My lawn

bicardi100 · April 2023

Hi
We moved into our new house and laid new turf in spring 2022 a good quality turf too.
We kept it waterd during the hot summer in fact it was so green you proberbly could see it from space. Using left over water from Bath or washing up and a watering can (no chemicles)
But during late September and October we noticed crane fly larvae abd with in a few weeks our lawn was completely decimated.
Can anyone give me some idea what to do now.

l thank you

Busy-Lizzie · April 2023

Maybe @rossdriscoll13 if he's around, usually gives good lawn advice. It does look sad.

bédé · April 2023

If it's crane fly, hope for better luck this year.

If you think that your bath and washing-up water have no chemicals you are wrong. Or have the wrong definition of " chemical".

And this time round, you haven't mentioned your heavy-handed application of fretiliser/weed killer.

Emptyheadtime · April 2023

That does not look good. I dont think its the crane fly, their larve tend to leave bare patches,not strip an entire lawn. I was going to ask how the turf was laid as it looks like it has failed, but if it was happy and green from spring to Sept (through that summer) then I don't think it's that. So that leaves me to think it is possibly something that was in the grey water that caused it.

Jenny_Aster · April 2023

I've the same problem, my lawn was turfed 18 months ago, the garden was a pasture before that. There are 3 areas that are pretty bad, two of the areas are on higher ground so I don't think it's waterlogging despite the clay soil.

Like you I think it's crane fly larvae, I've sprinkled nematodes for leatherjackets on the lawn this weekend. I know I'll have to repeat it again in the autumn.

It's pricy, I got mine cheaper from Amazon. https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/12-leatherjacket-killer-nematodes?gclid=CjwKCAjwue6hBhBVEiwA9YTx8GUwoeVM6Q3qyuG8vmmib-O6PXuhkFdYpctM5qjjSSi1oVLEYIzC_BoCez8QAvD_BwE

Lyn · April 2023

I don’t think it’s the grey water, during the 70’s drought we watered our lawn with bath and washing machine water, it was beautiful. It never died after.

You can get nematodes for crane fly larvæ. They do work, my daughter uses them, her grass looked just like that.
It look like a bit late now from your 2nd picture, but they’ll most likely be the little b’s that’s done that.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nemasys-Leatherjacket-Killer-Autumn-Treatment/dp/B0753F65J5/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3PXA4R1930U2P&keywords=leather+jacket+nematodes&qid=1681655475&sprefix=Leather+jacket+nematodes%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1&smid=A3NKWDFHZG57UO

bédé · April 2023

One person's grey water is not the same as another's.

If you're not sure it's crane fly larvae, don't waste your time amd money on nematodes.

Do you self-medicate? Have you noticed a difference? Get the diagnosis right first.

rossdriscoll13 · April 2023

@bicardi100 it does look like something has destroyed your lawn. In the UK we only encounter Leatherjackets, Chafer Grubs, Cutworms or Wireworms. Wireworms are thin and orange. Chafer Grubs are white and usually curled in a ‘C’ shape with a black head. Leatherjackets are a dark colour, straight and between 0.5 and 2 cm in length. In order to confirm that it’s any of the above you will need a pocket knife, or any old knife will do. Carefully cut a square into your lawn and lift that piece of turf out. Look at the soil in the turf you’ve cut out. What you are looking for is any of the described above. With craneflies it’s their larvae that does the damage. You can prevent damage by having a healthy lawn with a healthy root system. Removing thatch and aerating will encourage this.

Regular mowing, even if your lawn doesn’t need mowing will remove any eggs that cranefly have laid. Encourage birds into your garden. Natural predator.

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