Mole Run Traverse City Lawn

How Do I Get Rid of Moles in Traverse City?

Mole tunnels are very common sight in lawns in the spring. In Traverse City, moles spend the winter deep in the soil searching for food. They move up toward the surface of the soil as the temperatures begin to increase. This is why we see these tunnels in the spring. So, how do we get rid of moles in Traverse City.

It is a very common misconception that grubs are the reason for mole damage in the lawn. This is not usually correct. You will not get rid of the moles if you get rid of the grubs. The main food source for a mole is the common earthworm. We do not have any treatments to eliminate worms. We honestly don’t want to eliminate worms because they help keep the soil healthy.

The best way to get rid of a mole is by using a mole trap or hiring a professional mole trapper. Poisons can also be effective and are an inexpensive first attempt. Traps and poisons are available at most hardware or home improvement stores. Even though grubs do not cause mole damage, they can be a BIG problem for your lawn all by themselves.

How Do I Get Rid of Grubs?

White Grubs are the larva of Japanese Beetles, European Chafer, and June Beetles. Beetles lay their eggs in the soil every summer and these eggs hatch to become grubs. Grubs in the lawn survive by eating the roots of your grass. Eventually, they eat enough of the roots that your grass dies. We’ve seen entire lawns wiped out by grub damage.

Can Someone Do it for me?

The good news is that grub damage can be prevented with a perfectly timed lawn treatment. Give us a call at 231-866-1860 or contact us on the site if you have more questions about moles or grubs.

In Traverse City and Leelanau County we tend to get excited when the snow melts. I usually dust off the flip flops and the sunglasses when the temperature hits 50 degrees. We feel active and productive and want to get the lawn looking great as soon as possible. Dethatching the lawn has become one of the first tasks we do each year on the lawn.

Dethatching Your Lawn is Unnecessary

The idea behind dethatching is that you remove all of the dead grass from the previous year. Then the new grass can poke through and grow better. This is not necessary. The brown grass will not impede the growth of new grass. In fact, that dead grass that you are removing from the lawn is perfectly good compost. It will eventually break down to provide additional nutrients for your lawn. Also, the ground can still be pretty wet in the early spring. Walking or driving on the wet lawn can cause compaction and make it more difficult to grow grass.

Do a Spring Cleanup

There are some beneficial things you can do to the lawn in the spring even though dethatching is probably not the best idea. Generally, it is a good idea to do a “spring cleanup” of the lawn to get it ready for summer.

1. Pick up sticks and large objects. These items can potentially cause damage to lawn mowers. Or worse…they can become weapons for children.
2. Clean up snow blower/snow plow debris. Sometimes excess snow removal efforts can create piles of dirt/stones that will blanket the grass. This can kill small areas in the lawn.
3. Fertilize the lawn. Not any fertilizer will do. You want to make sure the fertilizer includes a product for crabgrass prevention. This will reduce the chances of the ugly summer grass taking over your lawn.

Dethatching is not necessary. Your lawn will be on the right path to a beautiful outdoor season if you do the 3 things listed above. Please let us know if you are interested in having your lawn fertilized by Green Team or would like recommendations for contractors to do a spring cleanup.