Professional advice
Leatherjackets
What are Leatherjackets and what do they do?
Leatherjackets are the larvae of the crane fly (daddy long legs). In small populations, you are unlikely to notice any activity in your lawn. In larger populations they become problematic quickly.
Leatherjackets cause damage to lawns by feeding (often unnoticed) on the root structure of the grass itself. The problem is usually only detected when the population of the grubs in the soil is too large for the lawn to cope with, resulting in areas of lawn dying off. Often worse is the secondary damage which can follow โ these grubs are the prey of birds, badgers and foxes. With a lack of rooting, turf will often pull apart easily to reveal leatherjackets feeding in the root zone.
When will I see Crane Fly and Leatherjacket activity?
Some leatherjackets hatch into crane-fly in spring, however most emerge from the ground during late-summer/early autumn. Shortly after the crane-fly hatch they will mate, then return to your lawn to lay their eggs. A single female crane-fly is capable of laying up to 300 eggs, thatโs a lot of grubs!! A couple of weeks later the small grey-black leatherjackets will hatch and begin feeding on the roots of your lawn.
You may notice leatherjacket damage occurring when patches of your lawn begin to turn brown and die off. As there will be very little root left, the grass will easily pull up to expose the soil and grubs beneath.
How can I stop Leatherjacket damage?
Following a long period of time with no chemical control, an insecticide is now available to be used as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan, along with nematodes, for the control of Leatherjackets.
Nematodes are microscopic organisms when, if used correctly, can be applied to the soil to seek out the leatherjackets to attack them. There is a limited period of use for nematodes which can been seen on the chart below.
An alternate organic method of control is what we call โsheetingโ. After heavy rain or having thoroughly watered your lawn, cover the surface of your lawn with black tarpaulin, secure down so no light gets underneath the sheet and leave overnight. When you remove the covering the following morning, some leatherjackets will have made their way to the surface and can be removed by brushing, picking, or blowing them off. If youโre lucky, you might get a helping hand from some garden birds.
Click here to view our Integrated Pest Management approach.
Leatherjacket Life Cycle
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As an independent (non-franchised) business this allows us to provide an exceptional standard of service with bespoke lawn treatments.
Online estimates
Eco-friendly
Bespoke treatments
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key treatments
T1 Winter Lawn Treatment
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This organic-based treatment is designed to kickstart the growth of your lawn and knock back moss, as daylight increases and soil temperatures warm into spring.
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Our third visit of the year sees us apply a controlled-release fertiliser to promote thick, healthy growth whilst controlling most weeds within your lawn.
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Additional treatments
Aeration
Aeration is carried out to help lawns by ventilating the soil, improving drainage and encouraging better root development.
Scarification & Over Seeding
Scarification is a mechanical rake-like process which removes potentially harmful unwanted organic matter (a.k.a thatch) from the surface of your lawn.
Soil Enhancement
Top Dressing
We offer two types of lawn top dressing. One to aid seed germination following scarification. The other to level minor undulations in uneven lawns.
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Our Stressbuster Treatment will help your lawn recover from common lawn issues such as Red Thread and Fusarium.
Wetting Agent Treatment
Our Wetting Agent Treatment, consisting of a granular application can save you time and money by reducing the amount of watering required throughout the year.
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