The importance of growing a hearty lawn to prevent pest from ruining it

Guest Post by:
“Luis Alberto Simauchi Jr. works for Do My Own Pest Control in Norcross, GA. He is an enthusiast of all things garden & lawn care and take particular interest in pest management methods for landscaping projects.

As it turns out, having a healthy and robust lawn does not invite pest to come visit your lawn but in fact, a healthy lawn is a great deterrent for lawn pest. Much in the same way that maintaining healthy immune system through proper diet and exercise is the best deterrent for illness in the body; a healthy lawn does not leave much space for malicious lawn critters to take a foothold on your prized green grass. The idea here is to use natural methods of pest control and what is at hand to avoid the use of harmful chemicals to try and rid yourself of lawn pests.
So before we discuss the finer points of natural preventive lawn care, let us debunk a misconception about insects on your lawn. Some landscape enthusiast despair when they can’t get rid of all there pest insect friends; the reality is that there is simply no way for you to get rid of ALL insects from your lawn. As a matter of fact, ideally you would not want to get rid of all insects from your lawn, more on this later though.
So how does a healthy lawn off put pest that try to ruin it? Simply put, it doesn’t prevent those pests from invading, but a good looking lawn does invite everything that lawn pest hate! For example; in terms of weeds, they need space to sprout out and take hold in. A thick lawn will minimize the vulnerability to such occurrences. Attractive lawns can be a perfect place for birds to rest there weary heads, which is fine when they also help themselves to any white grubs or aphids that might make it on to your lawn.
While we’re on the subject of insect on the lawn; let’s discuss why some insects are beneficial to keep on board. Lady bugs, grasshoppers, nematodes, wasps and spiders all actually do their part to get rid of the real culprits of bad lawns: Cutworms, Chinch bugs, grub worms, caterpillars, aphids, webworms and Japanese beetles. Why bother trying to get rid of all of these pests when half of them are trying to do your job for you? It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
So now to impart good practices from maintaining a lush and vibrant lawn; first and foremost, select a grass type that is best suited for the climate you live in. Do the leg work to figure this little detail out. Any Lowe’s, Ace hardware or Home Depot will have a garden staff that can help you selective the best grass for your lawn. Next up is proper irrigation, now this one is also depends on your soil type. Here’s a quick rundown of what you each situation would look like:
•Intermittent watering over several hours provides thorough root penetration for all grass
• Sandy soil needs short, frequent periods of water
• Clay soil requires less watering than sandy soil
• Loam soil will hold water longer than sandy soil but not as long as clay
• Routine watering is unnecessary during periods of heavy rain
• Allow soil to dry between watering intervals
Lastly, remember those birds we were discussing earlier? Inviting them on your lawn with bird feeders and bird bathes make for a quick spike in bird activity near and on the lawn. You should note that the point of the bird feeder is just to put enough food to invite these birds onto your lawn, but not enough to satisfy them all. Recall, we want the birds to feed on the pests and a sated bird does not make a good predator. While not necessarily comprehensive list of rules to follow, the following guidelines will set you in the right direction and hopefully keep those pest critters away from your lawn long enough for you to enjoy it!

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