Horrible Asian Beetle Grubs & Creeping Charlie

 

Every living thing is the amazing product of four billion years of slow growth and adaptation. Some would say that every living thing is precious. 

I'd make an exception for invasive Asian beetle grubs. Vile, horrible, disgusting and slimy are just a few of the words I'd use to describe these hideous visitors to my yard. Almost as bad as Republicans.

They love our apple trees, and have tormented them and stunted the last two seasons of growth. They skeletonized Kirstin's flowers. 

They seem to thrive in another unwelcome and invasive thing that grows freely in our yard: creeping Charlie. Horrible stuff that makes the ground spongy and provides haven for the foul grubs.  

Now, to clarify: We are not sticklers here at Steepmeadow. We are not striving for some "perfect lawn" full of weak non-native fescues. We won't artificially fertilize. We are loathe to water. We are going after a pollinator lawn, with healthy swaths of hearty clover, red creeping and sheep fescues. I'm ambivalent about dandelions, as I think their bright yellow flowers are kind of pretty. 

While we are not after a traditional "perfect suburban lawn," we do have a plan, and we want a neat yard that harbors healthy insects and pollinators. 

We don't want a random green mess of weeds.

But creeping Charlie is unwelcome. Grubs that devour the roots of the other green things in the lawn and then transmogrify into foul plant destroying beetles are unwelcome.

So I've taken on the not inconsiderable chore of ripping up the creeping Charlie by hand (well, rake), and replanting the yard with seed after aerating (again, by hand). Ideally, we've rid ourselves of most of it by ripping it out, and the new, healthy lawn will choke out any lingering horrible weeds.

As for the repulsive grubs: Today I deploy a grand army of nematodes, which are said to feast on the grublings, disrupting their life cycle. They do this without poisoning the waterways and killing off heaps of pets, children, and things we want in the grass.

But it isn't going to release itself, this mighty sea of tiny warriors. I must go inspire them with a speech, and send them on their way.

In other news: The salad planted in August is coming in nicely. The tomatoes are winding down, but still active. The marigolds & nasturtiums planted in some of the beds have shifted over so that they are now the dominant plant. It's been a good year.