestation. Take an empty coffee can and cut off the bottom. Dig this into the ground about two or three inches, and fill with water. Make sure to keep the water level above the grass level, and wait. If you do have an infestation, chinch bugs will float to the surface. It's best to perform this test in several suspected spots to verify the results.
The second method is irritation, which can help you identify infestations of mole crickets, cutworms, armyworms, and sod webworms. Mix an ounce of dish soap with a gallon of water, and pour it over the lawn. The dish soap won't damage your lawn, but it will irritate pests, making them scramble to the surface. The University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences suggests lemon dish soap is especially effective with the irritation method.
Once you've confirmed the infestation, you need to select the pesticide that best suits the time of year and your lawn. Granular pesticides work more slowly than spray pesticides, and both of those work best in the summer, as opposed to bait pesticides, which work best in the spring and fall. Make sure to follow the instructions exactly, or you risk damaging the very lawn or garden that you're attempting to save.
If you're uncomfortable attempting to treat your own lawn, you can also consider one of the many lawn treatment companies that specialize in pest control. They'll be able to offer advice on the best treatment strategies to guarantee the best possible results.
Though Georgia has a hardy and interesting mix of local arthropods, with prevention and close attention, you can prevent these pests from ruining your lawns and gardens, and who wouldn't want to enjoy a beautiful summer day surrounded by a lush and healthy landscape?
