My Garden Wants to Know ... Getting Rid of Grub Worms Without Pesticides???
This week I was busy weeding my peony and lilly garden and was finding a lot of those grubby Grub worms.
I hate to use pesticides for our three dogs play in our back yard all of the time. I also hate to use pesticides for it is harmful to the birds that frequent and enjoy our yard.
I visited a gardening center and asked some questions about this grubby Grub worm.
First the Grub worm is the larvae of the beetles or what we call June bugs. Those bugs with the really hard shell covering.
Grub worms feed on plant roots and can really place a garden at risk.
I asked this master gardener if there were ways to remove grub worms using a natural approach. I told him that I had been picking them out of the soil and putting them in the bird feeders.
Here is the information that he shared.
· Plant several plants in your gardens that deter beetles from visiting and laying their eggs in the soil. The plants that he recommended were… snapdragons, lilies, nasturtiums, bleeding heart, carnations and lilacs.
· Hang a bird feeder near the garden to attract birds. The birds will eat the beetles and grubs as they emerge from the soil.
· Apply milky spore to the garden soil. The spores seek out Grubs and infect them causing the Grubs to die out. He reminded me that applications must be consistent and will take at least 3 years to kill off all Grubs.
· Add parasitic nematodes to the garden soil. These are small worms that infect and kill Grubs.
After much consideration I have decided to start with the plants that deter beetles as well as place a bird feeder by the garden where I was finding the grubby Grub worms.
It is amazing the things I learn when I visit a garden center.
Judith Parker, CRS, GRI
ProStead Realty
704-241-8830
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