Re: frost heaving
- To: i*@onelist.com
- Subject: Re: frost heaving
- From: "* S* L* <t*@tntie.com>
- Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 16:50:47 -0700
From: "R. S. Lockman" <thelockmans@tntie.com>
Ummm, When we first got these tunnels, I would see Asiatic lily after lily
disappear, same with hostas and some other perennials. Needless to say this
was very upsetting for me. I only have two lilies now , havent replaced
those yet. Hostas, I was able to separate others and replace lost ones. I
do not want to see this happen so set traps right away. Last year , cat
caught one varmit, traps caught two more. No trouble till now. Here we go
again. Havent checked hostas in front yet but last year they were pulled
down into holes and sometimes tops left barely sticking up! Geeze.Just
thought I would treat for grubs due to beetles. Has to help some , even if
neighbors dont. Donna Lockman
thelockmans@tntie.com
----------
> From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
> To: iris-talk@onelist.com
> Subject: [iris-talk] Re: frost heaving
> Date: Friday, July 31, 1998 2:29 PM
>
> From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
>
> >From: "R. S. Lockman" <thelockmans@tntie.com>
> >
> >When soil in my bed heaves, I set the vole traps! Got two set at the
> >moment. Hate those varmits, treating soil in lawn for grubs shortly.
Never
> >had this trouble until last year. Any one else had to deal with this?
> >Donna Lockman
>
>
> Frost-heaving and vole trouble are two separate things. Also I wonder if
> you might be confusing voles and moles. Voles are small, mouse-like
> rodents (they have smaller ears and shorter tails than real mice) that
are
> primarily vegetarians. They eat roots and other parts of plants. I find
> them damaging Siberian iris rhizomes and some other plants, particularly
if
> you have mulched the bed. Voles seen largely unable to dig their own
> burrows, so they make tunnels just under the surface of mulch, like
> mouse-runs, or use the burrows made by moles. Most of the damage takes
> place in late winter and spring when the voles run out of the foods they
> really like.
>
> Moles on the other hand are carnivores, feeding on worms and grubs in the
> soil. They dig deep burrows in which they live most of the time, and
make
> tunnels just under the sod, etc., which are the typical "mole-hills."
> These temporary tunnels are pitfall traps into which grubs and worms
> wander, to be caught by the moles as they patrol them. So moles cause
the
> soil to be "heaved up" but voles usually don't. While pesky and
unsightly
> in a lawn, moles do not damage plant life in the garden (except that they
> provide homes for voles, which do!). Using milky spore on the lawn will
> drastically reduce the number of moles by killing Japanese beetles and
> other grubs. The moles get discouraged and go elsewhere.
>
> I think this also would reduce the population of voles, at least a
little,
> because they wouldn't have the abandoned mole tunnels to use. Since
> treating with milky spore two years ago, we have had little vole damage
and
> moles have almost entirely disappeared. Also, the population of Japanese
> beetles has been drastically cut!
>
> Bill Shear
> Department of Biology
> Hampden-Sydney College
> Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
> (804)223-6172
> FAX (804)223-6374
> email<bills@hsc.edu>
>
> Why is the word "abbreviation" so long?
> -Anonymous
>
>
>
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