Pests & Diseases of Lawns
In most areas of the North Shore, lawns really are out of their element - all you need to do is look at what grows in wild areas and you’ll see why. North Shore gardeners spend countless hours (not to mention hard-earned money) trying to grow lawn grass and keep it weed and disease-free in an area where lawns weren't meant to grow. While they definitely have their place (e.g., as a play area for children), but if your lawn has no other purpose other than looking pretty (and causing you grief), you might want to consider replacing it with something more suitable to our North Shore growing conditions..
Lawn Pests
If you do have lawn and suspect a lawn pest the following describes what damage to look for with the most common lawn pests on in the lower mainland.
European Crane Fly
For the average lawn, crane flies are rarely a problem. Adult crane flies (these resemble oversized mosquitoes) do not damage your lawn, nor do they bite or sting. They are harmless. The larvae of pest crane flies, (also known as leather jackets) can cause problems with turf as they feed on the roots of plants, mainly turf grass. How do I know if I have crane fly damage? Leather jacket feeding causes brown patches in lawns. This is mainly due to the root feeding of larvae (leather jackets). However, many other environmental conditions and pests can do this too. If you suspect symptoms, contact the Master Gardener Hotline. (Click here for photos to help you identify European crane flies and their larvae)
Lawn Diseases
Given the North Shore’s wet climate you would think our lawns would be afflicted with all sorts of lawn diseases, but in fact this is not the case (though some might refer to moss as a disease!). If however you suspect a lawn plant disease, this website is an excellent resource (with ID photos) of lawn diseases (note most of these are uncommon on the North Shore).