Curse of the Daddy Long Legs

Leather jackets have sadly become  all too familiar words that everyone can identify with at Loftus. Just a few years back very few residents had heard of such creatures but now just a mention of the word creates faces of disgust and uncontrollable bad language.

This year I am facing the same problem as many residents as the grass on the amphitheatre has succumbed to a bad infestation of leather jackets and we are faced with the task of getting the grass back for the summer. Up to now we have dodged the problem but last autumn despite an application of Nemitodes the daddy long legs got the better of us.

So, here is my action plan, you might like to follow if you have the same problem.

• Firstly apply the Nemitodes – these are microscopic worms that when introduced into the ground will seek out the leather jackets and kill them organically. They are available from Nemitodes Direct website but if ordering for your own garden make sure you get the right ones as there are Nemitodes for other pests such as slugs, vineweevil, chafer grubs etc. Follow the instructions carefully or it will not work.
• Ideally the Nemitodes should be applied in the rain as this will help wash them down into the ground. The soil must then be kept moist for two weeks which is important to keep them alive. Use a hose pipe and give a  good soak daily, It’s one of those jobs you have to have faith in as you won’t see any instant results.
• The grass will not regrow by itself as the roots will have been eaten by the grubs so new grass seed must be sown. The bare patches will need to be lightly forked over to create a good contact between seed and soil or alternately buy in extra good quality soil (not compost) and mix the seed with the soil before applying. I am going to try out some extra tough grass seed meant for rugby pitches on the amphitheatre which hopefully will be robust enough to cope with a bit of root nibbling from grubs.
• Apply a spring granular fertiliser and keep the young grass watered regular with a hose pipe in the evenings.
• A good tip when establishing new grass is, once it’s all up and has grown long enough to require mowing, water in the evening when the sun has gone down for a good couple of hours and only once a week. This will encourage the roots to grow deep and strong whereas watering a bit every day will just keep the roots weak and shallow and more vulnerable to the leatherjackets.
• Hand dig out any weeds with a penknife for the first year as the grass will need to toughen up but following years a selective weed killer that only kills weeds and not grass can be used. I quite like daisies and clover, so I allow these to stay on the amphitheatre as they are food for insects and don’t grow too tall. However dandelions, docks ,thistles etc are not allowed.
• Cut the grass at least once a fortnight through the summer, weekly if you have the time, and don’t cut too short. This will encourage the grass to thicken up and prevent weeds establishing.
• Apply a summer granular fertiliser in July/August.
• Apply Nemitodes again in Sept/Oct.
• Apply an autumn granular fertiliser in Oct/Nov.
• Stop mowing through winter months unless a warm dry spell starts the grass growing again and then the odd cut will keep it tidy

This is the basics of the work we will be carrying out on the amphitheatre over the next 6 months and we would much appreciate your co-operation. If you could refrain from walking on it and keep your dog on a lead it will help the grass establish much quicker.