Laundry Detergent And Dawn Dish Soap For Grub Control

There are lots of ways to handle grub situations. However, our focus will be on one of the most reliable, yet cost-effective strategies; the use of laundry detergent and dawn dish soap for grub control.

Grubs are known to be destructive and easily ruin your lush lawn when left unchecked. This is seen in their feeding activity where they feast on grassroots as well as organic matter in the soil.

The effects of this activity are seen in sections of your lawn drying out.

One great advantage with the use of natural remedies such as these is the fact that it cuts back grub activity by as much as 70%, thus restoring the lush-green look of your lawn within a short time.

What Are Grubs?

For many readers, this may seem elementary and unnecessary. However, others may be faced with grub problems but have no idea what’s responsible. Lawn grubs or white grubs as they are popularly called are beetles in their immature state.

Now, these creatures feed mainly on grassroots below the ground surface. With time, they become more destructive and will need to be controlled as early as possible.

How Detergents And Dawn Dish Soap Solutions Kill Grubs

Grub control using home remedies like detergents and/or dish soap solution is quite popular.

We’ve established the fact that this is effective in killing grubs but how does this happen? When soap (detergent and dawn dish soap) mixed with water is applied to grubs, it causes suffocation.

Here, the soap chemicals cling onto the skin of grubs. This leads to a situation where grubs are starved of oxygen and die by suffocation.

What more? Detergents cause zero damage to your lawn but benefit it by adding phosphorus which is good for grass growth.

Using Either Detergent or Dawn Dish Soap for Grub Control

Some natural remedies have been found for grub problems.

These include the use of either detergent or dawn dish soap. However, to successfully use these, you’ll need to have an understanding of how to make the mixture and apply it.

Detergents are known to be highly effective against grubs. This is readily available and found in every household.

However for this to be effective, it must be applied all over your lawn. Not only does detergent kill grubs, but it also benefits your lawn by adding phosphorus to the grass.

• How To Use Detergent For Grub Control

Before anything else, you want to ensure your lawn is freshly cut.

The reason for this is to enable the detergent solution soak-in to the ground without sitting on the grass. Sprayers are effective tools for getting a job (application) done.

When picking a sprayer, go for those with long handles that extend close to the ground. These types are more comfortable and allow for better and easy application of your detergent solution.

To make your solution, add some lemon juice, followed by the detergent in the ratio of 3 and 6 ounces respectively. Now a gallon of water should be added to it and mixed before spraying around your lawn.

Ensure that all areas of your lawn, especially the dead patches caused by grubs are well drenched.

• How To Use Dawn Dish Soap For Grub Control

Dawn dish soap works in much the same way as detergent. Both laundry detergent and dawn dish soap can be interchanged or used together for this purpose.

Now, the main purpose of adding dawn dish soap is to ensure an even spread of the solution over a wider area.

What more? By coming in contact with grub skin, it locks out oxygen, thus preventing oxygen intake which suffocates grubs to death.

To make this solution, you’ll need to add a tablespoon of Dawn liquid soap to about a quart of water. This is mixed and sprayed onto grubs or areas most affected by them.

Another strategy involves adding two cloves of chopped garlic to a tablespoon of mineral oil. This should be allowed to sit in the freezer overnight.

The next day, a quart of warm water should be added to the mixture of mineral oil and garlic followed by a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap.

Spray the solution over the affected parts of the lawn. You mustn’t rush this process. Ensure that affected areas are well drenched in this solution.

• Using Both Laundry Detergent And Dawn Dish Soap For Grub Control

So far, we’ve seen that readily available household items like laundry detergent and Dawn dish soap can be used separately for grub control. However, both items can also be used for greater efficacy.

The use of both laundry detergent and Dawn dish soap isn’t complicated. In making the mixtures stated above, you only need to add Dawn dish soap to your detergent solution and vice versa.

This mixture of laundry detergent, Dawn dish soap, lemon juice, and water gives you a potent grub repellent. After a successful application, the dead areas of your lawn should come back to life within a few weeks.

• When To Treat Your Lawn For Grubs

It’s common for people to panic upon seeing a grub around their lawn.

However, there’s no reason to be afraid. No healthy lawn is entirely free of grubs. In other words, a lawn should support a few grubs per square foot.

If you’re wondering why the reasons are simple. A tolerable grub population helps with soil aeration and loosening. This condition impacts positively on your lawn and supports healthy growth of grass.

Knowing when to treat your lawn for grubs involves some probing.

Here, you’ll need to ensure that not more than 5 or fewer grubs are found per square foot. 10 grubs or more per square foot calls for treatment.

Making sure that the grubs population does not exceed acceptable levels helps maintain a healthy balance which in turn supports lawn growth.

Conclusion

Here, you’ve seen that laundry and Dawn dish soap solutions are great remedies for grub problems.

Grub control is better achieved when you know how to mix as well as the ratios involved. All of this information has been made available.