When you fertilize your lawn and apply weed killers, microbial life in your topsoil is damaged and soil becomes compacted. I learned that firsthand.
I haven’t used chemical fertilizers on my lawn in years and it’s equally green and appears to have the same weeds to grass ratio as my neighbors’ lawns, who use chemicals every spring and fall.
When I first moved into the property I now own, the lawn and garden hadn’t been taken care of for a few years. I’m told that the previous owners were excellent gardeners and grew lots of flowers and vegetables and worked their lawn vigorously. But due to the owner’s declining health, the lawn had become brown, full of dirt patches and weedy in the extreme.
Grubworms are your enemy
A little research and examination showed me that the lawn was full of grubworms (Japanese beetle larvae), who’d been feasting on the untended lawn for quite awhile. Sticking a shovel into the lawn was difficult – the soil was hard as a rock, mostly compacted clay, the result of years of synthetic fertilizer applications. Weeds were also a major problem.
I began with the grubworms, lovely little creatures which live just under the turf. They burrow deeper as the weather gets colder, and if they survive the winter, start feasting on the roots of grass in the spring. In July they emerge as adult Japanese beetles, mate with others of their kind while devouring close-at-hand plants, and then start the process all over again. If your lawn is healthy, with a fully functioning ecosystem, it can handle a small amount of grubs. But this lawn was devastated.
Back then, I didn’t have a completely organic approach and I used a chemical grub killer to fix the problem fast. This didn’t work too well, as the entire neighborhood became infested with Japanese beetles that summer and the leaves of every fruit tree and rose bush were decimated. That also meant there would be more grubs. After researching an organic alternative, the following spring I applied Milky Spore, and I’ve seen very few grubs or Japanese Beetles since – definitely not enough to be of any concern.
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Turf soil fertility is key
Feeling good about the imminent demise of the grubworms, I moved on to the lawn itself. As I began to re-seed the brown spots and dirt patches with little success, it became apparent that the soil lacked fertility. It was very difficult to get grass seed to germinate in these areas – I tried many types – and when I did get it to grow, it died off in the summer heat, even with vigorous watering (probably due to the annual grass seed germinating, and not the perennial seed). Obviously, something was wrong below the surface. So I went on a mission of completely re-planting the lawn and adding soil amendments, working on just one section each year to keep things manageable. In each section, I turned the turf over, broke it up, loosened the soil below it, and added top soil and lots of composted manure. Then I seeded the fresh soil and covered it with burlap, using U-shaped pins to hold the burlap in place, watering it as needed.
Aerating your lawn is magical
After two years of performing this task each spring and fall, the lawn was better but still struggling, so I bought a manual aerator and walked it across the entire lawn, pulling thousands of plugs out and letting them decompose where they lay (this becomes excellent compost and helps to break down the thatch layer). I also added composted manure to the entire lawn and seeded it once again. Coincidentally this also addressed the weed problem, since the grass had an easier time growing and staying put once I improved the soil, and more grass equals less weeds. The manual aerator I used is great if your lawn is smaller than 1/2 acre. If you have a larger lawn, you’ll probably want to rent a mechanical aerator to save time and your back. The spike aerators you see online are of little use, as are things like “aerating shoes”. The only effective aerator is one that removes 1/4″-1/2″ plugs from the soil.
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I should also add that when mowing the lawn, I use a composting blade (those grass clippings are a fabulous source of nitrogen) and only cut it about 1/4″ when it’s 3 inches tall, to maintain a nice, thick lawn.
I’m now at the point where the lawn is in pretty good shape and remarkably better than when I moved in. It’s not yet perfect, but it’s getting there. A couple more seasons of aerating, spreading composted manure and seeding, and it should be where I want it. Yes, it’s been lots of hard work, but it’s worth it, knowing that kids and pets can play in the yard safely without risk of chemical exposure. I’m also not contributing to the increasing problem of fertlizer runoff in rain storms, boosting the nitrogen levels in our creeks, rivers and streams.
Using chemicals on your lawn or garden attacks symptoms, but doesn’t address the underlying problem. It also destroys sensitive biological elements in the soil which plants depend on, and upsets the soil ecosystem, which creates opportunities for pests or disease to thrive. Always feed the soil, not the plant.
Aerate your lawn, spread compost or composted manure and seed it in fall. Your lawn, the earth and your local waterways will be the better for it.
What is best fertilizer to use. Also, where do you get compost or manure for lawn. Just ordered the spores for grubs. Thanks
Gary: As we state in the article, a lawn doesn’t actually need bagged fertilizer, unless there are soil problems revealed by a soil test. Proper cutting height is critical, as is a composting blade for your mower. Compost can be purchased at most garden centers and many towns make their own and supply it free to their residents. You can also make your own compost.
How can I tell if my lawn is infested with Grub Worms? If I pull up a patch of the turf, will I be able to find some if I have an infestation problem? My lawn is not the healthiest; mostly bermuda with some crabgrass and other different types of grass. I was told by my father-in-law (who owns the house, I am renting) to fertilize all winter long.
But maybe you’re right, and I should hold off this Fall.
Nate:
Fertilizing your lawn all winter won’t do anything to fight the grubworms. In fact, it will make it worse, especially if you’re using synthetic fertilizer. The nitrogen in the synthetic will acidfy the soil, driving out everything that helps your soil maintain its biological balance which will leave the grubs plenty of room to eat as much as they like. How to tell if you’re infested: Usually, the lawn has patches of brown or completely dead spots in it, because the grubworms have been munching on the roots of the grass in those spots. That’s what they live on. I don’t know where you live, but if it’s in a cold weather region the grubs will be moving lower into the soil right about now and you won’t be able to see them unless you dig deeply. I would wait until April, then cut a one foot by one foot area of lawn two inches deep, turn it over and see if there are any grubworms underneath. An infestation of grubs will be very obvious. Please note that a small amount of grubs is completely normal and your lawn can withstand their presence if it’s healthy. Best thing to get rid of them is Milky Spore, which you put on the lawn in early spring. It’s a bacterium that infects the grubs and when they die, they infect more grubworms with the bacterium. I applied Milky Spore to my incredibly infested lawn in 2007 and they’ve been under control ever since. I’m sure that the skunk in my neighborhood has helped with their disposal as well (skunks love grubs). Milky Spore can be bought at just about any garden center. Good luck!
Along with fertilizing the next best lawn treatment is aeration. This is especially helpful with high clay content in the soil. Every time I would aerate, I would add about a half inch of a top soil and manure mix on top.
I am a farmer and growing vegetables to sell. For more efficency i use fertilizers but while using them it is important to
keep it healthy because some fertilizers contain corruptive elements so i try to read everything about fertilizers and try
to keep my product healthy. I am grateful for those who gives information about fertilizers and anyone who
uses fertliziers should read about it, i also found another good guide which should be read too i think;
I FOUND GRUB WORMS AS LARGE AS TENNIS BALLS-\COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE?
JAPANESE BEETLES ARE OUT-THEY ARE ONLY ONE FOURTH
AS BIG AS THE ONES I HAVE.
Eugene:
Hard for me to know without a picture. Did you find them in your lawn or in / near wood?
Grubs are nothing more than the larval form of beetles and there are thousands of species. If you found those big ones in a tree stump, it will morph into a beetle that feeds on wood. If you found it in your lawn, it’s not a Japanese Beetle, but some other form of beetle and will undoubtedly wreak havoc on your lawn. Grubs vary in size according to species, habitat and other factors.
I don’t know where you’re located, but before you apply any kind of control (not chemicals, please!), please check with the local extension of your nearest agricultural school/college, or an expert at a local garden center. A picture showing its size (like next to a ruler or something) and where you found it would be helpful in figuring out what you’ve got there. By the way, skunks, possums and the like love grubs, so you might want to just leave them exposed for the natural predators. They’ll probably be gobbled up in a day or two.
Did you find lots of them or just a few?
Here’s a great grub photo on flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookiecrook/102281724/
I agree with you in concept and I have tried to do several times.. but I always have too much problems with weeds..
So the question is do I want to spend more time on my flower garden or more time on my lawn.. my flower garden always wins..What I do hope is when I get all my kids off to college and I have more time .. I can spend time on both my lawn and flower garden..Power to you
Nice post – and I fully agree. Found your blog on Blotanical – hope we’ll see you around there and you’ll enjoy the site’s activities.