Xref: news7 rec.gardens.roses:91098

On Wed, 9 Apr 2003, "Heather" wrote:
Do grubs harm Rose plants? Mine never seemed to do well for the last couple
of years and now I think I know why. We noticed grubs in our front and
backyards last year and are trying to combat them one we loose the snow (we
live in Toronto, Canada). Any good recomendations for getting rid of them
safely (we have a dog that loves the backyard).
Any advice appreciated.
TIA
Heather
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hi Heather,

There's different types of grubs and yes, they can harm your roses. Some
grubs are the larvae of Japanese Beetles, which can completely destroy your
plants. Other grubs will chew on the roots of almost anything planted in
your garden.

Milky Spore is an effective control and won't harm you or your pets. It's
simply a bacterium that eats grubs. It will survive the winter and an
application is effective for ten years. One drawback - it's a pain in the
butt to apply. You have to divide the area where you're going to apply into
a grid when the soil is warm and work it in.

Mike
z8TX