Grubs damage lawns, attract feeding animals
Holes in the lawn dug by raccoons and skunks may indicate the presence of grubs - insect larvae that feed on grass roots. Check for areas of the lawn that are browning and check to see if you can lift the grass like a piece of sod.
If there are more than 12 grubs per square foot and you are seeing extensive damage, you may consider using a product designed for quick kill of the grubs. Be sure to read the bag carefully to ensure you are buying the right chemical for grub control at this time of year. It is important to follow the instructions for application.
• If the new growth at the tips of your pine's branches has turned brown, a fungus disease called Sphaeropsis tip blight may be the problem. It is too late to spray the tree with a fungicide now, as infection occurs in the spring. Prune out the dead branch tips; do this in dry weather to reduce the spread of infection. Remove all pruned materials and infected needles from the base of the tree and discard them outside your garden.
• Crabapples that are susceptible to a fungus disease called apple scab may have lost many of their leaves if they were not treated with a fungicide in spring. Their remaining leaves can be affected with black and yellow spots.
Spraying at this point will not help combat this disease, but you can help the trees withstand the stress by watering as needed for the remainder of this year and fertilizing in fall or next spring. Remove all infected leaves and do not add them to your compost pile. Consider replacing a disease-prone tree with a cultivar that is resistant to apple scab.
• Look for seedlings of woody plant weeds, such as mulberries, buckthorn and boxelder, that grow up among shrubs and in hedges. These weeds tend to be hard to spot when they are young, but that is the easiest stage to remove them. Dig them up by the roots if possible. Cut larger seedlings off at the base and treat the stumps with a systemic herbicide.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.