My lawn is dying- help!

snowstreams

My front lawn has now started dying too. 
It was previously my last bit of good grass. 
Must have had about 30 rooks on it yesterday eating the leatherjackets. 

So I've ordered 200sqm worth (spring dose) of nematodes to try out this week once the frost is finished. 
Hopefully they will stop the lawn getting any worse before its also irrecoverable.

dos30

dos30 wrote: »

$41 delivered and should cover 2 acres.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BWVUR6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Will tell you if it gets through customs in 2 weeks time.

Got through customs no problem anyway, so will be applying it in the Autumn.

snowstreams

I applied my nematodes last night. They arrived yesterday and they recommend apply as quick as possible to ensure they dont die.
I watered them in with about 30 watering cans full, but I will get a wider nozzle for my napsack sprayer in autumn to apply them that way.
Also its best to apply them during damp weather to wash them off the grass leaves, but its been a bit dry lately, so i watered them with a hose after too.
They were definitely still alive when I applied them anyway because I put them under my kids microscope.
There was no chance to see them with the naked eye, they just looked like a cous cous or powder mix.




At 100x zoom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HS_kwtBC-8

At 200x zoom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPo7Q45klHA

facebeard

Hi,

I have been keeping a curious eye on this thread as I noticed a corner and some edges of my lawn having little growth. The last few days starlings have been going mad eating what I taught was worms but it's the leatherjacket. I was wondering if there's any walk in garden centers that sell Nematodes ?, someone earlier in this thread mentioned Mr.Middletons can anyone verify this ? Thanks

jomalone14

facebeard wrote: »

Hi,

I have been keeping a curious eye on this thread as I noticed a corner and some edges of my lawn having little growth. The last few days starlings have been going mad eating what I taught was worms but it's the leatherjacket. I was wondering if there's any walk in garden centers that sell Nematodes ?, someone earlier in this thread mentioned Mr.Middletons can anyone verify this ? Thanks

Just saw online that they can be bought from the following:

SuperNemos can be purchased from the following outlets:

Johnstown Garden Centre
Arboretum
Horkans
Killarney Garden Centre
QuickCrop

Hope this helps.

Over the weekend I transplanted my tomato plants from pots into large containers. I am growing them in a small polytunnel type greenhouse. At the entrance to the polytunnel Ive noticed that there has been a few leatherjackets lying under the plastic. Ive just killed them and carried on.

I did notice that some of my tomato and cucumber plants, in small pots, were doing poorly. Upon transplanting them I found leatherjackets within the pots. I removed them and planted them. They did succeed in killing some plants too.

Im concerned though as Im using fish boxes to grow the tomatoes in, which have drainage holes in the base. If the leather jackets were able to get through the drainage holes in flower pots they will easily get through these too. I didnt think that leatherjackets attacked tomato plants but from my plants it is obvious that they do.

Ive read this thread and there seems to be confusion about when to apply nematodes. Is it ok to do so now at this time of the year? I want to act now as Im afraid they will end up in my raised beds too. My lawn is more weeds than grass so not to concerned.
How many nematodes would I need for 1/4 acre area?

Many thanks

snowstreams

Hi torment. You can apply nematodes now but you will need a higher concentration of them to be successful. You will need a lot for a quarter acre though at this time of year. Roughly 500million of them. That would cost well over 100 Euro to buy. Maybe just buy enough for your pots?

Thanks Snowstreams.

I've sent off a few emails to Horkans, Mr Middleton and Quickcrop to see who is selling them.

facebeard

I rang Middleton's on Saturday, They only sell them when they can be applied which means September/October and they have to be ordered in at that time. Johnston Garden center doesn't sell them at the minute either. The birds have been picking them off my back lawn but I think I need to try the method of putting black polythene down and picking them up myself or letting the birds at them.

facebeard

Hi Snowstream, where did you manage to buy your Nematodes from ?

snowstreams

I got them from a UK site https://www.mitemunchers.co.uk/
They shipped the nematodes with a coolpack and they arrived alive and well after checking them in a microscope. 
I dont know how effective they will be at this time of year, particularly because it is so dry. But my garden has about 40 crows in it daily and the grass is dying fast. 
I treated only one area with them at the front of the house. Its more of an experiment that anything for now.
I'll do a full dosage at the end of september. 
From my little test, I think a sprayer with a large nozzle is the best way to spread them. and to possibly put wall paper paste in the water with the nematodes to stop them from settling in the spray solution. 
Then water them in afterwards with a sprinkling hose.

facebeard

Thanks snowstream. Might try and order them for this week, I don't want to be waiting till September without trying something.

snowstreams

facebeard wrote: »

Thanks snowstream. Might try and order them for this week, I don't want to be waiting till September without trying something.

Good luck with them face beard. You will need a stronger dose at this time of year to kill the more mature leather jackets. You can use parcel motel or addressPal to get that delivery from the UK more cheaply if your only buying a small amount of nematodes.

prinzeugen

Leather jackets only exist in the Autumn. That is when you get lawn damage. Just raking up the leaves would solve that in no time.

Any problems now are more likely to be Vine Weevil grubs. Especially in pots.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?PID=234

Get the green windbreaker or fine netting, soak it at night and go out first thing and kill the adults in the net.

Vine weevil grubs are white. These are grey/brown and are leather jackets.

snowstreams

Here is a photo of one from my garden 3 weeks ago. 
They identified it as a leatherjacket on the nature forum for me. Im fairly certain they are leatherjackets. 
They might be some prevalent this year due to the mild winter?

magicbastarder

prinzeugen wrote: »

Leather jackets only exist in the Autumn.

similar to snowstream's experience, i have found leatherjackets in the last couple of weeks.

exaisle

According to the RHS you'll get them from Feb to Oct.

Attracting birds to the garden might do you good...again according to the RHS, "Crows, magpies, rooks and starlings" are natural preditors of leatherjackets.

And next time you see a daddy long legs, nuke the f**ker!

snowstreams

Is anyone here treating their lawn at the moment with nematodes?
Its probably the best time of year now to treat it with them.

I nearly forgot about them since my lawn recovered during july, but I have started to see the crows back at my lawn the last few days!

KFed

snowstreams wrote: »

Is anyone here treating their lawn at the moment with nematodes?
Its probably the best time of year now to treat it with them.

I nearly forgot about them since my lawn recovered during july, but I have started to see the crows back at my lawn the last few days!

Hi there,

I started this thread way back when my lawn first started being destroyed. I applied the nematodes in april may a couple of times and despite being, out of season, i did find they made a big improvement. I also dug up a few sq metres to pick them out and ended up reseeding and re turfing in places as the lawn was just bare earth. I also had starlings on a daily basis picking off the leatherjackets which may have helped some but they did their own damage to the laen also.

Now that its gotten to september and the lawn is in reasonable shape after a summer of hard work and t.l.c. i can see several places where its under stress again. Not certain that it is leatherjackets again, but presume it is, so i applied nematodes last week for the first application of the month. I plan to treat the lawn fortnightly now woth nemasys for september and october as a preventive/pro actuve approach to try and stop anything becoming established.


Id highly recommend nemasys anyway. I applied several times, out of season really, when i initially had the problem and it did help. Mine was very badly damaged and the pests well established but have no doubt the nemasys helped in slowing them down firstly and culling the numbers.

Im hopjng applying now in the sweet spot of the life cycle that i wont have a problem this winter into spring but time will tell i suppose.

Best of luck with your lawn...