Ask the Gardner

[Little Whiskey]

i know a couple of you out there are gardening aficionados. well i have some questions. I recently moved and my new lawn is terrible. alot of brown spots. some one told me they thought i had a grub problem. how do i know for sure? do i just go to the local home improvement store grab those bags of grub control and spread it out? I have a youngin running around as well, is there a better solution??

[MJZiggy]

What area of the country are you in?

[MJZiggy]

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/00/000508q.cfm

Article on nematodes as a grub control.

[Little Whiskey]

What area of the country are you in?

midwest. I'll take a look at your site

thanks zig, i take back what i said about the gender vote

[Oscar]

I'm getting ready to start a major landscaping project. If it quits raining here in N.W. Missouri that is... LOL. I'll take all the advise I can get. I'm a much better mechanic than landscape guru.. but I'm gonna give it a try.

[Scott Campbell]

I'm getting ready to start a major landscaping project. If it quits raining here in N.W. Missouri that is... LOL. I'll take all the advise I can get. I'm a much better mechanic than landscape guru.. but I'm gonna give it a try.

Start with the end in mind. In other words, get a plan done.

[Oscar]

I have a plan. Everything is ready to go.. Just tryin to join in the chat around here.. Maby get some extra input.. Thanks for yours.. though.

[MJZiggy]

What're you going to do? I have to redo a front walk and find some sort of plant that will grow where my lawn has failed 3 years in a row.

[GrnBay007]

Anyone have a sure-fire way to get a mole out of your yard?

I've asked politely and he won't leave.

[MJZiggy]

Get a terrier. I swear mine must have some earth dog in her because she keeps killing voles and...well...never mind. But our rodent problem is gone. If you go to improvementscatalog.com or solutionscatalog.com, one of them should have some sort of device to get rid of moles, but I can't tell you whether they work or not. That dog is good for something...

[GrnBay007]

I've heard those poison peanuts don't work. The traps supposedly work but then you actually have to look at the dead thing and remove it. The other suggestion I got from my ex mother in law is to stand in the yard with a shovel and when you see the mole start to work in your yard, you quickly scoop up the ground where it's working, mole with it and then smack it over the head with the shovel. My response: Yeah Right!!

Don't they have such a thing as mole removal people you can hire?

[Scott Campbell]

Pesky varmits!

[MJZiggy]

Actually I think they do. The things from the catalog are supposed to be sonic things that you sink into a hole and they annoy the mole out of the yard, but like I said, I have no idea if they work.

[GrnBay007]

Pesky varmits!

actually my name for him has been lil fvcker ......but pesky varmit will work.

Yes, maybe a sonic type device will work....I'll check that out.

[Scott Campbell]

Pesky varmits!

actually my name for him has been lil fvcker ......but pesky varmit will work.

Yes, maybe a sonic type device will work....I'll check that out.

Lil fvcker is the nickname I give to any of the boys that come sniffin around my girls. I've got a few devices in mind for those pesky varmits too.

[GrnBay007]

Lil fvcker is the nickname I give to any of the boys that come sniffin around my girls. I've got a few devices in mind for those pesky varmits too.

LOL! Well my son got some little love note from a girl at school this week. I don't know what you boys were doing when you were in 4th grade but I was still enjoying my barbies. So far he has shown no interest in them unless they play sports during recess.....I like it that way.

[MJZiggy]

I have tulips that need dividing. Anyone have any idea when I'm supposed to do that?

[Little Whiskey]

Anyone have a sure-fire way to get a mole out of your yard?

I've asked politely and he won't leave.

I'll give you the redneck way. I've never attempted this but my grandpa swears by it. besides, afterwards you will have a nice pet for your kids.

fill a milk jug up with water and dump it down the mole hole. the mole will think his house is being flooded and will run upstream. and eventually up into the milk jug. simply turn the jug over and you have caught your mole and have a pet at the same time!!!

[Sparkey]

I have tulips that need dividing. Anyone have any idea when I'm supposed to do that?

For spring flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips, the best division time would be about six weeks after they flower in spring. At this time they (and most other Dutch bulbs) can be carefully dug and then divided and replanted immediately or stored until fall. If you choose to store them, be sure to dry the bulbs in a warm dark place until soil and dead roots can be brushed off by hand. Discard any small bulbs in the clumps, and save only the largest ones. Bulbs can be placed in mesh sacks or paper bags that are left open, and hung in a cool dark, dry place until September, when they can be replanted. Check stored bulbs periodically for disease. Mark your calendar for replanting, lest you forget you have them tucked away. This gives you time to get a soil test and prepare a new planting bed.

[MJZiggy]

Thanks Sparkey!!

Hey, is that 6 weeks from the beginning of bloom or the end? Even if the foliage has not died back yet? Last year those puppies had leaves all summer.