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Montoursville, PA

Have a friend with grubs, grubs and more grubs, in one of his raised vegetable gardens.

The question: Can Merit be safely used where general garden produce will soon follow? Specifically peppers and tomato?

5/12/2006 11:23:06 PM

[email protected]

Merit won't control grubs beyond the second instar (life stage). Right now he is probably finding third instar grubs that are getting ready to pupate into adult beetles.

That being the case, he might be better off not treating with anything. Here's why:

Dylox would kill them dead but isn't labeled for use in an edible garden situation under any name.

Sevin would kill the large grubs too but will also kill the earthworms & many other beneficials.

Merit applied this early in the season would probably perform at about 70-80% at controlling the future grub broods that will come in August/September. Waiting until June for the Merit would give much better results.

Admire (aka Merit) is labeled for use Peppers & Tomato so no harm would come from it's use now or later. But I would hate to see him use Merit now & the grubs he sees now will survive.

For the next couple weeks they will feed on roots. But then they'll stop feeding, pupate & turn to adults.

5/13/2006 2:04:59 PM

Montoursville, PA

Thank you, for the lesson, in Merit use. I shall drop back and punt with my old time favorite Milky Spore and expect near 100% control within a month or two. In addition the control will hold up for fifteen years or so using no poison what so ever. We will just have, to deal with the early survivors above the ground until the Milky Spore can work it's purpose underground. It should be, in place and working fine, by cuke beetle time. A side benefit is the fly, in Japanese Beetle which will help cause a gazillion more Milky Spore, to be present, as they are controlled.

Using Merit with a shot at 80% control is not enough, for what I see now. The existing grubs will have, to be controlled above ground if Milky Spore does not do it at this point either. Some root damage is sure, to be a factor until control is maintained.

What led up, to this condition is, in part lack, of crop rotation, namely growing pumpkins on pumpkins, for four years. What has spared him big time failure may be excellent organic content and use, of Mycorrhiza augmented with kelp, fish and molasses.

In all my years, of coaching gardeners, I have never seen a grub count the likes, of what I am seeing, in this patch this spring.

5/13/2006 6:10:50 PM

Roanoke Il

get some fresh rabit manure doc mix it in the bed not to heavy will drive the grubs a way.mark

5/14/2006 9:15:59 AM

Central Ca

Last year I used predatory nematodes. My grub population went way down.

5/16/2006 3:15:26 PM

I also had grubs destroying one of my 3 plants. I tried the beer in a shallow bowl trick and it actually worked. It lured in to many slugs to count. I also purchased a product by ortho called bug getta slug and snail control. I sprinkled some pellets around the plants and have not had one more damaged leaf.

5/16/2006 3:25:00 PM

I just realized that your post was about grubs. I was referring to slugs. sorry

5/16/2006 4:34:02 PM

[email protected]

Predator nematodes can work very well if they're handled properly & the species are compatible. We ran into trouble years ago with a variety that had problems killing chafer grubs which we have a lot of around here. The company that sold them was "Vector" but they went bust before working out all the packaging & efficacy issues.

I'd like to see more of these in use.

Orangefever, what kind of nematodes did you use? What kind of packaging & shelf life?

5/16/2006 10:58:49 PM

Central Ca

I don't remember the scientific name of the nematodes. They came in a sponge that you dilute in a bucket of water and spread on already soaked dirt. Shelf life? I have no idea. I only knew to get the p. nematodes into the ground as soon as they came in the mail.

6/26/2006 1:11:14 AM