Birds Tearing Up Lawn


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Old 10-03-14, 09:16 AM
J
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Birds Tearing Up Lawn

So I noticed over the course of a few weeks that a patch of my lawn was slowly yellowing. It was strange because the surrounding grass was still green. After a rainfall one day I came home and it looked like there had been a dog digging up the grass. I checked it out more closely and noticed that it almost felt as if it was a layer of moss, in that the grass shifted under my feet like there was no rooted system. I was able to pull back a big chunk of the grass and noticed a bunch of grubs.

That weekend I put down lawn fertilizer and bug/pest control. The following day, there were a dozen crows in my yard literally throwing chunks of the yard up in the air and tearing it apart.

Is this because the bug control was killing all the grubs and forced them to surface? Should I continue to have this problem?

I am assuming that I am going to have to completely rake up the dead sections of grass and lay new seed. When is the best time to do this? How do I prevent the grubs next time around? Why did they even get here in the first place? I'm pretty confused why it isnt happening anywhere else in my yard.

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  #2  
Old 10-03-14, 10:13 AM
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Probably too late to seed now. I agree the birds were likely after the grubs and their removal will result in the birds moving on.
 
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Old 10-03-14, 12:26 PM
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Once you get rid of the grubs you should take care of the bird or mole/vole problem as they are there for the food. The grass being loose is a symptom of grubs eating the roots so I wouldn't blame that on the birds.

I would go ahead and try seeding. It won't get thick and luxurious by winter but it may get enough of a start to be ready to go come spring. Maybe mix in some perennial rye which germinates fast and will help hold the soil and other seeds in place through winter. The rye will still be there in the spring but it can't take summer's heat so it will die out on it's own leaving your fescue or whatever other grass you plant.
 
 

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