#Tips on applying milky spore powder free

The mail-order firm Gardens Alive sells it as “ Grubhalt,” and it’s available at retail under other brand names.Īpply BTG now and it will kill any grubs feeding underground - without harming birds, bees, people, pets, frogs, toads or wombats. There’s also a new nontoxic grub control in town: a new strain of the bio insecticide “Bt” known as BTG.

#Tips on applying milky spore powder free

Some lawns that were treated properly decades ago are still grub free after just that one application. This is happening now and will continue through September, making this the perfect time to apply milky spore powder.Įvery grub that ingests a spore of the biocontrol will not only die but become a living factory, making more milky spore. The eggs hatch into nasty little grubs that proceed through several stages to become nasty big grubs that feed voraciously on the roots of your lawn. The females then deposit their eggs in lawns - especially wet lawns that are cut too short.

Life cycle of the Japanese beetle: Eat, mate, eat some moreĪs every gardener knows, Japanese beetles feed on plants such as roses and raspberries in the summer. To be effective, the soil has to be 70 degrees (as measured 4 inches deep), which is darn warm, and grubs must be actively feeding, which they only do in the late summer and fall.Īh, but the soil is now at the perfect temperature and little baby grubs are now feeding on the roots of your lawn. Those points are important.Įven though milky spore is sold in the spring, but it does not work in the spring. Milky spore powder is a biological control - a naturally-occurring soil organism that is deadly to Japanese beetle grubs that ingest the spores in warm soil. One application should control grubs for many years to come, as long as there are lots of grubs in your lawn for the powder to infect. There aren’t a lot of lawns in that country to begin with, and many of the lawns that do exist are loaded with this natural control.Īpply milky spore powder according to the package directions. It’s the reason that Japanese beetles aren’t a serious problem in their native Japan. Well, Steve, now through the end of September is the perfect time to apply milky spore powder, a naturally occurring soil organism that is deadly to Japanese beetle grubs. Stephen in Ellicott City writes: “ When is the best time to apply milky spore to control Japanese beetle grubs in the lawn? How should it be applied, and how often should it be applied?” Business & Finance Click to expand menu.