Yes, you absolutely can apply too much GrubEx, and doing so is generally illegal, a waste of money, and can harm beneficial soil insects.
Apply GrubEx once a year. One application provides season-long preventative control against grubs.
For instant results, apply a curative chemical insecticide containing Trichlorfon (e.g., BioAdvanced 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus). When watered in, these products penetrate the soil and kill active grubs within 24 hours. For a natural alternative, spray a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water with a few drops of dish soap.
Use them in June or July to control grubs that would be damaging turf in the fall. Applying them too early will allow some of the chemical to leach through the turf or break down to the point that not enough insecticide will be there in July to control grubs.
However, while it's always best to start with preventative measures, you may need to remove the grubs already damaging your lawn. In this scenario, the best time to apply grub control in your yard will be when you see the first signs of damage. This can happen between July and September, during the grub's larvae stage.
Grass will not grow back in areas where the roots have been completely severed. Because grubs eat the root system, the dead turf will pull up like a carpet. While actively growing warm-season grasses (like Bermuda) can sometimes bounce back if roots remain, cool-season lawns require reseeding or new sod.
It is generally not recommended to apply GrubEx in the fall. GrubEx is a preventative insecticide designed to kill young, newly-hatched grubs, and applying it in the fall targets mature, fully-grown grubs that are much harder to kill.
To apply grub control granules, you'll want to mow the lawn first, as well as make sure that the lawn is dry and that there is no rain predicted for the next 24 hours. The protective equipment you want to wear for this application includes long sleeves, long pants, shoes, and socks.
Grubs are attracted to your lawn because it provides the perfect environment for adult beetles to lay their eggs. They love well-irrigated, moist soil and yards with a thick layer of thatch (dead grass and roots), as this gives larvae a rich food source as soon as they hatch.
Yes, watering in Scotts GrubEx is the most critical step to make it work. It must be thoroughly watered into the soil within 24 hours of application so the active ingredient reaches the root zone where grubs hatch.
Moist soil. Whether you over-water your lawn or have poor drainage, excess moisture creates an ideal habitat for grubs. Thatch. Beetles like to hide and lay their eggs in thick layers of grass rich in organic material so there's plenty of food for the larvae once they hatch.
The main difference is that Scotts GrubEx is a preventative treatment applied in the spring to stop grubs from hatching, while BioAdvanced offers curative treatments (like their 24-Hour killer) meant to eradicate active, feeding grubs in the summer or fall.
No, Epsom salt will not kill grub worms. While it is an excellent source of magnesium for plants, it is not an effective insecticide or pesticide for lawn grubs.
No, grubs will not go away on their own. Because they are the larval stage of beetles, the infestation will continue to spread and worsen. As they mature, they turn into adult beetles, fly out to mate, and return to lay fresh eggs in your soil.
Timing: Apply fall lawn fertilizer once between August and November, right before winter hits, six to eight weeks after the summer feeding. Apply the Scotts® Lawn Care Program fall product now if you've been following that regimen.
Yes, you can apply Grubex and regular fertilizer at the same time. Because they serve entirely different purposes (pest control versus nutrients) and both need to be watered into the soil, you can apply them on the same day or mix them in your spreader without any negative chemical interactions.
Once an outbreak has occurred, try using an insecticide. Merit or Mach-2 products prevent grubs in the egg stage. Dylox or Sevin can be used once larvae are present. If it's a new lawn, wait until it's established before applying any chemicals.
Grub worms (the larval stage of certain insects) turn into adult scarab beetles. Depending on the specific species, these plump, C-shaped soil dwellers will typically mature into Japanese beetles, June bugs, May or June beetles, or masked chafers.
Lawn grubs (the larvae of beetles) typically live for one year. However, certain species, such as May or June beetles, have life cycles that span two to three years.
Many Amish communities maintain their lawns quietly without grid electricity or standard gas engines. They typically use heavy-duty manual push reel mowers, while larger properties may use horse-drawn gang mowers, a scythe for taller patches, or sometimes small, modified gas-powered mowers depending on the specific church district.
Tenacity Herbicide — Best Lawn Weed Killer for Overseeding
Tenacity herbicide is an industry favorite for killing weeds in your lawn without killing your grass. Optimized for cool-season turf, Tenacity can be used as a pre- and post-emergent herbicide control for over 46 broadleaf weed and grass species.
Stop mowing your lawn in the fall when you experience at least 3 to 4 consecutive days of daytime temperatures below 50℉ (usually around late October or early November). When temperatures fall below 50℉, most warm-season grasses stop growing, and you can pack your lawn mower away until spring next year.
Preventive grub control products like GrubEx1 or BioAdvanced Season Long work best in June and July, when grubs are just beginning to hatch. By October, however, grubs are fully grown and actively feeding near the surface, so you'll need curative treatments designed to target mature grubs.
For fall Grub infestations, apply a pesticide that's labeled for Grub control and contains the active ingredient trichlorfon (Dylox) or carbaryl. (The active ingredient is listed on the front of the packaging.)
Whether it is too late to apply Scotts GrubEx depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Because GrubEx is a preventative product (meant to stop eggs from hatching) rather than a curative one, timing is everything.