I used the same stuff last year for the first time on perennial geraniums that have always had a terrible time with black vine weevils, and on the irises. The difference with the geraniums was amazing! Irises don't put out as many leaves as often as geraniums do, so even if you have cleaned up damaged leaves and killed the borers, you won't see a dramatic difference in the appearance of the plant. But geraniums put out leaves all season long, so I saw a pronounced difference between when the attacks started (and previous years) and later as the summer went on. Just make sure the product has imidacloprid and that you only scratch it into the ground around the plants you are trying to protect. There are other "grub control" insecticides out there which do not have this product in them. You don't want a contact insecticide, you want the stuff that is taken up by the roots into the plants, and then only kills bugs which eat that plant. That's what "systemic' means. You have to be careful about how you toss aruond the word "systemic"if talking about insects. All pesticides kill by disrupting one or another "system" of the insect. Insects are like us, they have respiratory systems, digestive systems, reproductive systems, etc. Some insecticides kill by disrupting their nervous system, some by clogging their breathing apparatus (respiratory system) and some by fouling their digestive systems. Those pheromone traps work by using their reproductive systems to lure them into a trap. So any insecticide is "systemic" when you look at it that way! What matters is how tightly you are targeting the poison--for that is what they are---to a specific insect. You only want to kill the one that is messing with your irises or roses or whatever, not everything that flies through the yard.

I just put some down today around my shed and old compost and old mulch piles (loaded with big fat crubs! and apparently that was what was attracting a skunk - he's NOT under my deck, but that's another story....) Anyway the bag said you could put it down from May through July. Rake it in then water it... Just read the back of the bag - good instructions and info.

Since nematodes and Milky Spore are expensive and you mentioned it was out of your range for a large lawn, I'd go with the grub killer. No, it's not organic. It's not an optimal solution. You know that already. I don't know how specific Merit is, but if it's a general insecticide you do run the risk of wiping out your micro-arthropods that happily do a good job keeping your lawn disease and fungus free. (Sometime, lookup the lowly fungus gnat...they're one of the most amazing and unconsidered creatures in our grass and gardens!) But if you gotta, you gotta. It's kind of early for the grubs to be back in Zone 5b (I'm a 5c/6a crossover). And when they do, they're third instar and about to become adults. There's no reason to try killing them now because it won't work very well. I'm not sure what the bag recommends, but the one time I was forced into using (gag) GrubX I applied it about two weeks before I expected to see the adults. The next year, no grub damage (on my parents' lawn at the time). Maybe you could start a small fund for next year for Milky Spore? It works fairly well in our colder climate--grubs counts on my current lawn and in the gardens were already dropping last fall and I expect far fewer still this year. Plus it lasts years until it micro-evolves to a less-killing genome. Then you just reapply.

Kutztown! Kutztown is incredibly easy as far as organics go! Albright's Mill in Kempton, right up 737, has organics in plenty for great prices! Cracked corn and corn meal are both available, but I find their corn meal is too finely ground to go through a spreader easily. Sometimes, if it's a light day, they'll specifically rough-grind some corn meal for you. Sometimes they can't. But cracked corn is just fine, if a touch slower. Post October 10th, along with the corn, you can sprinkle a little of the organic compost as well. That'll put the natural fungal populations back into balance (most fungi are helpful and desirable in the soil). Feeding can be either synthetic or organic, but given your nearness to Albright's Mill, it'd be great to go full organic on a smaller or medium-sized lawn. Organics supply more sustained feedings, help sustain the natural biology of the soil, tend to increase worm populations, and overall do a superior job over time--but don't show immediate effects. Figure three weeks until you see any change post an organic feeding. Fifteen pounds per thousand square feet of soybean meal ($14.25 per 50 pound bag the last time I was there in August) will feed the lawn beautifully. Normally, apply it on May 1, August 1, September 1, and October 1. This year, immediately and that's that since we're almost at October 1 anyway. If you'd rather use synthetic, that's fine. Use any high-nitrogen (high first number) fertilizer from your local big box store. This year, immediately. Normal years, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and October 1. (Optimally, when the lawn is no longer growing but still green, feed again with a high-nitrogen synthetic. Dates vary, but usually around Thanksgiving for us, plus or minus two weeks. This particular synthetic app goes even when using organics as it's too cold at that time for organics to process well and the absorption window is very short). There's no specific need to rake, dethatch, or aerate the area, although you can certainly dethatch it if you'd rather look at bare ground than dead grass. Given the date, you're going to be looking at brown grass anyway, so I doubt it much matters. And by spring the stuff will rot away, leaving more blank ground. It's getting way too late to seed in the Kutztown area, although if you apply fungicide this weekend you could probably seed with it. Many fungicides are safe to apply with seed, but check the bag. You'll need to water that seeded area two to three times per day for 5-15 minutes at a shot, however, as the weather is not cooperating in terms of rainfall, moist weather, and normal late September temperatures. It rarely does. Barring that, you can dormant seed the lawn either before our first snowfall (if we get a winter like last year or the year before) or February (if it's like the five years previously with no or very little snow). That won't need watering, and it'll sprout in very late March or into April as the ground temperatures warm. It's the second best time to seed. In either case, newly-grown grass will require irrigation next summer if the weather is drier than it was this year. Once a week, an inch at a time, in those areas will be sufficient to keep it happy until it establishes fully next fall.