Lawn grass can come back after grub damage, but it depends on how severely the roots were eaten. If the grass pulls up easily like a carpet, the roots are dead and you will need to reseed the bare spots. If the grass is still green and rooted, it can recover with proper care.
Curative Treatments: Late summer to early fall (August – September). Kills on contact, so it's effective at this stage with grubs feeding near the surface. Applying too late (past October) can give pests time to bury deep for the winter and escape. Too early (June – July) can miss late hatchers.
In addition to fertilization and aeration, overseeding is another important step in helping your lawn recover from grub damage. Overseeding involves spreading grass seed over your existing lawn to fill in bare patches and thicken your turf.
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.
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.
To prevent grubs from infesting your lawn, the best time to treat the area with insecticides is late spring or early summer. For active infestations, you should treat your lawn in early fall.
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.
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.
To safely eliminate lawn grubs without harsh synthetic chemicals, use beneficial nematodes or natural biological agents like Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). These eco-friendly, non-toxic solutions protect your soil and are perfectly safe for your family, pets, and beneficial pollinators like earthworms.
Apply and Activate: Walk at a steady pace to apply the granules to a dry lawn. Then, just water it in to get the product down into the soil where grubs live.
Severe lawn damage from grubs can completely destroy your turf's root system. When this happens, the grass will easily pull up like lifting carpet or new sod. In many cases, this kills the grass — so ideally, you want to get control of your grub problem before it reaches this stage.
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.
Key Takeaways. Stop mowing your lawn in the fall when temperatures consistently drop below 50°F for warm-season grasses or 40°F for cool-season grasses. Typically, these temperatures occur from late October to early November in northern regions and early to mid-December in southern regions.
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.
Grub damage to lawn is also caused by birds, skunks, armadillos, raccoons or moles are tearing up your lawn —they eat Grubs and are trying to uncover them. These animals also dig and eat Earthworms, so confirm Grubs are present before pursuing any treatment. Your turf has become spongy.
Grubs (the larval stage of scarab beetles) turn into adult beetles. The exact species depends on the type of grub, but they most commonly mature into:
Curative products with active ingredients, such as trichlorfon, are designed to kill grubs at any stage of development. If you've had grub problems the previous year and expect them this year, a preventative insecticide like one containing chlorantraniliprole or imidacloprid can be effective.
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.
Effective lawn grub control requires choosing between preventive and curative treatments based on the season. Apply preventive products (e.g., Scotts GrubEx) in late spring or early summer to stop newly hatched grubs, or use curative treatments (e.g., [BioAdvanced 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus](https://www.homedepot.com/p/BIOADVANCED-10-lb-24-Hour-Grub Killer-Plus-Granules-700740A/202021495)) to eliminate active, root-munching grubs.
An infestation of lawn grubs is generally considered to be 10 or more grubs per square foot. While a few grubs are normal, a population of 5 to 10 per square foot suggests a developing problem, while over 10 indicates a severe infestation requiring immediate action to prevent significant turf damage.
The "150 Rule" in lawn care is a temperature-based formula used to predict two main events: the onset of rapid turf growth in the spring and the danger zone for fungal diseases in the summer.
Grubs are most active during two periods:
Skunks and raccoons actively forage for white grubs, using their keen sense of smell to locate pockets of larvae beneath the sod. When grubs are available near the surface, repeated nighttime visits are common until the food source is depleted.
Yes, grubs (the larvae of beetles) are very bad for your lawn if their population gets out of hand. While a few grubs are completely normal, large numbers live in the soil and feed directly on grass roots, cutting off your lawn's ability to absorb water and nutrients.