CAPE Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 31 minutes ago, WxUSAF said: I’ve got some serious mole issues in my yard lately . Maybe partially due to the cicada feast? What should I do about them? War of attrition. Mole traps work but you have to locate the active runs, and set the traps properly. It takes some persistence. Grub killer, fake worms etc don't work. Moles are primarily after earthworms, and they might be blind, but they can smell- in stereo. Sonic mole chasers are another ineffective gimmick. A good cat works. Dogs too, but they will likely wreck the yard to trying to extract them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 46 minutes ago, WxUSAF said: I’ve got some serious mole issues in my yard lately . Maybe partially due to the cicada feast? What should I do about them? What @CAPE said, and try wrigleys spearmint gum too. I had a mole problem and used gum and smoke bombs to get rid of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPE Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 1 minute ago, nw baltimore wx said: What @CAPE said, and try wrigleys spearmint gum too. I had a mole problem and used gum and smoke bombs to get rid of them. It's also fun to flood their tunnels with a garden hose and try to float them out lol. Rarely works but it is impressive to see where that water ends up going and all the places it comes up. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 @WxUSAF I’ve got a few feral cats living in the backyard that I’d be happy to drop off for you. They’d take care of the moles in a few days. Right now, this one is picking cicadas off the tree for dinner. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxUSAF Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 My old lady kitty is definitely not threatening them lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vastateofmind Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 1 hour ago, WxUSAF said: I’ve got some serious mole issues in my yard lately . Maybe partially due to the cicada feast? What should I do about them? Interesting. We (well, my neighbors on both sides of me, not ME) seem to be having a sudden infestation of groundhogs. They love to munch the clover in my front yard, but then haul ass under either of my neighbors' cars in their driveways to take cover when someone enters/leaves by way of our front door. The more disturbing thing, which I've alerted both neighbors to, is that I hear them scratching/scraping for purchase UNDER each of their cars when they run scared....I'm worried that they're doing some damage underneath those vehicles. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolz1 Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 On 6/3/2021 at 4:53 PM, CAPE said: War of attrition. Mole traps work but you have to locate the active runs, and set the traps properly. It takes some persistence. Grub killer, fake worms etc don't work. Moles are primarily after earthworms, and they might be blind, but they can smell- in stereo. Sonic mole chasers are another ineffective gimmick. A good cat works. Dogs too, but they will likely wreck the yard to trying to extract them. Lol...I think we had this discussion last year. 100% correct on all points. My dog has caught 2 this year but probably dug up a hundred yards of trails getting them. Strawberry season at a peak right now. Today's harvest.... 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPE Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 I am letting my turf type tall fescue grow... tall. It always starts to struggle around now with the heat and the high sun and generally dry soil, and deteriorates from there. Can't do much about the trees robbing moisture/nutrients from below, but letting it grow higher cant hurt. I will cut it to 4" when I mow. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolz1 Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 Around 3" of rain the past few days. With the forecast next week, the gardens should be looking healthy. Im trying to train some of our cukes on the garden fence this season to conserve some space. Healthy looking plant...along with some thai basil. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 That cuke looks good…much better than my cantaloupes, for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolz1 Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 12 minutes ago, mattie g said: That cuke looks good…much better than my cantaloupes, for sure! My cantaloupes look like crud as well. I dont know why... Butternut squash and cucumbers really looking good so far. I held off growing watermelon this year since success has been hit and miss and not everyone in the family is fan anyways. Ive been applying the Sluggo you suggested....so far I think it is working in gardens/potted plants I havent tried to manually remove them. Not 100% but I assume it takes a little time to whittle the populations down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj2va Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 14 hours ago, poolz1 said: Around 3" of rain the past few days. With the forecast next week, the gardens should be looking healthy. Im trying to train some of our cukes on the garden fence this season to conserve some space. Healthy looking plant...along with some thai basil. Good looking plant. This is the first year for me having a vegetable garden and I’m shocked by the rapid growth of the cucumber plant. I put one of those plastic ‘box’ trellis around it that you can add height to over time. I have almost 5 feet of trellis around it and it’s up to the top already. It basically grows like a weed, its crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frd Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 52 minutes ago, nj2va said: Good looking plant. This is the first year for me having a vegetable garden and I’m shocked by the rapid growth of the cucumber plant. I put one of those plastic ‘box’ trellis around it that you can add height to over time. I have almost 5 feet of trellis around it and it’s up to the top already. It basically grows like a weed, its crazy. My cucumbers are growing rapidly too. The secret is to control the vine burrowers so that by the time the tomatoes are ripe the cucumbers are still around. Did an above ground garden this year and so far things look good and drainage is much, much better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 1 hour ago, poolz1 said: My cantaloupes look like crud as well. I dont know why... Butternut squash and cucumbers really looking good so far. I held off growing watermelon this year since success has been hit and miss and not everyone in the family is fan anyways. Ive been applying the Sluggo you suggested....so far I think it is working in gardens/potted plants I havent tried to manually remove them. Not 100% but I assume it takes a little time to whittle the populations down. Good to hear the Sluggo seems to have had an effect. I was seeing slug damage on my lettuce, basil, one jalapeño plant so I applied some Sluggo and haven’t noticed new damage since. I had to delay putting my cantaloupes in the ground, so that didn’t help. I was hoping to build a new raised bed this spring, but I didn’t get around to it, so I had to plant them in the old cucumber location that no longer get the sun it used to (neighbors’s tree has grown out to shade that spot more now). We’ll see what happens. If I get some fruit, then great, if not…there’s always next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolz1 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 He's getting better, @CAPE. 3 moles in three days and very minimal damage. This dog would lick you to death but I think he hates freakin moles moles more than I do.... Ground is soft due to the recent rains and they are on the move. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappy Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 beautiful pup @poolz1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolio Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 I've got a somewhat clay soil backyard area with a lot of crabgrass. What brand fertilizer will keep the crabgrass at bay? And, what time of year to spread it? The crabgrass lives alongside some fescue. Thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 41 minutes ago, coolio said: I've got a somewhat clay soil backyard area with a lot of crabgrass. What brand fertilizer will keep the crabgrass at bay? And, what time of year to spread it? The crabgrass lives alongside some fescue. Thx. The best time to handle crabgrass is in early spring with a preemergent. Look for something that says crabgrass control. If you want to do an early fertilizer application, they make products that come in tandem like this. This far into the season, the best way to handle crabgrass is by spraying. If you have a lot of it, a tank sprayer and concentrate is the easiest and by far, cheapest. Otherwise just a premixed container. The ones I linked are just examples. You may want to read the reviews to see which brands get the best results on crabgrass. Edit to add that like I said, crabgrass is easy to control in early spring, and after re-reading your post, it sounds like you’ve got a lot of it now so you may want to go with something like this for the rest of this season. Especially if you don’t already have a tank sprayer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Kissing bug or type of assassin? Doesn't have the typical hump or half wheel on the back for a wheel bug. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPE Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Pleasantly surprised to see blooms on my hydrangea. Have not had any the past few years. I just figured the tree canopy had grown to the point where it wasn't getting enough sunlight. I cut them back the same as always. Hasn't been a water issue. Anyone have any ideas? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPE Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Think I may have found the answer. Apparently blue hydrangeas should only be pruned late summer. And they don't necessarily need to be cut back every Fall- although mine is older so apparently it is the thing to do.. a bit confusing. I guess whatever combo I did this time just happened to work lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 7 hours ago, CAPE said: Think I may have found the answer. Apparently blue hydrangeas should only be pruned late summer. And they don't necessarily need to be cut back every Fall- although mine is older so apparently it is the thing to do.. a bit confusing. I guess whatever combo I did this time just happened to work lol. I think that some hydrangeas don’t need to be cut back, but every once in a while they should be split in the fall. I never cut mine back (endless summer variety). Also, you can change the color from blue to pink by changing the pH. Blue is acidic soil and pink is neutral to alkaline. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPE Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 8 hours ago, nw baltimore wx said: I think that some hydrangeas don’t need to be cut back, but every once in a while they should be split in the fall. I never cut mine back (endless summer variety). Also, you can change the color from blue to pink by changing the pH. Blue is acidic soil and pink is neutral to alkaline. Yeah mine are older mophead plants I think, based on the color and pH dependency. I will pay more attention to pruning and cut back only a portion of the oldest branches in the Fall going forward. I think what I did last Fall was more aggressively cut everything back, and not really knowing what I was doing, it turned out to be the right thing given the age and the fact it had not produced blooms for multiple years. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Scorpio Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 On 6/3/2021 at 4:27 PM, WxUSAF said: I’ve got some serious mole issues in my yard lately . Maybe partially due to the cicada feast? What should I do about them? Any updates and any luck getting rid of them? I was doing some work around the yard and stumbled across this guy, which I believe is a vole. I also just had a few boxwoods suddenly drop leaves and go brown, which I thought was a watering issue. Guessing their demise was actually the work of voles. Now comes the fun part of figuring out which of the suggested treatment options these voles will respond to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxUSAF Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Seems like they left. Haven’t had any recent tunnels that I’ve noticed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frd Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 On 6/19/2021 at 2:30 PM, CAPE said: Think I may have found the answer. Apparently blue hydrangeas should only be pruned late summer. And they don't necessarily need to be cut back every Fall- although mine is older so apparently it is the thing to do.. a bit confusing. I guess whatever combo I did this time just happened to work lol. @CAPE that is part of the answer. The timing of prunning the old wood is critical. But sunlight and phosphorous also are important. I am dropping some triple phosphate prior to the rains tomorrow around my hydrangeas and crate mrytle around the drip line. Here is another tip using coffee to change colors Coffee grounds turn soil more acidic, helping hydrangea blossoms turn blue rather than the typical pink or white. The acidity of the grounds provides the key element, though aluminum sulfate or eggshells also produce the same effect. . The primary nutrient for bloom production is phosphorous. ... If hydrangeas do not get enough sunlight, they will not produce blooms. The foliage will be healthy and beautiful but the blooms won't appear 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 It must all be variety-related when it comes to hydrangeas. Our NNW-facing side of the house - which gets *very little* sunlight - is awash with mop head hydrangeas in full bloom all summer, every summer. We prune them from time to time, but generally we just let them ride. We have others (limelights) around the house that were more mindful of pruning on the right schedule, and those also do quite well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimo Joe Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Zucchini and Cucumbers doing very well...tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, squash struggling. Just need warmer temperatures (especially at night). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 Tomatoes, jalapenos, and basil are all rockin' and rollin'. Tomato plants are anywhere from 4-6' tall and all plants have fruit on them. As long as squirrels don't do a number on them before they fully ripen, I'm expecting I'll be able to harvest sometime around the third week of July. Cantaloupe plants aren't really doing anything. I knew that would happen since I planted them late in in a less-than-ideal location. I'll let them ride and see if anything happens. Nice surprise brought on by the cool weather is that the lettuce isn't showing signs of bolting. The bottom couple leaves on my garlic are starting to brown, so harvest should be in the next couple weeks. I'll plant fall crops in their place in the August timeframe. I need to harvest basil and use that to make some scape pesto! Need to get some parsley and cilantro seeds in the ground. I also want to get green bean seeds planted this weekend. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolz1 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 12:26 PM, mattie g said: Tomatoes, jalapenos, and basil are all rockin' and rollin'. Tomato plants are anywhere from 4-6' tall and all plants have fruit on them. As long as squirrels don't do a number on them before they fully ripen, I'm expecting I'll be able to harvest sometime around the third week of July. Cantaloupe plants aren't really doing anything. I knew that would happen since I planted them late in in a less-than-ideal location. I'll let them ride and see if anything happens. Nice surprise brought on by the cool weather is that the lettuce isn't showing signs of bolting. The bottom couple leaves on my garlic are starting to brown, so harvest should be in the next couple weeks. I'll plant fall crops in their place in the August timeframe. I need to harvest basil and use that to make some scape pesto! Need to get some parsley and cilantro seeds in the ground. I also want to get green bean seeds planted this weekend. Not sure where you get your seeds but Baker Creek has great slow bolt cilantro seed. The stuff is just never ending and takes forever to shoot up and flower. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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