March 7th, 2023 by
One of the greatest barriers to a lovely, healthy lawn is an infestation of pests. Often, the first we know of their presence is when the grass starts turning brown and can be pulled out with barely any effort at all. This is because they’ve been feasting away at the tender roots of your grass under the surface and, unfortunately, by this stage, much of the damage is done and the infestation has taken a firm grip.
As with most things, prevention is always better than cure so taking proactive steps to ward off the critters you don’t want is a much better idea than waiting until you have a problem.
6 things you can do to protect your lawn against pests
Actually, the best thing you can do to prevent pests from infiltrating your lawn is not to lace it with pesticides and chemicals but to maintain your grass and take measures to improve its health, after all, there are some more desirable critters than can actually help your lawn so you don’t want to risk getting rid of those too. Alternatively here are 5 things you can do that will boost grass health and prohibit pests from moving in:
Improve drainage
Grass, of course, needs water to grow and thrive but too much water is not only counterproductive for growth but can also create conditions that certain pests like. Poor draining, waterlogged lawns are not only a pain for garden users but are also well suited to critters such as leather jackets. Leatherjackets are the grubs that hatch from crane fly (aka daddy long legs) eggs. They feed on the roots and stems of grass and cause it to die.
Enabling your soil to drain well is your best defence against these grubs, plus it will improve the look and practicality of your lawn as well. There are a few ways to do this. Firstly, you can aerate the soil to allow water to drain away better. Do this by pressing holes into the soil with a fork or an aerator tool. Secondly, you can add organic matter such as mulch and compost to improve the quality of the soil. This will also help to attract earthworms, who will do a great job of improving drainage and soil health as their tunnels create pockets and loosen the soil, their movement keeps the soil turning, and they help to decompose organic matter. These are creepy crawlies that you want in your grass!
Feed/treat
The best thing you can do to prevent pests is to equip your grass with the strength and health to resist them effectively. As well as general maintenance, which we’ll come on to in more detail, you can help it along by adding nutrients to the grass. Treatments such as iron sulphate and products containing seaweed extracts boost iron levels and make soil slightly more acidic. This allows grass to be more robust and promotes root strength. Healthy grass is then better able to fight off pests and disease and the added bonus is greener, lusher grass which will also enhance its appearance.
5 Litres Pro-Kleen Liquid Iron Sulphate and Lawn Tonic with Seaweed Extract Price: £16.96
Mow
We all know that we need to mow the grass in the spring and summer to prevent it from becoming overgrown and messy but there is a functional purpose to keeping on top of the mowing too. Cutting the grass encourages it to grow more thickly, in a similar way that pruning plants help them to sprout new buds, which blocks out weeds and makes the grass harder to wear. Shorter grass also allows sunlight and rain to penetrate the roots more effectively.
Remove weeds
Weeds aren’t just unsightly, they can be aggressive, competing with other plants for nutrients in the soil, and they attract pests who use them as a habitat and shelter. Improving grass health will help it to resist weeds to a degree but you can’t prevent them completely so it’s important to keep on top of them.
Weed killers on lawns aren’t a great idea as unless you pay the extra money for a selective weed killer most of them will kill all living plants, not just the weeds. The best thing is to pull them up as soon as you see them come through (the longer you leave them, the more established they will become). You need to get the roots as well as the leaves to prevent them from coming back so use a weed puller tool or even a screwdriver to tease the whole plant out. This will make sure that your grass doesn’t have to compete for its nutrients and leaves fewer places for pests to make their home.
Add pest predators
In nature, most creatures have some form of predator unless they’re at the top of the food chain and lawn pests are certainly not there. While birds will feed on many grubs, you don’t want to wait until they are visible, as the infestation will be firmly in the hold by then, but you can introduce a predator to the soil that will kill off pests such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs without harming the grass. They are called nematodes and they are bacterial worms. It’s probably only worth doing if you think you may have an issue and you need to use different species of nematode according to the specific pest you think you have. For example, the Steinernema Feltiae Nematode will kill leatherjackets and the Heterorhabitis Bacteriophora will target chafer grubs.
Use Pyrethrum
If it’s aphids, red mites, or lice that are causing issues for your lawn and plants then using an organic insecticide such as pyrethrum is very effective against pests and it is harmless to plants while leaving no residue. You can even use it on fruit and veg crops.
Pyrethrum 5EC 250ml Kill Aphids, Red Mite and Lice Price: £49.99
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