July is almost over and our gardens seem to be growing better than they have in years. My guess would be that this is because we have had warm weather with many sunny days. We have also had adequate rain over the last few weeks. The combination of all of those factors has made for happy plants.

The major garden pest this month has been the Japanese Beetle. They have been feeding on all sorts of plants. The female beetle is laying eggs in sunny lawn areas. These eggs will hatch out during early September and we will be back in the lawn grub season. The grubs will feed on the roots of your lawn all through the fall. They will stop feeding in the late fall and will settle down for the winter. As the soil thaws in the spring, the grubs will begin to feed again. They will grow rapidly, consuming most of the roots in your lawn. As the weather gets warm and the lawn tries to grow, the lack of roots means that the lawns will turn brown during the late spring.

If you can control the grubs this fall, you will prevent the lawn damage that shows up in spring. There are several methods that you can use to control the grubs. You can use a grub control that contains Merit. Merit is applied to the lawn about 30 days before you would expect the Japanese Beetle eggs to hatch. You need the 30 days for the Merit to attach itself to the roots of the grass. As the grub feeds on the roots, they are killed by the Merit. It is very important to apply Merit before the damage begins. If you miss that 30-day window, you can apply Dylox insecticide when the grubs are actively feeding. You apply Dylox and then you water it onto the lawn. As the Dylox passes through the soil, the grubs are killed.

If you wish to choose an organic approach, there are several methods you can use. Milky Spore is a host specific bacteria. This means that it only kills certain insects. In this case, it kills grubs that feed on your lawn. It won't hurt worms and even if a bird should eat an infected grub, the bird would not be harmed. Milky Spore is a powder that is applied to the lawn and then watered down into it. As the grubs come in contact with the spores, they are infected and they will die from the disease. The Milky Spore takes a few years to be totally effective. You may wind up with some damage as the spore takes its time to spread throughout the soil. However, once the spore has spread through the soil, you will have control that can last 20 years. You can also spray Neem on your lawn. Neem is then washed into the soil and it will kill the grubs on contact. If you have a large lawn, this may be a pricey option. However, it does kill the grubs quickly and is an organic control.

You may also have heard of nematodes. Nematodes are applied to the lawn and watered into the soil. This worm-like creature burrows into the grub and kills the grub. You can buy nematodes through mail order. My only concern with nematodes is that you have to maintain an evenly moist soil in your lawn. If you don't, the nematodes will die. With the potential for dry soil being a real problem in our area, nematodes may not be as effective.

The mosquitoes appear to be alive and well in our area. I have found that there are several organic sprays that you can apply to your lawn that will drive the mosquitoes out of your yard. You can get control for several weeks with these sprays. You can also apply a larvicide to areas of standing water. This bacteria is a host specific bacteria that comes in small packets or in donut-shaped rings that toss into the water. The bacteria will control the mosquito larvae for 30 days. Several applications this summer will greatly decrease the number of mosquitoes in your yard.

Well, that's all for now. I'll talk to you again next week.

Tim Lamprey is the owner of Harbor Garden Center on Route 1 in Salisbury. His Web site is www.Harborgardens.com.