By Beatrice Hawkins
A friend recently brought me a most beautiful hibiscus flower from her garden.
I had never seen anything to approach it for colour.
It is called “Tigerama”, and as you see in the accompanying photo it is spectacularly beautiful both in size and colour.
I’m used to the Hawaiian type, open and plain colours, red, pink, yellow etc., maybe a double one some times and I always think of them as a tropical speciality.
They do seem to be relatively versatile however, as my sister in law has some very old bushes that bloom profusely the other side of Bourke, certainly not a tropical climate!
When I first bought this house in Warwick I really appreciated the Kikuyu lawn that remind me of my childhood and other lawns in various places over the years.
I was upset when dead patches started to appear, so headed off to the nursery full of questions and was told… “lawn grubs!”
I had never heard of them, let alone encountered them, before.
Bought the treatment that was recommended and in short order, the problem was solved.
Thankfully, it has never recurred.
This year however, since I got home, I have been hearing lots of reports of problems in lawns, so I thought it was time I found out a little more about this.
It seems there are 3 varieties that can be a problem in South East Queensland: lawn army worm, Sod web worm and cut worm.
They are all larvae of small moths and although they will all present differently, they will have the same effect…dead patches in an otherwise lovely green lawn.
All are active from spring to autumn but more so in the wetter months from December to May.
I doubt many will argue that we have had “wetter” times recently!
The ones I had years ago I believe were cut worms or white curl grubs.
White and grey, “witchety grubs”, as I used to know them as a child, and I had no idea of their destructive capabilities.
The patches on my lawn were circular and were covered in a fine spider web type substance in the mornings.
I have no memory of what I used to get rid of them but have been very conscientious about destroying any I have found in pot plants or any gardens ever since.
As I’ve had no further problems I must have been effective in reducing infestations.
The ones I have see this year I believe are the lawn army worms.
Nasty looking brown/khaki green caterpillars with black stripes down their backs and a horn on their head!
Friends tell me they have absolutely decimated their lawns and have been reasonably difficult and expensive to eradicate.
Called army worms because they will progress rapidly across the lawn, often in a straight “army” march from the nearest, moth attracting, light source.
All these have wonderful taste in lawns and will first attack the healthiest, well cared for, lawn in the street!!
Champagne tastes evidently!
The first line of defence is to eradicate the moths and their nests and this is easily done with a broom and hose.
Sides of the house, eaves and fences, especially around external lights, are harbours for the moths.
If you suspect grubs, put some damp hessian or a bag over the area over night… the grubs will come up and attach to the wet bag and you can dispose of them in the morning.
Another indication that you may have a problem, even before it becomes evident, is an increase in the amount of bird life on your lawn catching the moths and picking at the grubs through the grass.
There are a number of sprays, organic and otherwise, available that will control both of these problems.
The other lawn grub I mentioned I have never seen: sod web worm.
They are a relatively thin caterpillar,
about an inch long, pale green/brown, with dark spots along its length.
The moth has a wing span of about an inch also, grey with black spots and wavy dark lines across them.
They fly low over the lawn, especially at dusk, and drop their eggs randomly!
The eggs hatch into the caterpillars that eat the lawn and so the process goes on.
The whole life cycle takes about 6 weeks and so in most areas there are 2 or 3 generations a year.
Hope I don’t get these in my lawn!
The Horticultural Society is very pleased to be preparing for the “Garden Extravaganza” again this year on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th of July during the Jumpers and Jazz Festival Week.
Will be sure to have a great range of all things gardening for you to browse and buy, sweet treats for morning and afternoon tea and delicious soup and bread for you to enjoy for lunch!
Plan to attend!!
