Insect & Disease Control

Explore Lawn Insect Control

Prevent lawn insects from ruining your yard with Jonathan Green lawn care products! Jonathan Green insect control is formulated to kill over 15 surface and soil insects, including grubs and chinch bugs.

We know lawn insects can be an annoying issue to tackle. That’s why we’ve made it simple for you, by offering easy-to-apply lawn insect control to kill and repel insects from your yard. Read on for more information about what lawn insect control is and how to identify damage from lawn insects, and grubs!

What is Lawn Insect Control?

Lawn insect control falls under an umbrella term of substances called pesticides, which are defined as any substance or mixture used to kill and repel pests. Pests can include insects, rodents, weeds or diseases. Insecticide is a specific type of pesticide that kills insects. Pesticides usually come in either liquid or granular form and are applied by spraying or with the use of a handheld spreader or rotary spreader.

Insecticides or lawn insect control works to kill and repel one or several species of bugs and insects, such as ants, fleas, ticks, grubs, armyworms, and more.

Types of Lawn Insect Control

Synthetic Insecticides

Synthetic insecticide is a type of lawn insect control that is made up of man-made, chemical ingredients that kill and repel insects. Synthetic insecticides usually work quicker than organic pesticides and oftentimes are more effective.They can however pose a risk to the environment if misused, as harmful runoff can get into your local water supply. When used properly though, they provide complete long-term protection against lawn insects.

Insecticides with Fertilizer

Insecticides that are coupled with fertilizer add nutrients to the lawn while controlling insects at the same time. This combination can save you time and money, by helping you maintain a healthy, green lawn and repel insects from your yard with a single application.

Jonathan Green Summer Survival Insect Control with Fertilizer is a dual-action, lawn insect control product that feeds the lawn while eliminating over 15 surface-feeding insects, such as chinch bugs and armyworms. It contains a low-nitrogen formula that is specifically designed to feed the lawn during hot, summer months, which is the same time of year insects thrive in cool-season grasses.

Natural Insecticides

Natural insecticides are an eco-friendly alternative for killing and repelling lawn insects. While you may need more than one application for severe infestations, the environmental benefits make it worthwhile.

Research has shown that plants produce oils that naturally repel lawn insects. Jonathan Green Natural Grub and Insect Control contains a one-of-a-kind, proprietary blend of plant oils to naturally lawn insect control without synthetic toxins or the residue of non-organic ingredients. It also offers peace of mind, as it’s safe to apply to lawns where kids and pets play!

Common Lawn Insects

Most lawn insects can be categorized as either surface or soil-feeding. Surface-feeding insects, such as chinch bugs and webworms, exist above the surface of your lawn’s soil and feed on the leaves of grass plants. Pests such as grubs are considered soil-feeding, as they live under the surface of the soil and feed on the grass roots. Make sure that the lawn insect control you are applying works for the type of insect you would like to repel.

Grubs

Grubs are the larvae of billbugs and live in the soil, surviving by eating away at your grass roots. They are primarily found in fall during seeding season and have a life cycle of one year that begins in the summer, when billbugs lay eggs that turn into grubs. Key indicators of grub damage are brown patches or spongey spots on your lawn.

To test if a dead patch of grass in your lawn has been caused by grubs, conduct a simple pull test:

• Take a handful of yellowed grass and gently tug to determine if the grass is still connected to the soil. If it comes out easily, you have a grub problem.

For a full guide to identifying, treating, and preventing grubs with lawn insect control, visit our Lawn Grubs page!

Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs are small lawn insects that can be identified by their black bodies with white wings. They are primarily found between the spring and fall and thrive in hot, dry climates. Key indicators of chinch bug damage are large, yellow patches of grass that turn brown overtime.

Explore Lawn Fungus Control

Stop the spread of lawn fungus in your yard with Jonathan Green! Jonathan Green offers lawn fungus control to treat and prevent a variety of lawn diseases, such as dollar spot, brown patch, and more!

Lawn fungus is a lawn disease that occurs during periods of excessive heat and humidity. While fungal spores exist naturally in every lawn, practices such as overwatering or watering your lawn at night, can cause the spores to multiply and spread throughout the lawn.

If left untreated for too long, lawn fungus can cause widespread damage and leave you with a yard full of dead grass that cannot be brought back to life.

Using lawn fungus control can help to stop an existing spread from worsening and prevent future spreads when used as a preventative treatment. Read on for more information about different types of lawn fungus control and identifying lawn fungus in your yard.

What is Lawn Fungus Control?

Lawn fungus control or lawn fungicide is a pesticide that is used to stop and prevent the spread of fungi that causes a variety of lawn diseases, such as snow mold, red thread, and dollar spot.

Types of Lawn Fungus Control

Broad-spectrum fungicides

Broad-spectrum lawn fungicides can be used to control a wide variety of fungi that cause damage to lawns. These are effective in preventing fungi from returning to areas where it has been a problem in the past.

Jonathan Green Lawn Fungus Control is a broad-spectrum lawn fungicide that works to control a wide variety of turf diseases, including leaf spot and brown patch. It is a preventative treatment, meaning it can only prevent or stop the disease from occuring, and will not bring grass that has already been damaged back to life. It can be applied year-round and works well for both cool and warm season grasses.

To learn more about lawn fungus and how to treat it in your lawn, check out our lawn fungus article.

Common Types of Lawn Fungus

Brown patch

Brown patch is one of the most common lawn diseases that occur in cool-season lawns. It appears as circles of dead grass with a dark gray ring around its perimeter. Brown patch can be caused by a number of reasons, including excess fertilizer and watering your lawn at night.

Leaf spot

Leaf spot is a disease that is fairly easy to identify, as it appears as brown or yellow spots on the blades of grass plants. It typically occurs in areas that are warm and humid and soils with high levels of nitrogen. Most lawn fungicides treat brown patch and leaf spot.

How to Identify Damage from Lawn Fungus

Before applying lawn fungus control to your lawn, it’s important to properly identify the type of lawn problem you’re dealing with. Here are steps to guide you through this process:

1. Examine the problem area

Are there patterns or irregular patches of dead grass? If the dead grass is widespread, it may be due to drought or dormancy. If there are consistent patterns or rings, patches of yellow or brown grass in one area, visible black or yellow spots on the grass blades, or even slime on your grass, you may have lawn fungus.

2. Diagnose the problem

Once you’ve examined the area, determine if you have lawn fungus. Contact your local county extension office if you’re unsure.

3. Decide on treatment

If the damage isn’t extensive, treatment may not be required. If you have a severe infestation, however, apply lawn fungus control to treat and prevent future infestations. Rake out the dead grass and reseed the bare spots.

How to Prevent Damage from Lawn Fungus

The long-term solution to preventing damage from lawn fungus is maintaining a healthy lawn, which includes but is not limited to:

• Having a balanced soil pH and active soil microbial life
• Aerating the soil to prevent compaction
• Removing excess thatch
• Fertilizing regularly (at least 2 – 3 times a year)
• Proper mowing and watering practices (Mowing at the correct height, sharpening blades, avoiding watering at night, etc.)
• Applying a fungicide as a preventative measure if you’ve experienced lawn fungus in the past

Safety Tips for Applying Pesticides

It’s important to note that you should exercise a great deal of care when applying chemical pesticides to your lawn. Here are some vital safety tips to practice before, during, and after applying chemical pesticides:

• Carefully read the product label for application instructions before purchasing AND before applying insect control or lawn fungus control
• Reference Safety Data Sheets for complete safety precautions for handling, disposing, and storing lawn infection control products
• Wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment) when handling chemicals, such as gloves and goggles
• Make sure to apply the correct amount of product to your lawn to avoid harmful runoff in the local water supply. See product label for instructions and visit our Spreader Settings page to determine the correct setting.