Found a lawn with much Leatherjacket damage. Often the damage is more from the animals digging for a midnight snack than it is from the feeding due to the leatherjackets.
Showing posts with label crane fly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crane fly. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
LeatherJacket Damage to Lawns in March
Friday, August 12, 2011
Animals Digging in the August Lawn
Several people have called about animals digging in their lawns the past couple of weeks. They say the lawn has been torn up and has holes in it. Many times they will call and say that they think they have grubs.
At this time of year, it is still a bit early for white grubs.
If I ask them what the holes look like, most people describe it as a neat hole about the size of a golf ball. The ones I have seen are nicely cleaned out with not dirt crumbs to be seen. These holes an 1 1/2 inches around are an indication of leatherjackets.
While it is possible to see white grubs at this time of year, generally they are very small. This indicates that they are very recently hatched. Skunks and raccoons are harvesting leatherjackets right now because the leatherjackets are at what I call their pre-Thanksgiving size. Just like turkeys are harvested just before Thanksgiving, so the animals are harvesting the leatherjackets when they are at their largest size.
The baby white grubs are not worth digging for. Let them feed on the lawn for a few weeks- we can come back later when they have put on some fat.
Leatherjackets are the larvae of the adult Crane Fly.
At this stage, we don't recommend treatment. The leatherjackets are not feeding or damaging lawns. They will soon pupate and turn into adults. The adult Crane Fly looks like a giant mosquito. They don't hang around very long. They mate and the females lay eggs.
If you see a multitude of the adults, then a control application this fall or next spring may be worthwhile. This treatment is done once the eggs have hatched into larvae. The adult is hard to treat since it is a flying insect. Insect eggs are hard to control. The larvae are the easiest stage to control.
Think positive. The animals are getting rid of the leatherjackets, so that's a plus. Just put a bit of soil and some grass seed in the holes.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Leatherjacket adult = Crane Fly
#lawncare
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Fall Lawn Tasks
a List of things to do in the Autumn for your lawn
- Seeding thin, bare and weak spots
- Seeding areas where crabgrass is prevalent to help crowd it out next year
- Seeding the lawn overall to increase its density
- Topdressing to improve soil conditions
- Fall is a good time to aerate the lawn- do it along with seeding and/or topdressing
- Soil tests can help determine what nutrients are lacking
- Add horticultural lime to areas of acidity (eg under evergreens)
- Rake moss away and seed
- Fertilize now for winter hardiness and better spring colour
- Continue to mow regularly at 3 inches high
- Lower the mowing height for the last cut to prevent winter diseases
- Watch for insects- white grubs- damage will be visible now.
- Watch for crane fly adults- an indication of future problems with leatherjacket (larvae)
- Chinch bugs - are around but not for long
- Remove fallen leaves from trees before the snow comes
- Think about pruning trees to allow more light into shady areas
- Apply gypsum to areas that may be subject to salt damage -near roads, walks, etc.
Call a Lawn Care professional to set up a Lawn Program for this fall and next spring.
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have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Awards Vote Sept 16-25
Thanks to all who nominated us in the Hamilton Spectator 2009 Readers' Choice Awards in the Lawn Service Category. From September 16 through 25 you can vote for us as the Finalists are chosen. At www.thespec.com Thanks for voting for us. Still finding lots of Crane Flies. Some call them Daddy long legs. They look like Giant Mosquitoes. If you are finding a lot of these adults . . . . we recommend treating this fall. Crane Flies females can lay up to 300 eggs. These eggs will hatch in a couple of weeks and start feeding on lawns. They nibble on roots, stems and crowns. Here is an article from the UK where it is a huge pest. Not all of it applies, but it does give more information. September is the time to thicken the lawn with Overseeding . Fall is nature's seeding season for grasses. Spring is also a good time, but is always second best. There are several ways to seed the lawn. One way is to truck in a lot of soil to topdress the areas you want to seed. After adding the soil, sprinkle the grass seed, then rake lightly. Keep well watered and moist for 2 weeks. Another method that we generally favour is to do a core aeration first. Then apply high quality grass seed. When grass seed falls in the holes, it has a better chance of growing than seed that just sits on the surface. In the holes, it is less likely to dry out. It is better protected from the birds, too. And aerating and overseeding is a lot less expensive than moving a lot of soil. Better to use our Top OM Dry Topdress. This method uses materials that have been dried out. By drying out the material, there is a lot less moisture. It is less water to transport. And it can be applied with a spreader. This keeps the cost down. The lawn gets all the goodness of the OM (organic material) without the weight of the water. We are also seeing some Rust Fungus Disease at this time of year. I drove down one street. This lawn (not a customer's) was so heavily infested, the lawn had a big patch of orange in one corner. Maybe it was just the way the sun was facing, but it was very noticeable. Normally, it is not that noticeable until you have walked across an infected lawn and you notice that your white running shoes are all orange. The spores from the fungus will easily come off onto your shoes. Please call or email if we can be of any help. See our web site www.hamilton.turfking.ca
Top dressing is a great way to improve the soil conditions in a lawn. Turf King has a new method of applying a top dressing that is less costly than the traditional way. When you get a load of soil to topdress the lawn, you are paying for a lot of moisture in that soil. It makes the load you get bulkier. Then you need to move the soil plus the moisture to the back yard.
Thankfully, Rust disease is rarely fatal. The weather conditions have a big part to play in causing this problem. Normally, we recommend raising the mowing height and if needed apply some fertilizer to help the lawn grow past the problem.Gerry Okimi
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Crane Fly Adults Emerging
Our technicians are finding loads of Crane Fly adults. And so are the customers. Certainly all the rain we had earlier this year has probably increased the likelihood of the larvae surviving the heat and drought of the summer.
The Crane Flies can be a nuisance as they flit and fly around, often by the hundreds. They do not live very long. Mostly to mate and lay eggs.
Those eggs soon hatch into larvae. The larvae of the Crane Fly is called a leatherjacket. These leatherjackets feed on the roots, stems and crowns of grasses. Enough of them and the lawn can be severely damaged.
Call now for treatment. Turf King Lawn Care
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