SWEET DREAMS

Preparing your garden for winter

As the season draws to a close there are a few basic things that we recommend be done prior to “putting your garden to bed”  for the winter. 

1. It is important to clear the leaves from your lawn.  Leaving the leaves on your lawn can smother the turf and encourage disease.
2. Cut down perennials after they have turned brown and died for the season.  Like the leaves on the lawn, leaving dead perennials standing could harbor disease. When they have been turned brown and killed by frost, cut them back and remove the debris. This gives them a fresh start in the spring.
3. Cover your perennial beds with a 2” layer of compost.  Hybrid roses and blue hydrangeas should also have a compost mound at their base.  This covering will protect them from a harsh winter.
4. Put your hoses and pots into your garage, shed or basement.  This will protect them from freezing and cracking over the winter season.
5. Make sure all your outdoor spigots are turned off ,and if possible, the water to the spigot is turned off inside the house. 
6. If you have an irrigation system, be sure to have it properly shut down and drained.
7. Water features, if not heated, should be drained, and the pump removed and stored where it won’t freeze.  If you have any outdoor landscape features that you can’t remove, cover them with a tarp.
8. Cover your outdoor grills and furniture if needed.
9. Clean your gutters.  Leaving leaves and debris in your gutters can lead to ice damming and damage to your roof.  Check that your downspouts are clear and working properly.  If you have debris filters for your downspout, be sure the are also cleared of any debris.

Got Grubs?

Trying to figure out why you have brown, dying patches in your lawn? It’s possible that you have a white grub infestation. White grubs are insect larvae that feed on the roots of sunny, well-watered lawns during the spring and fall months. They do considerable damage to the root system, causing large, brown areas of dead grass. Untreated lawns will never recover from a severe infestation.

Grubs are the C-shaped larvae of various beetles. Fully-grown larvae are one-half to three-quarters of an inch long. Early indications of grub infestation are irregular patches of dry grass, flocking birds, or entire areas of turf being torn up by raccoons, possums and skunks looking for a tasty treat. Damage can be witnessed by tugging on the grass surface. If grubs have been eating the root system, patches of turf will come up easily from the soil surface, like pulling up a corner of carpeting, and the soil will be full of grubs.

White grubs eventually turn into beetles, e.g., Japanese beetles. If you treat for grubs when they’re smaller, in late summer to early fall, they’re easier to eradicate. White grub life cycles are simple.  During summer, adult beetles fly around. Some species (like Japanese beetles) buzz about during the day, while others (like chafers) fly around at night. After these adult beetles mate, they head down into the soil to lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the tiny grubs start to feed on your lawn. This is when they’re so small you often don’t see them or their damage. During September and October, grubs continue to feed and grow. In November, grubs stop feeding and burrow down 3 to 12 inches and make winter cells. 

Once spring comes around, the grubs work their way up to your fresh springtime grass to feed on your turf’s tender roots. By this time the grubs have matured, so they can really do significant damage.

What should be done to stop these insects? Typically we recommend a grub-specific insecticide applied as soon as damage is noticed. We recommend following up with a second application at the appropriate time. An organic approach would be to apply beneficial nematodes prior to any infestation. This is not a curative option, but can be used preventively.