How do I repair a lawn damaged by magpies?
By Oxydol
Dorset,
United Kingdom 
About three years ago we had new turf laid in our front and back gardens and last autumn we noticed that parts of the back lawn had been attacked by some creature (we could only think of foxes - the damage was too severe to have been caused by squirrels) and our nice new lawn resembled nothing more than a ploughed field. This year it happened again, and in the front as well, although slightly earlier (in August) and we discovered that the culprits were magpies. We think they were looking for chafer grubs and understand that this is a common problem with new lawns. We've treated the lawn with nematodes, which are supposed to destroy the grubs, but we still have the problem of the ploughed field. Will the grass just grow back, or should we sprinkle some seed here and there? And should we get hold of a roller to flatten it out (the soil where we live is very light and sandy. And are the nematodes likely to have got rid of the problem for next year? Any advice would be appreciated.
14 Oct, 2008
Answers
Badgers were my first thought too.. The Magpies may well have been following them like Hyenas follow the Lions
14 Oct, 2008
All that damage was magpies? I am surprised. I get damage from badgers after the same tasty treat and I stamp the clods back down and water the area. It seems to recover OK on its own. It wouldn't hurt to sprinkle some grass seed in though, if the grass looks a bit thin - and brush in some sifted compost too.
14 Oct, 2008