Yep, a long JB season here too. They came a little later this year, sometime after the 4th of July, and I was foolish enough to hope for a good season. But here we are in October and I still found 2 more last night. Possibly due to the extremely mild weather were having. It's more like the beginning of Sept. here. I put down grub control twice this year. Once right after they first appeared, and once again in late August. From what I've read, It only takes about two weeks for the eggs to hatch. So you put down the grub control as soon as you see the adults. Hopefully the larva eat the grub control before they burrow underground in search of turf roots to eat, and make their home for the winter. I re-applied about 6 weeks later because there were still a lot of beetles breeding, and I doubt the initial application would still be effective, especially after all the flooding we had in late August. Spraying Cyfluthrin or Permethrin and the like will do nothing to prevent them from coming back, and kills everything else in sight as well. Last year I used to take a lot of satisfaction in squishing them one one by one as I found them in the flowers. Then I worried about releasing a scent that would attract others. So now instead of torturing them, I take them for a nice swim with some of their friends in a bucket of soapy water. Very effective. What I've discovered in doing this is, their main strategy of escape when disturbed is instead of flying off, they tend to drop to the ground. So all you have to do is hold your bucket under the bloom, and say BOO!. They are so stupid! And it's fun to watch them swim. Mike

I save foil pans to hang around my isolation garden to scare off the deer. . that is, till they got use to them. Guess I'll give this cucumber stuff a try next year with the pans I have left over. Don, I think you came across the perfect diet. .put those pictures on refrig, cupboards, etc. . .should deter snacking, over eating. . .heck, you might even have a new purging system going. . .lol Sidney, shuddering

There are several members of the Scarab Beetle family, japanese Beetles are one, that lay eggs in the soil that become these "C" shaped grubs we are all taught to hate with a passion. Research at several universities has found that if the population of the grubs is around 10 per square foot you can have a problem but that fewer then 5 per square foot are not. The adult beetles lay the eggs in July and August and they hatch and are then very susceptible to Milky Spore Disease, "Bacillus popilleae" which they must ingest as they feed. As the soil cools these grubs will move down further into the soil for the winter and they stop feeding, but in the spring, as the soil warms, they come back toward the surface to feed for a short time before they pupate to become the adult beeltes. Milky Spore Disease is effective, for a short time during the early stages of these grubs life, shortly after they hatch so it should be applied in early August, at the latest. Milky Spore Disease is also a very passive means of control. You put it down and then hope the grubs find it and ingest it, which is why those that need immediate gratification find it not vey effective. Beneficial nematodes, which eat the grubs can be applied about the same time or a little later. GrubX is not an acceptable organic solution because it is a broad spectrum poison that will kill many of the soil insects, both beneficial and harmful.

Would it hurt your feelings to leave the rye out of your seed mix? Rye complicates the germination phase of a new lawn by tricking you into thinking all the seed is germinating in 7 days. Fescue germinates in about 10 days while KBG takes 15-20 days to germinate. Too many people stop with the daily irrigation after a week and the result is they never get much fescue or KBG. Next season practice good lawn care. Water deeply and infrequently, mow at the mower's highest setting, and fertilize on Memorial Day. You'll be doing the reno in late August so you'll use starter fert with that and then a regular fertilizer after the grass stops growing in November. Morph may have other thoughts, but if you got the soil test in the spring you would still have plenty of time to correct it. I am curious to see your CEC to see if you have sandy soil or something else.