What are the Top Typical Lawn Problems and How Do I Fix Them?

Every homeowner will eventually notice a decline in their lawn’s health. Luckily, resolving most common lawn problems is fairly simple. Let’s take a look at several common lawn problems and how to fix them, along with some preventative measures to stop similar problems from occurring moving forward.

Grubs

Grubs are basically larvae from two types of beetles, the chafer beetle and the Japanese beetle. They feed on the roots of the grass. The white cutworm-shaped grub has a C shape or crescent shape and has three pairs of legs by their brown heads. A large population of grubs will severely damage the roots of your lush green lawn resulting in wilting and dying.

Indicators:

• Irregular shaped brown patches or wilting patches
• Dull lawn browning and thin (aerial view below)
• Regularly seen skunks, gophers, and armadillos feeding in your yard feeding on grubs

How to Check for Grubs: To check for grubs use the following method. To see if grubs are in your lawn, cut the sod near the edge of a brown patch and pull on the sod. If it rolls up easily like carpeting then you most likely have grubs. The white colored grub will contrast enough with the dark soil for you to see.

Treatment:

• Pesticides: White grub pesticides and insecticides are generally ineffective and not always necessary. If you pull a piece of sod from the brown area and discover less than 10 grubs per square foot then your lawn will not need pesticide treatment and will recover on its own.
• Beneficial Nematodes: One of the safest biological treatments and control methods is beneficial nematodes. This method requires mixing a combination of Heterorhabditis nematodes with water and applying to the lawn in the fall or spring. Replanting or reseeding the lawn can occur after the application of the nematodes and several days of waiting for the nematodes to take effect.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass is an opportunistic annual grass that is adapted to grow in lawns that are mowed low and have not received fertilizer. This grass is an aggressive, fast growing, and highly adaptable grassy weed that will out compete all types of grass in your lawn. Crabgrass favors compacted soils and lawns with clay soils.

In order for you to have any success in controlling crabgrass it must be treated at the correct time. Most homeowners will apply a pre-emergent herbicide to kill the crabgrass in late spring or summer, which is too late!

Indicators:

• Noticeably thick patches growing above the turf
• Lawn full of weeds and looking shabby

Treatment:

• Corn Gluten Meal: Corn gluten meal is non-chemical and organic herbicide. You should apply corn gluten in early spring, but to be sure you should contact your local extension office to verify the correct timing, which is critical because the time of application is approximately 10 days.
• Organic Mulch: Use organic mulch on landscaping beds to shade the soil from the sun to prevent germination of crabgrass seeds.

Compacted Soil

Compacted soil can severely impact the health of your lawn. Compacted soil in every lawn tends to develop a severe hard pan, even if the soil preparation was done properly prior to establishing the lawn. The primary reason that soil compacts is high foot traffic.

Compact soil has only 10% of the voids remaining for air and water to enter, therefore no fertilizer, water, or air will make it down to the root, thereby causing root stress. This eventually weakens your lawn and provides an environment for weeds to grow.

Indicators:

• Slow root growth
• Thinning turf
• Off color or yellowed lawn
• Presence of weeds such as goosegrass, knotweed, and annual bluegrass.
• Water pooling in low spots or running off quickly in high spots.
• Shallow root systems in trees.

Treatment:

• Aeration: The best treatment for compacted soil is through lawn aeration. A professional will use a core aerator equipped with tines that penetrate the soil vertically (up and down). Other lawn care professionals use liquid aeration instead of core aeration and liquid and core aeration have different effects on the lawn.
• Overseed: After you have aerated your lawn, you should overseed with appropriate grass seed to fill in the bare or dead areas and promote healthy and vigorous lawn growth.

Yellow Nutsedge

The nutsedge is a troublesome weed. It is neither a grass nor a broadleaf weed. The sedge will grow erect stems that are the same height as the turf, but the stem of the yellow nutsedge is triangular and if you grab the base of the stem one can feel the triangular structure. The yellow nutsedge is a shiny bright greenish yellow color, develops erect stems, and grows rapidly. Yellow nutsedge reproduces via underground tubers and produces golden seedheads.

Yellow nutsedge can severely impact the health of your lawn by competing for nutrients and sunlight, and can completely eliminate vegetable gardens.

Indicators:

• Thickened and taller than the surrounding turf.
• Yellow flower heads.

Treatment:

• Hand pulling: The most environmentally-friendly method (weed control) for yellow nutsedge is to pull it when it is very small, usually in spring.
• Post Emergent Herbicides: Selective herbicides can be used. Traditional pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides that are effective against crabgrass and dandelions will not be effective on yellow nutsedge.

Moles

The mole is a burrowing animal that loves to feed on worms, grubs, and ants. Moles will burrow into the ground looking for food and often create a raised soil or zigzag pattern when digging through the upper surface when they are near the surface of the ground in the spring.

The burrowing activity of moles will destroy the root system of many plants and will ultimately destroy a healthy lawn.

Indicators:

• Unsightly patches/hole in the lawn.
• Raised ridges in the lawn.
• Area of soft or soggy soil.

Treatment:

• Trapping: The only humane method to control moles is through the use of traps. When you see raised ground, flatten the soil in the area and place a trap in the active tunnel. The trap will activate (trap the mole) when they run through the tunnel.
• Mole Barriers: You can install a chicken wire barrier (1 foot deep) around the perimeter of your lawn. Keep in mind that the barrier may not stop moles from entering your lawn, as they can dig quite deep.
• Noisemakers: Applying noisemakers (ultrasonic) or sound makers near the runs may help to repel the moles.

Brown Patches

Brown patches or irregularly shaped patches of dead grass are primarily caused by a fungal disease called Brown Patch, caused by Rhizoctonia solani. A wide variety of grasses can be affected, but the most common are: