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Have you ever woken up on a Sunday morning, looked outside, and thought, “What is digging up my lawn?!” Your yard is a little biome with lots of activity happening under the surface. When things get out of whack due to unwanted critters, bacteria, or a lack of nutrients, you’ll see unhappy grass. Early spring is the perfect time for animals to start digging, weeds to pop up, and a host of other spring problems to emerge.
Help! Animals are Digging Up My Grass!
A common question I get is, “What happened to my lawn?” It was fine when I tucked it away for winter, but now the snow is gone, it looks dreadful. Patchy spots of dead grass, piles of dirt, and holes in your lawn can be a sign of rodents and birds seeking out grubs.
If animals dig up your grass, they are probably looking for a tasty snack. Grubs are the larvae stage of beetles. With fleshy worm-like bodies and brown heads, they aren’t the prettiest of creatures. They are, however, a perfect little protein-packed meal for raccoons, skunks, and birds.
How to Stop Animals from Digging in Your Lawn
The first step in deterring animals from digging up your yard is pinpointing the culprit. If you suspect they are looking for grubs, cut a small square of grass and pull it up like a carpet. If you see more than six grubs in a one-square-foot section, you have a grub problem.
Step One: Stop Animals from Digging
The first step in repairing your grass is to deter the critters. While they are trying to help get rid of your grub problem, digging animals can cause significant damage. Playing with their sense of smell, sight, sound, and touch is the best way to stop unwanted animals from damaging your yard. Add bloodmeal or spray Animal B Gone for a smell that keeps them away!
- Ortho® Animal B Gon™ MAX Animal Repellent repels skunks, raccoons, deer, squirrels, rabbits and other nuisance animals
- Stops wild and domestic animals from chewing, nibbling, licking, gnawing, eating or biting
- Keeps nuisance animals out of your yard and away from cherished plants
- One-touch continuous spray wand – no more hand fatigue
- Extended reach – no more bending over
- No unpleasant odour
Step Two: Get Rid of the Grubs
Getting rid of the grubs will take away the food source. Grub B Gone is a great product to deal with your infestation. It contains soil-borne bacteria that infect and kill grubs. Proper application and timing are critical to success. Early spring is ideal because over-wintering larvae are migrating to the surface. Apply the product to wet grass, and water it so it soaks down into the soil where they hide.
• Works to effectively control beetle grubs that cause turf damage,
• Controls a range of beetle grubs, including Japanese beetle, May or June beetles, European chafer, and more.*,
• Active ingredient: Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae strain SDS-502,
• See packaging for best time to apply
Step Three: Repair your Lawn
Depending on the damage to your grass, you may want to overseed your entire lawn. If it’s an extensive space that is damaged, or if you want immediate results, you could also lay fresh sod. If there are only patches of dead grass, Scott’s EZ Seed is a great product to fill in bare spots quickly.
• Patch and repair solution that grows anywhere, GUARANTEED!
• 3-in-1 mix for patch & repair – mulch, seed and fertilizer combined into one easy-to-use product
• Now formulated with a tackifier to reduce seed wash-away and improve growing results on uneven ground
• Absorbs 6X its weight in water, helps keep grass seed moist for germination
Preventing Spring Lawn Problems
Detecting and treating problems early is the best way to set your lawn up for a healthy growing season. Taking care of your grass year-round will help prevent common issues from happening. Create and follow a healthy lawncare routine to prevent disease, deter weeds and stop those animals from digging up your grass!
Thanks for reading and good luck with your lawn this season!
Frankie
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