Gardening Tips and Tricks!

mrsD · 05-25-2008, 07:02 AM

This was either a ground hog or deer. We have a groundhog...I see him frequently, and we call him Moe. He usually is no problem, since I do not do much in the back where it is shady. He eats clover and dandylions etc.
He must have gotten my ajuga, because that is really gone.

Whatever-whoever ate them...it got only at the top part with the seeds. And I suspect deer, because
that is what they do. (we live in a dense city..so we don't expect deer, but I have seen them come up along the creek in the past).

The bite pattern was also more like deer. Deer do not have top teeth, they
pull the stem off and leave a little tail on one side.
Rodents have incisors on both upper and lower jaw and bite cleanly as a rule.

Our street is all torn up for the city's project of replacing sewer/water mains.
It is now only sand. We found 2 sets of deer tracks last weekend in the sand.
So I think a deer is responsible. (she got some things across the street as well, and they were all tall plants too-- it is wild across the street but I have
invasive wild things planted there for fun/interest).

I am really bummed

...as I like the way the Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells) reseed and increase.

Doody · 05-25-2008, 12:06 PM

Hmm, that's interesting Mrs. D! I had grubs before at another home and the devastation was terrible. I think what I'll do, then, is not put grub poison in this particular area and check it out later this season. I had no idea they used fertilizer that looked like grub eggs.

That's awful about your lawn Ms. Av8tr! Good on you for calling them out on this. Geesh. Moving eggs? LOL Just think of the unsuspecting people who would not have known any better.

tovaxin_lab_rat · 05-25-2008, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrsd

You know...the pelleted fertilizers they use for long term now look alot like
eggs. And as they absorb moisture they squish too. They tend to be
off white to buff/light tan color. The better growers are now commonly using them. And I have switched to them too for all my containers. These tend to be in size just a bit larger than those round seeds you find in some pickles, but darker in color. These pelleted fertilizers do not shrink in size as they age, they become hollow. So you can see them "forever". I just repotted my planters that I use for my african daisies...and the little spheres were still there from last year. They last 3 to 4 months (the fertilizer inside that is) and commerical growers are now using them commonly I have found.

Grub eggs would be smaller I'd think.

This link says grub eggs are slightly oval.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html

Wow...I have never had a critter in a soil pot from a nursery or WalMart. I think they buy locally.
I know that Meijer's for example uses a local perennial grower, who is also excellent. So it might depend on
your region...the quality etc.
(our WalMart gets really nice stuff at good prices. The pansies I bought this year and last were just spectacular)

But I did get heavily infested tropical New Guinea impatiens one year from a greenhouse.
(you know the large fancy ones) These were little black mites, much smaller than aphids, on the underside of the leaves. So I suggest everyone examine those expensive impatiens carefully. These mites were majorly tiny, and you can really only see them if they are massed in a bunch. The leaves get mottled before they fall off.

There is a huge difference between a fertilizer pellet and a billbug grub, especially when they move and crawl around in your hand!!!

WalMart does not buy locally. They buy in bulk and ship it in from wherever they get the cheapest buy, just like HomeDepot and Lowe's. If your local WalMart happens to be near the warehouse where they purchase the plant material, then you are lucky.

Here in Idaho, we have two of the largest tree, perennial, and annual growers in the mountain states. None of the box stores purchase from them. They ship their plant material in from California. As does Costco and Sams' Club. The plant material is not climatized for our elevation nor zone. It's too bad because buying locally would save on fuel and help out the local economy.

Grub/billbug

JustWeave · 05-26-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Av8rgirl

Groundhog Control With Repellent Smells or Tastes

Epsom salts can be sprinkled on the vegetation and fruits of your garden plants to render them foul-tasting to groundhogs. The good news about this strategy is that Epsom salts will also help some of your garden plants to grow better. But the bad news is that rain will wash off the Epsom salts, meaning that you will need to make repeated applications. Another strategy that suffers from the same drawback is discouraging groundhogs with foul-smelling agents such as ammonia. Ammonia-soaked rags can be strewn along the perimeter of your garden, forming a stinky barrier to repel groundhogs. But even ammonia's smell fades eventually and a re-application will be necessary.

http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/Profe...groundhogs.htm

http://www.critter-repellent.com/gro...FSY1agod2k4CDA

http://www.havahart.com/advice/critt...undhog-control

Thanks for the info. Turns out I had some fox urine powder here so I will give that a try.

tovaxin_lab_rat · 05-26-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeaveHerr

Thanks for the info. Turns out I had some fox urine powder here so I will give that a try.

Let us know how that works!!

JustWeave · 05-26-2008, 12:13 PM

I have two large clumps of Adagio grass I want dug up, divided, and given away. Should the plants be cut back, and if so, how far? They are going to a plant swap this week and what ever is left over gets put out at our yard sale this month. They are so big I'm afraid they won't survive, so any other words of wisdom you have for me would be appreciated. They are going to get replaced with a hopefully more mannerly/compact grass.

JustWeave · 05-26-2008, 12:22 PM

My idea of gardening fun does not include weeding!

What can I do to keep the weeds at bay? My south facing bed is probably the worst. When landscapers put in some stuff for me they put down some granular weed block but it didn't work. I have tried pulling them out by the roots, other granular weed block, and layers of newspaper under mulch. Next on the attempt idea list is landscape fabric. Got any tips or other ideas for me? Thanks.

tovaxin_lab_rat · 05-26-2008, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeaveHerr

I have two large clumps of Adagio grass I want dug up, divided, and given away. Should the plants be cut back, and if so, how far? They are going to a plant swap this week and what ever is left over gets put out at our yard sale this month. They are so big I'm afraid they won't survive, so any other words of wisdom you have for me would be appreciated. They are going to get replaced with a hopefully more mannerly/compact grass.

It's spreads through rhizomes so you can dig it up, and take your shovel or a pair a pruners and cut it up nicely into smaller portions, it should be divided every 2-3 years.

Pruning or cutting it back is quite easy and should be done now. You can cut it to the ground before new shoots appear. If it has already started growing, go ahead and prune it down to the tops of the new shoots and take your fingers and run them through the new grass shoots and pull out the dead ones from last season.

It's a very pretty grass!!!

tovaxin_lab_rat · 05-26-2008, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeaveHerr

My idea of gardening fun does not include weeding!

What can I do to keep the weeds at bay? My south facing bed is probably the worst. When landscapers put in some stuff for me they put down some granular weed block but it didn't work. I have tried pulling them out by the roots, other granular weed block, and layers of newspaper under mulch. Next on the attempt idea list is landscape fabric. Got any tips or other ideas for me? Thanks.

The granular weed block they put down was probably a pre-emergent that must be applied annually. My best guess would be that they used a product called Caseron. It works very well, but must be applied annually.

Bark/Mulch is an organic material and weeds will grow in it. Weeds will grow in rock/mulch if enough dust/dirt accumulates over time. Using newspaper UNDER it will keep the weeds from growing through the newspaper, but weeds will still grow in the mulch, but not under it.

As a landscaper, we do not encourage homeowners to put down any type of weed barrier under organic mulch. It's a waste of their money and our time. The only time we use weed barrier is when we put down heavy rock type bark as it will sink into the soil.

My suggestion to you is to use employ a Integrated Weed Management Program. There are several steps to this program.

1) Mechanical removal of the current weeds; 2) apply a pre-emergent (granular or liquid); 3) follow up through out the remainder of the season using mechanical removal of weeds as they pop up or biological methods; and 4) proper fertilization and watering of plant material.

There are several products on the market that you can use should you choose to go the route of biological methods.

braingonebad · 05-27-2008, 07:18 AM

I've always just hand-pulled the weeds, but I am going to have to reconsider the way I do things.

I'm guessing pre-emergents could kill off most of the flowers that come up from seed, as well as the weeds. Or are there products that know the differance?

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