Lawn & Landscape Pests
Lawn & Landscape Pests
Each lawn and landscape can differ for each homeower, which can bring many different pests and diseases to your turf or plants. There can be many factors that cause certain diseases to one's property. Weather, temperature, and soil are just some of the elements that we recommend monitoring throughout the year to properly identify and treat any issues. Below you will find common Midwest pests and diseases that we regularly treat throughout each year.
Japanese Beetles & Grubs
Japanese Beetles are a very destructive pest to flowers, trees, shrubs, and crops. Mature beetles feed on more than 300 types of plants and trees. They tend to only feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruits of plants. Their invasive eating patterns usually only harm the appearance of the plants. However, newly planted and immature plants can be at risk of being killed from severe and persistent feeding. The larva of Japanese Beetles also presents another destructive pest. Grubs tend to only eat grass roots and cause permanent damage to your turf. The root injury reduces the turf's ability to take up water and nutrients and withstand the stress of hot, dry weather conditions. Grub population is usually most prominent in August and September. Damaged patches of turf will appear thin, yellow, and have no grass roots. We recommend a professional application of proper turf and plant insecticide treatment to eliminate and prevent Japanese Beetles and Grubs.
Turf and plant fungus can come in many shapes and sizes. In addition, fungus can be a serious heath concern to one's turf/plants but can also be just an aesthetic concern. Fungal diseases begin to develop when daytime temperatures are warm and humid (75-90°F) and nighttime temperatures are cooler (Below 70°F). This generally occurs in mid to late spring, however some yards do not see any troubled areas until the summer and fall months. All cool-season and warm-season grasses are susceptible to many types of fungal diseases. Identifying which fungal disease your turf or plants have can be difficult. The main identifier of turf fungus is the change of color. Brown, purple, white, or yellow spots may appear as the fungus attacks the grass blades. At the start, these changes in color are not quickly noticed until the effected areas expand and the fungus is a large discolored spot. When not treated, the fungus can begin to harm the roots of the grass and cause thinning and bare dirt. There are some common practices that can help prevent fungus, proper mowing, fertilization, and watering. Most fungus can be treated with proper fungicide applications. Fungicide applications need to be performed every 2 weeks until the fungus is treated. Give LKM a call to help identify and treat your property.
Bagworms are caterpillars that feed on over 100 species of plants. Evergreen plants such as arborvitae, red cedar, junipers, and spruces are the most common fed on plant. The main victim in bagworm feeding, is the foliage of the plant. Overtime, if not properly treated, the host plant can be completely defoliated causing the plant to die. The most noticeable evidence of bagworms, is the presence of the protective bag which the caterpillars create around themselves and hang from the branches. When it comes to pest managment of bagworms, treatment can be tricky. To use insecticide applications, treatment must be applied when insects are young. The chemicals are almost ineffective against mature bagworms. The protective layer which they build allows them to feed and survive. The best recommendation of management at that stage is to handpick the bagworms from the infested plant. This can also eliminate the need to use insecticide. LKM offers safe and professional bagworm control if in need of assistance.
If you live in a warm climate, such as Central Illinois, without a doubt you have dealt with a variety of weeds in your lawn and landscape. Weeds are one of the most common and invasive pests that a homeowner has to deal with. When it comes to ones landscape, weeds can be managed fairly easy. Besides the manual labor of pulling weeds, there are other factors that can ease the burden. Mulch and rock are the two landscape materials that most homeowners use to fill their landscape beds. If not installed properly, weeds will begin to grow quite easily. All landscape fill should be installed at 3" thickness to provide its own weed barrier. For all rock install we recommend laying down professional weed barrier paper before installing rock. Mulch does not need weed barrier if installed at 3" thickness. In addition, properly mixed and applied chemicals such as Round-up can be an easy post-weed control option. In regards to weed control in one's turf, management can be more complex. Certain chemicals cannot be applied in the turf because of the risk of killing the actual grass. We recommend using pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to manage broadleaf weeds and crabgrass. Our 6-step fertilizer and weed control program can manage your property for you. Give us a call to get you on the schedule.