There are a couple signs you can look for that will indicate a grub problem: An influx of beetles in the early summer, and dead patches of grass in the late summer. If you’ve noticed these two things, chances are you have a grub problem — even if you haven’t seen the grubs themselves. 

Grubs are the larvae of various types of beetles. They’re white and tend to be curved into a C shape. Their food is organic matter in your soil, which includes your grass roots. 

If you think you may have a grub problem, there are several ways to know for sure. Pull back about a square foot of green turf in several different places in your lawn. If you find several grubs in each place, it’s probably time to take action. 

Controlling Lawn Grubs

Grubs hatch in late summer, after their beetle parents have spent the early part of the season feeding on plants in your yard. So the key to controlling grubs effectively is to kill them before they hatch. After that point, they’re going to eat continuously until the fall, when they’ll burrow deeper into your lawn in order to survive the winter. 

Before they can hatch and start damaging your lawn, put down some preventative grub killer. One application can typically prevent grubs for several months. This is especially important if you’ve had problems with grubs in the past, and it should be done in the spring or early summer. 

Interestingly, a well-maintained lawn goes a long way in preventing a grub issue from getting out of hand. If your lawn is dry and underfed, it will show damage much more than a watered and well-fed lawn. And it won’t take as many grubs per square foot to do obvious damage, either. 

Weed Control and Fertilization for a Grub-Resistant Lawn

Part of maintaining your lawn well is to control weeds and fertilize your grass. These are two key elements of a solid lawn care routine that can make a huge difference in how your lawn looks and how you use it. 

If you’re looking for a reliable lawn care company that can take care of your weeds and give your lawn the food it needs to be healthy and resistant to grubs, reach out to us today and get a free quote — we’d love to work for you!

We all want a beautiful lawn, right? And if you’re like many people, you’ve taken the opportunity of a new year to make some changes about how you care for your lawn. That’s great! But in order to find success with your lawn in 2020, you need to have a plan—and that’s where we come in. Keep reading for some practical tips to get a great lawn this year. 

#1: Aeration

Late spring and early fall are the best times to aerate your lawn, so if you missed doing this in the fall, don’t worry—you’re just a couple months away from your next chance. Aerating your lawn is one of the best ways to make sure it’s healthy all year. This process allows air and water to reach the roots of your grass by making small channels in the yard. Giving nutrients a direct path to your lawn’s roots means better looking grass all year long. 

#2: Dethatching

Also known as raking the lawn, dethatching keeps your lawn looking great by fighting moss growth. Just grab a rake and run it through your entire yard to remove debris or dead organic matter that sits on top of the grass and covers the soil. When this debris isn’t removed, your soil can’t bring in the nutrients it needs to give your grass, and so your entire lawn suffers. 

#3: Water

This one gets a little tricky if the area you’re living in is under a drought warning (like where we live in Alabama almost every summer), but the whole point is just to do the best you can to keep your grass hydrated. If your lawn is already pretty healthy and you’re getting a good amount of rain, then you probably won’t have to worry about watering it too much. But if you do need to supplement, try watering in the morning and in the evening so that your lawn can fully absorb the water. 

#4: Weed Control

You can do all of the things above and get a pretty nice looking yard, but if you want to take it up to the next level (and save yourself some back-breaking work), you need to set up a weed control routine. This should be done year-round (yep, weeds grow in the winter) and should be done by a professional who knows how to handle the chemicals they’re using. You can always grab some weed killer at your local home improvement store, but they won’t be as effective as the stuff a professional uses, and you won’t see optimal results. The best investment is routine monthly weed control done by a local company like Running Roots: You’ll see incredible results all year long, you won’t have to deal with housing the chemicals on your property, and you’ll get more bang for your buck than buying off-the-shelf weed killer from a store. 

Ready to Get a Great Lawn in 2020? Contact Running Roots!

At Running Roots Lawn Care, we make it easy to get a free quote on year-round weed control for your lawn. Just fill out this quick form and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible!

Nobody likes a weedy yard. Weeds can ruin your lawn care efforts faster than just about anything else, and their appearance isn’t just limited to the warmer months. Cool season weeds pop up in the fall and winter, too, making your yard look unkempt and neglected. 

You may have tried to kill these weeds on your own. You might have even called in the professionals. But no matter what you do, the problem remains: You still have weeds. 

Let’s take a look at three reasons you’re still fighting this battle, and what you can do about it from here on out. 

#1: Inferior Weed Control Products

Many people think weed killer is weed killer, but this isn’t really true. If you’re going to kill a certain type of weed, you need a certain type of weed killer—it’s not a one-size-fits-all operation. 

Most homeowners are using a granular product on their lawn, which is not only less effective than what a professional would use, it’s also set up for failure because of the specific circumstances you need for success. Your lawn has to be wet when you put the weed killer out, and then it has to not rain for 24 hours afterwards in order for the weed killer to work. If one of those requirements is off-kilter, then you’ve wasted your time and money. 

#2: Poor Timing

All those weeds in your yard germinate at various times throughout the year, so one application of weed killer just isn’t going to cut it. If you really want to kiss your weeds goodbye, you’ve got to commit to a year-round weed control regimen that targets the right weeds at the right time for maximum effect. 

While some weeds die off after one application, many varieties need to be hit multiple times before they are effectively killed. Proper weed control means switching up products throughout the year and targeting weeds during their unique growth phase. Doing it any other way is likely to result in failure. 

#3: A Non-Comprehensive Approach

If all you’re doing for your lawn is using the same lackluster weed control products over and over, then you are not going to see success anytime soon (or ever). You may kill some weeds here and there, but you’re just treating the symptoms of the problem—you’re not treating the problem itself. 

Getting rid of weeds for good means taking a holistic approach to your lawn care strategy. Aeration, regular watering, and a year-round weed control routine are all essential parts to getting the lawn you want. 

Ready to Take Control of Your Lawn? 

Here at Running Roots Lawn Care in Chelsea, Alabama, we have the right products and the right expertise to tackle even the toughest of weeds. Get a free quote today on a weed control program for your yard.