Alan Sung wrote:
Milky Spore is not that effective in the cold part of Western
Massachusetts, zone 5. Just too cold. Same problem with the beneficial
nematodes. None of them will survive the cold winter and must be
re-introduced every year.

-al sung
Hopkinton, MA
Zone 6a

Well, after some thought we decided not to do anything this year as we
don't seem to have a major grub problem in the lawn, though we will
keep an eye on it. The pollinator issue is a biggie: our next door
neighbor keeps honey bees which feed on my flower garden and my fiance
is very against using any poisons if not absolutely necessary.

No one waters grass out where we live as it is very rural (very gorgeous
too.) I live in a town that looks more like "Vermont" than the real
Vermont does.

I think I may put some beetle traps out at the other end of the property
away from my garden and see if that helps next year. I have been picking
the beetles out of the dahlias by hand, but by the time I get there,
they've chomped through the petals. I won't spray because of the bees.

OTOH, all those dahlias I'd potted up and then left out to get frosted
on our late frost bounced back and I have a splendid display of tall,
gorgeous, if somewhat munched flowers. So starting them early in the
pots was worth it.