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SARATOGA Weekly - SWK
July 5, 2018
Six Feels So Big
by Emily Marcason-Tolmie
GRUB CONTROL
There’s so much confusion about grub control that garden centers will sell a lot more grub control in the spring than in summer when, logically, it should be the other way around. I’m sure much of this has to do with the fact that the damage grubs do in late summer and fall isn’t visible until the following spring. The first step is to understand the life cycle of the Japanese Beetle. Let’s start at the beginning. After feasting on your beans and rose bushes, the female Japanese Beetle lays her eggs in the warm sunny areas of your lawn startApply in July when the beetles fly. ing in mid-August. The healthiest grass is growing in the sunny areas of your beautiful lawn that you’ve worked on all spring. Each female is capable of laying a couple of hundred eggs. These eggs will all hatch within four days after they’re laid. There are no grubs hatching in the spring. None. They ALL hatch from mid-August through September. After the tiny grubs hatch in mid-August and September, they start eating. What they eat are the roots of your lawn. As the soil temperature drops in the fall, the grubs burrow down below the frost line to avoid being frozen over winter. In spring, the soil temperature begins to rise and the grubs burrow their way back to the root zone of your lawn. Now the feast begins Annual Grub Beater. all over again. After putting on another round of body fat they pause and pupate; that is, they form a hard shell and begin the transformation into the adult or beetle stage of their life. They enter this pupae stage during early to mid-June. In mid-July, the beetles emerge from the soil and the cycle begins again. The best time to wipe them out is during the hatching period in late August or early September. Remember this: “Apply in July when the beetles fly” Let’s start with Bonide Annual Grub Beater: Ideally, you’ll want to apply Bonide Annual Grub Beater in July and WATER IT IN. By now you must think I’m totally nuts. I just explained how there aren’t any grubs in July because they are all in the beetle form. The reason Annual Grub Beater needs to be applied so early is that it needs a month of lead time to get absorbed into the roots of the grass Milky Spore. where it remains waiting for the grubs. As soon as the grubs hatch, they begin to eat the roots of the grass. POW! They die. Properly applied and watered-in, Bonide Annual Grub Beater will kill 98% of the grubs that hatch. No need to lose your lawn…no need to treat again in spring either. The there’s Milky Spore, a non-chemical grub control. Milky Spore is a disease that only affects Japanese Beetle grubs. It won’t hurt earthworms or even a bird that eats a grub that has the disease. Milky Spore needs to be applied two times a year for three years to reach “epidemic” proportions in the soil. Milky Spore is best applied in spring and late summer/early fall and must get watered in heavily right after application, just like the other grub controls. After that, grubs hatch into your lawn, contract the disease then die, reproducing the disease and spreading it throughout the soil. Milky Spore is more expensive up front but will last at least 20 years once it takes hold. Water your grubs!! It is imperative that all grub control products get watered-in thoroughly IMMEDIATELY after application. DON’T COUNT ON RAIN TO DO THE JOB...NOT EVEN THIS YEAR! Rainfall is never hard enough to get the chemical off the surface of the soil quickly enough and down to the roots where the grubs are. All grub controls (including Milky Spore) begin to break down as soon as they are out of the bag. As soon as you put your spreader away, get the sprinkler out and soak the area with an inch of water. Use an empty tuna fish or cat food can to measure the inch of water. When your sprinkler has filled the can, you’ve applied the correct amount of water. Thanks for the read
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the end of the school year and the start of what will most certainly be a fun packed summer, my oldest son turned six. His birthday snuck up on me. It hit me hard. The night of his sixth birthday, after a day of cake, presents, and smiles, I hummed him to sleep while rubbing his hand like I’ve done for countless nights. You’re not one of the little kids anymore, I thought to myself. He’s growing older with every blink of my eyes and becoming who he’s meant to be faster than I ever thought possible. His baby face is disappearing and he is gradually turning into a mature boy. In the stillness of his room I am forced to acknowledge the rapid speed with which time is passing. Six years ago I met a blue-eyed, blonde-haired baby boy and he captured my heart. As the years passed by in a blur I’m left in awe of six. What is six? Six is a little boy that knows more about superheroes than most grown men. Six is a little boy that teaches his little brother how to put on his shoes and frequently calls him his best pal. Six is a little boy learning to read. Six is a little boy that is a water bug and jumps right into the lake without hesitation. Six is a little boy with a hearty belly laugh and kind soul. Six is a little boy finding his independence and an unwavering confidence. He doesn’t need me to do as much for him as I once did. The other day I instinctively started putting the straw in his juice box. He stopped me. “I can do it,” he said. Of course he can. He can put on his sweatshirt on a cool summer morning. He can find his own glasses remembering he left them on the coffee table in the family room. He can put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. He can do it all without me. Arrived is a six year old boy and it seems he has arrived literally overnight. In all honesty, we’ve spent the last six years leading up to this. I just didn’t realize it would come so quickly. In a blur of exhaustion it was diaper changes, nighttime feedings, and naps. As a firsttime mom, I was caught up in him meeting milestones and playdates and not aware of the time rapidly passing me by. In those hazy early moments of parenthood most of us are just trying to survive on caffeine and sheer adrenaline. It is amazing to think how quickly a child progresses from infant to toddler to preschooler and beyond. Then one day, your baby turns six. The reality is this six year old boy, my first-born, is growing up before my eyes and I am so proud of him. He told me the other night as I tucked him into bed that he wanted to be five again. “Why?” I asked. His big blue eyes wide, he said: “I had fun being five.” I kissed his forehead. “Oh buddy,” I said, “Six is going to be such a fun year.” I rubbed his hand and hummed to him as he fell asleep like I’ve done for countless nights. Six is going to be a fun year. Six is going to be kindergarten and karate and friends and me being left in complete awe of him. With the passing of each year comes new routines and milestones for both of my sweet boys. It also means the end to things, like not having to put the straw in my six year old son’s juice box. My youngest son is teetering on the verge of moving from his crib into a toddler bed. New adventures are on the horizon in parenting. But, for now there are some things that are still the same and I am thankful for these moments. My boys still want me to put them to bed every night. They still give me sloppy kisses and big hugs. They still snuggle with me while we watch Saturday morning cartoons. I’ll admit I am going to miss not watching Daniel Tiger one day. They still ask me to play with them. I am happy to let the dirty dishes sit in the sink and lend my voice to Batgirl. My hope as my boys grow is that they will always need me in some capacity at every stage of their lives, or at least know I am here if they need me. Right now, I am embracing them at six and three and holding on to them both tightly for as long as I can. I heard my six year old son tell his little brother the other day: “Now that I’m six I am a big boy.” I swallowed hard. You’re not one of the little kids anymore, I thought. Don’t grow up too quickly my sweet boy. Enjoy all that is six. Emily Marcason-Tolmie, a Saratoga native, is a writer, researcher, wife and mother. Emily and her husband, Ryan, are the parents to two wonderful little boys, ages 4 and 1.