Read and follow all label directions on pesticides!

Ants

What can be done to control ants in the lawn?

Tempo (cyfluthrin) can be used to control ants in the lawn. These products may come in liquid or granular formulations.   Apply the treatments according to label directions. You may need to treat more than once if activity continues after the first application.

Will the ants actually damage the lawn?

If you allow the ants to continue building mounds in a particular area, eventually the grass may be killed in that area. The biggest problem is that the mounds of soil made by the ants are unsightly as well as being a nuisance in the lawn. 

Dead Spots

What causes dead spots in the lawn?

The dead spots may be caused by dog urine, white grubs or one of several lawn diseases. These disease organisms are always present in the soil but are not a problem until the grass becomes stressed.

What should be done to prevent more spots from developing?

The first thing I would do would be to determine what is causing the grass to die. It could be dog urine, white grubs or a lawn disease. If it isn't dogs or white grubs, I would take a sample up to the NDSU Plant Diagnostic Lab to find out which disease is causing the problem.

Will the grass come back in the dead areas or must we reseed it?

It would come back but it would take several years to fill back in nicely. I would recommend reseeding the dead spots with a Fusarium resistant lawn seed. This seed would be more resistant to future disease problems.

Would spraying with a fungicide help?

It may be necessary to spray with a fungicide but it is important to identify the disease first and then follow through with any cultural recommendations made by the diagnostic lab.

What type of damage do white grubs do in a lawn?

The grubs eat the roots off the grass killing patches of lawn.

How do we know if the grubs are a problem in the lawn?

If the edges of a dead patch of grass are loosened the dead piece of sod can be picked up just like a wig. Then dig a few inches into the soil and you should find the grubs.

What do the grubs look like?

The grubs are white in color, C-shaped and about an inch long when full grown with a brown head and black anal spot. The adult is known as the May or June beetle. They feed on tree leaves before laying their eggs into the soil. It takes 3 years for the grub to complete their life cycle.
 

Nightcrawlers

Can anything be done to control nightcrawlers in the lawn?

Night crawlers are very good at mixing the soil. This is good for lawns and difficult to mow around and walk on. Power raking,  or rolling with a ballast roller, or core aeration will help decrease their numbers. As of yet there is no chemicals registered for their control.

When are nightcrawlers the most active?

Usually they are most actively working the soil in the spring and fall. They benefit the lawn by loosening the soil, but are disliked because they push up mounds of soil which hardens into hard bumps on the lawn.

What can be done to knock the bumps down?

Any process of raking or dragging the lawn will break the bumps down. One of the side benefits of power raking is the knocking down of nightcrawler mounds.

Where did the nightcrawlers come from?

They tend to move at night from one yard to another. Fishermen use them as bait and don't mind having them in their backyards.

Powdery Mildew

What type of symptoms are caused by powdery mildew?

Just as the name says, the disease causes a white powdery substance on the leaves.

How is powdery mildew controlled?

Mildew can be prevented by pruning up the trees and shrubs to allow more sun and air movement. The disease can be spread around the lawn by the lawn mower. Usually the disease will go away on it's own, but if it gets real serious a fungicide may be needed.

Rust

Is rust a common lawn problem?

No, most people don’t have a problem with rust in the lawn. Rust is usually just a problem in newly planted or one year old lawns.

Why is rust a problem in the lawn this year?

All the rain we’ve had earlier in the year and the high humidity each night tends to encourage rust.

Is rust a serious problem on these lawns?

No, usually the grass will overcome the rust. Watering only twice a week in the early morning and fertilizing the grass in the fall of the year will help.

Are there any other recommendations for a lawn infected with rust?

Yes, before mowing the lawn wash the underside of the mower off with water. Rust can be spread from one part of the yard to the other by the lawn mower. Mow the areas without rust first and if possible use a bag when mowing the areas with rust.

Will a fungicide be needed to control the rust?

Usually not, but if you feel that a fungicide is needed, any one which has chlorothalonil as the active ingredient would work. These would include: Ortho multi-purpose fungicide, Daconil 2787 or Bravo.

Snow Mold

What should be done to control snow mold in the lawn?

Once most of the snow has melted away, go out and spread the rest of the snow out to encourage a faster melt. If the grass seems to be matted down go out with a fan type rake and fluff up the grass. This will cause the area to dry out and warm up quicker. If this is done the grass will usually recover from snow mold.

Can anything be done in the fall to prevent Snow Mold?

No, not really!  Applying a fungicide in the fall of the year would be a total waste of money. Cutting your lawn at the normal height in the fall and spreading out slow melting snow banks in the spring of the year are your best bet.

Voles

What can be done to help the lawn recover from vole damage?

Rake up the mounds of dead grass in the spring and the grass will come back up from the crown. Within a few weeks we won't even be able to see where the voles fed.  Usually the voles will move back out into the fields after the snow melts away. They spend the winter under the snow banks feeding on the dead grass and thatch.

Can anything be done to prevent vole damage this winter?

Reducing the vole population would be my first suggestion. Don't know of anything which will keep the voles away from your lawn. Putting something around your trees to prevent vole damage on the trunks is also very important.

This page was last updated April 2006

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