HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod...

Nick710 5/29/2022, 9:25 am

After weeks of planing and acquiring the mm ingredients, I thought i was getting close to actually planting my raised bed garden. I've assembled the bed, leveled them and removed the sod under them. However I unfortunately found grubs, lots of them. That is more likely my major lawn issue and why my lawn looks horrible. So now i don't know what to do. I feel i need to remediate it before i fill the beds with my wonderful soil. I however don't know what kind of grubs they are, so to use milky spores, or nematodes, or good old chemicals.....which doesn't seem like a good option as i wanted an organic garden, but i would be 16-17 inches below the surface..... What are peoples experiences and suggestions on what i should do? Sad

HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod... Img_5410

HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod... Img_7113

HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod... Img_7112

OhioGardener 5/29/2022, 9:48 am

Beneficial Nematodes are the best solution if you know what type of grub you are targeting, but since you don't know that it isn't a really good option. However, there is an equally good solution which gets rid of all the grubs in the lawn or garden. It is called grubGONE, and is somewhat expensive but very effective both immediately and long term. It is Btg (Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae) which is a natural bacteria that only affects grubs and is harmless to earthworms, and beneficial insects. I don't use any chemical pesticides, and found this a great alternative to maintain organic gardens.

https://growitnaturally.com/products/grubgone

Nick710 5/29/2022, 12:01 pm

Thank You for your suggestion! I ordered some grubGone for my lawn and garden.

I was thinking that i would treat the soil in the bed with a healthy dose of grubGone, then cover with a layer of cardboard, then add the new soil mix to the raised beds. And also put down grubGone around the beds and on my lawn.

Do you feel that is too fast to fill the beds and plant? I honestly wanted to plant tomorrow, but i feel i should not fill the beds until i at least attempt to remediate the issue.

OhioGardener 5/29/2022, 12:22 pm

Nick710 wrote:Do you feel that is too fast to fill the beds and plant? I honestly wanted to plant tomorrow, but i feel i should not fill the beds until i at least attempt to remediate the issue.

I would wait until the grubGONE or beetleGONE has been applied to make sure the grubs have been neutralized. As soon as the grubs come in contact with the Btg (Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae) it paralyzes their digestive tract and they will no longer be able to damage plant roots.

Unfortunately, since tomorrow is a holiday, that will delay shipment by one day. Otherwise, the company usually has very fast shipping.

jbarberdoyle 6/6/2022, 12:18 pm

As with all biopesticides, care should be taken.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31240825/

OhioGardener 6/6/2022, 2:49 pm

jbarberdoyle wrote:As with all biopesticides, care should be taken.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31240825/

GrubGONE and BettleGONE (Btg) applied to the soil affects selected grubs, and does not affect caterpillar larva, such as Monarch butterfly larva. If Bt is sprayed on plants it will kill butterfly and moth larva, and it should never be sprayed on Milkweed plants.

neefer 6/7/2022, 12:52 am

We added diatomaceous earth to our raised beds, and it has made a huge difference. When we discovered the grubs, they were so numerous that every spadeful had 2 or more. Now I find 1 or 2 when I double dig them (which I do to get the tree roots out).

Diatomaceous earth at Oregon State: diatomaceous earth info.

Soose 6/11/2022, 11:25 am

neefer wrote:We added diatomaceous earth to our raised beds, and it has made a huge difference. When we discovered the grubs, they were so numerous that every spadeful had 2 or more. Now I find 1 or 2 when I double dig them (which I do to get the tree roots out).

@Neefer, do you mean you sprinkled it on the surface? Or mixed it in? (Doesn't it lose effectiveness once it gets wet? Which I assume it would if mixed in. )

OhioGardener 6/11/2022, 2:25 pm

Soose wrote: (Doesn't it lose effectiveness once it gets wet? Which I assume it would if mixed in. )

Yes, it does. That is the biggest disadvantage of diatomaceous earth. Every time it rains or there is a very heavy dew, the diatomaceous earth has to be reapplied. I use diatomaceous earth to control the Squash Vine Borer, but it requires constant monitoring and reapplying as necessary.

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HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod...

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Cautions on using Btg

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diatomaceous earth

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Re: HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod...

Re: HELP - New Bed - Grubs, Grubs, Grubs - Under the Sod...


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