Curl Grubs

The hard work of preparing garden beds and replenishing your soil’s nutrient is a really beneficial exercise and maintains the plants performance throughout the whole year.  Unfortunately there are some very nasty bugs that can appear in your well prepared garden beds and they are the very damaging and much dreaded Curl Grub.

Curl Grubs are the larvae of the African Black Beetle and the Christmas Beetle and whilst the adult beetles lay their eggs in soils for most of the year, however during the months of September and October is when they’re most prevalent.   As the Larvae hatch they feed on the root systems of plants and lawns and eventually, if not treated will kill the plant. If you have a plant in your garden that just hasn’t grown much or one day looks great and the next day looks dead or your lawn is getting brown patches for no reason, then these nasties could be the culprits!

Curl Grubs can get into everything and you may even find them in vegie patches, hanging baskets and compost heaps. In hanging baskets, pots and planters you should replace the soil each year as well as apply a granular Curl Grub killer every 3-6 months. In garden beds, vegie patches and compost heaps pick out as many Curl Grubs as you can and put them out for the birds (making sure they can’t escape back into the ground). As a preventative measure apply a granular Curl Grub killer to these areas every 3-6 months. Curl Grubs also appear in lawns and can cause extensive damage if left untreated. Use a specific Lawn Grub Killer either a hose-on or granular application on a monthly basis to kill off the larvae and prevent any further damage.

There are very few treatments that are not chemically based, however it is believed that applying the grey water from washing machines containing a low sodium detergent can assist with the keeping Curl Grubs under control.   In addition, the adult beetles are attracted to light, so garden lights and sensor lights could be attracting them into your garden.

If you need more information on composting, feel free to drop into the Sanctuary Point Garden Centre at 118 Macleans Point Road, Sanctuary Point and have a chat with Kathy.