Dig and see what is down there
Dead patches in lawn
My front lawn has some dead patches that I have not been able to fix for several years. I have tried the following:
1. Discussed this with some local lawn care companies that usually send out a high school guy that knows nothing but tries to get me to sign up for their $2,500 fertilizer plan.
2. I have seeded; watered and fertilized the problem areas repeatedly (at considerable cost) and sometimes grass will grow for a while and then it dies out.
3. Last year I spread a few inches of organic soil (half manure/half enriched garden soil) over the area; then I seeded, watered and fertilized the area which again did not help.
This year, I noticed a lot of 3/8 inch holes in the ground in the affected area and I am wondering if I have an insect problem. This is a pic . Any help is appreciated. I live in Maryland
![Terrestrial plant Groundcover Grass Shrub Plant]()
1. Discussed this with some local lawn care companies that usually send out a high school guy that knows nothing but tries to get me to sign up for their $2,500 fertilizer plan.
2. I have seeded; watered and fertilized the problem areas repeatedly (at considerable cost) and sometimes grass will grow for a while and then it dies out.
3. Last year I spread a few inches of organic soil (half manure/half enriched garden soil) over the area; then I seeded, watered and fertilized the area which again did not help.
This year, I noticed a lot of 3/8 inch holes in the ground in the affected area and I am wondering if I have an insect problem. This is a pic . Any help is appreciated. I live in Maryland
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I dug around in the problem area and did not see any large rocks or concrete. It is currently late April so it's possible that a problem insect might be dormant now. I did see white grub worms when I dug around the holes. Here is a pic of one of the worms I found:
![Grass Terrestrial plant Groundcover Soil Terrestrial animal]()
Holes might be digger bees, but it's hard to tell without more information. See:
naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu
Better put something out for those grubs, though.
Diagnosing Holes in the Yard
This guide helps diagnose what's digging, tunneling, feeding, and otherwise disturbing turf grasses. Use the links above the graphic to find more information about many of the offenders and be sure to check out our Problem Wildlife page for more details on other wildlife conflicts around homes...
naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu
Better put something out for those grubs, though.
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