In the Garden: Moles sure to turn up

3:07 PM, Apr. 7, 2014  |  Comments
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If the soil mounds don't bother you, let them survive. They can't be chased to the lawn next door.


You can step on the mounds and push the soil back into the sod. This may provide some sort of temporary control, but new mounds will reappear. The mounds don't bother me as they did when I was a young guy. I trapped moles and even dug out a few with a spade, but that is really labor intensive and a "hit or miss," perhaps once in 10 attempts.

They are tunneling in the soil, seeking food in the form of insect grubs or earthworms. Or they are seeking a mate to produce more moles. One thing is for sure: They help aerate the soil. But the mounds sure don't enhance the appearance of a carpet of green!

April also is the month for many spring-flowering plants, including forsythia, large flowering magnolias, dogwoods and redbuds. When forsythias are in full bloom, that's the time to apply crabgrass preventer if needed.


April calendar

? Gorman Nature Center: 2 p.m. Sunday, topic "Praying Mantids, Insects with an Attitude"; 7:30 a.m. April 19, Bird and Breakfast Walk; 1 p.m. April 19, "Invasive Mustard Garlic Pull," the removal of invasive plants, bring tools, Jason Larson in charge of both activities.

? Earth Day: April 22. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Helping maintain a "clean" environment is the message for Earth Day. Recycle everything possible and send less to landfills.


April gardening





? Lawn care: Is the lawn mower in good condition to begin a new mowing season? Make sure the blade is sharp and replace old spark plugs. Clean up the lawn, removing twigs, branches and other litter before mowing. Sow grass seed on bare spots in the lawn. If you want to limit mowings, don't overfeed the lawn. The more fertilizer applied, the faster it grows.



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