A gardening expert has urged fellow gardeners to be on the lookout for an unassuming and hidden pest which could be damaging lawns. Michael, more popularly known as The Mediterranean Gardener on TikTok, warned about the presence of leatherjackets which can destroy plants and lawn grass.
The pests are easy to identify, and now is the time to deal with them. If leatherjackets are left untreated, they can cause lawns to develop yellow-brown patches and discolour nicely curated gardens. In a recent video, Michael explained what task you should be doing in August to deal with the problem.
Leatherjackets are the larvae of crane flies, more commonly known as daddy longlegs. While there are around 350 species of them in Britain, many are uncommon or rare.
These insects are part of healthy balanced ecosystems, most feed on decomposing organic matter or algae and some are predatory. However there are a few species of leatherjackets that feed on living plants which can ultimately damage gardens, explained the Royal Horticultural Society.
You’ll be able to identify leatherjackets by their elongated tubular bodies which can be up to 30 mm long, and are grey-brown in colour. They also have no legs or obvious head.
If there are leatherjackets living in the ground of gardens, the lawn will start developing yellowish brown patches and kill off the grass. This can be distinguished from similar effects caused by lawn diseases or adverse growing conditions by lifting the affected turf and finding leatherjackets in the surface layers of the soil.
Should leatherjackets live in flower beds or vegetable plots, seedlings and small plants can be killed if the stems are damaged at soil level. If your lawn is being affected by leatherjackets, now is the right time to sort the issue out.
Michael explained that late summer and early autumn are the perfect time to treat them as they are vulnerable. To identify whether the larvae are wriggling around your garden, give your lawn a really good watering and then cover the area with some cardboard or black plastic sheeting.
Leave the covering in place overnight, and the next day take it off to see if the grubs are on the surface. To treat them, you want to cover the affected area with leatherjacket nematodes.
These are microscopic worms that hunt for leatherjackets in the soil.
Mix the nematodes with water in a watering can. Pour the water over the lawn to rid the infestation.
The RHS explained that for the action to be effective, nematodes need soil that is well drained but moist and with a minimum temperature of 12°C (54°F). The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with larvae spreading out from “hot spots” in the lawn.
However, by the time damage becomes apparent, the soil may be too cold for nematodes to be effective, so make sure you’re doing it sooner rather than later.
