The best pest control is to plant varieties of hard grass and keep them healthy. The good news is that no chemicals are needed to prevent the larvae from harming. Typical lawn care companies kill lawn pests with poisons. The best pest control is to plant varieties of hard grass and keep them healthy with a natural grass program and good cultural practices, such as mowing and proper watering.
These organic services tip the balance in favor of good biology and keep thick grass and weeds away. When pests become a problem, we have a series of effective and all-natural remedies. Common maggot killers create a chemical layer on grass during the summer — who wants that? The good news is that no chemicals are needed to prevent the larvae from harming. Good Nature uses natural, non-toxic microorganisms, called beneficial nematodes, to prevent larvae from ruining the grass.
The best way to prevent damage caused by lawn pests is to keep your grass healthy. Healthy lawns require few, if any, pesticide applications. In addition, if the grass is under stress and a pesticide is applied, it is more likely to suffer phytotoxic damage from the pesticide itself. The UC Healthy Turf Guide, found on the UC IPM website, and the publications on turf management contained in the References provide detailed information on how to grow a healthy lawn.
Table 1 lists important cultural practices to prevent specific problems. Pests don't rely solely on food, as they also need water to survive. If your lawn has standing water, don't be surprised to see several pests partying, such as mosquitoes, ants and cockroaches. Pests need moisture to reproduce and produce more eggs.
If you keep your grass moist at all times, it won't take long to have a garden full of pests. Before pests discover that your lawn has standing water, immediately remove any water source to keep it pest-free at all times. According to a Cornelius pest expert, humidity is the environment that pests need, and if your lawn has it, you can expect these unwanted visitors to stay for a long period of time. Another way to keep your grass pest-free is to keep it healthy.
Make sure it gets the right amount of water. If it hasn't rained, be sure to give your lawn some TLC. This encourages good wildlife, which will prevent annoying or dangerous visitors from getting comfortable. The last thing you want is to create standing water for mosquitoes.
Certain insects, other invertebrates and microorganisms found naturally in lawns feed on or parasitize on grass pests. When an insect infestation on the lawn is particularly severe, the grass should break off the ground very easily, almost like rolling up a rug to show off the harmful grass pests underneath. Keep the lawnmower blades sharp and cut the grass at a cutting height suitable for that type of grass, to minimize the depletion of the food reserves needed to overcome injuries caused by insects as they grow.
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