2025 Lawns & Gardens Thread. Making Lawns Great Again

[DavisStraight]

On 6/2/2025 at 10:19 AM, dryslot said:

Lowes or Home Depot has it.

Thanks, I see Aubuchon has it to at 45%.  Have to be careful with that stuff but at least my yard will smell like a salad.

[RUNNAWAYICEBERG]

On 6/3/2025 at 6:22 PM, Damage In Tolland said:

Whoa !!
https://imgur.com/gallery/UEU6SBx#f7HwP0Y

A meme of TACO boy popped up. Thanks for coming around…

 

[tunafish]

What I assumed to have been brown rats that ate my carrot crop last Fall turns out to be Eastern Meadow Vole.  I've got a lot of them.  They carry ticks and will hurt the garden again if I don't deal with them.  

I'm not dropping rodenticide, and trapping proved ineffective last year.  They have a 20-25 day gestation period and once you trap one in their run, they stop using that run.

Other than predators (hawks, ermine, snakes), is there anything effective on these things?   

Anyone had experience with them?

[dendrite]

4 hours ago, tunafish said:

What I assumed to have been brown rats that ate my carrot crop last Fall turns out to be Eastern Meadow Vole.  I've got a lot of them.  They carry ticks and will hurt the garden again if I don't deal with them.  

I'm not dropping rodenticide, and trapping proved ineffective last year.  They have a 20-25 day gestation period and once you trap one in their run, they stop using that run.

Other than predators (hawks, ermine, snakes), is there anything effective on these things?   

Anyone had experience with them?

Outdoor cat?

The skunk I befriended handles most of the rodents. It comes for mealworms when the chickens free range so I have to set it out its own bowl every night. As long as i do that it behaves and leaves the girls alone. It does a good job keeping the yard clean and wiping out grubs too. For the first time there was very few japanese beetles here last year. 

[tunafish]

5 hours ago, dendrite said:

Outdoor cat?

The skunk I befriended handles most of the rodents. It comes for mealworms when the chickens free range so I have to set it out its own bowl every night. As long as i do that it behaves and leaves the girls alone. It does a good job keeping the yard clean and wiping out grubs too. For the first time there was very few japanese beetles here last year. 

That is pretty unconventional but very cool.  What a neat symbiotic relationship.

I don't think that's feasible in suburbia, but I wouldn't mind a neighborhood cat taking an interest.  There was one hanging around a few years ago that looked stray.  It made a run at the hens, ha.

[dendrite]

11 minutes ago, tunafish said:

That is pretty unconventional but very cool.  What a neat symbiotic relationship.

I don't think that's feasible in suburbia, but I wouldn't mind a neighborhood cat taking an interest.  There was one hanging around a few years ago that looked stray.  It made a run at the hens, ha.

[powderfreak]

18 minutes ago, dendrite said:

My conundrum is a dog that has been sprayed twice in her life, but I know her instincts are to go after any small (or big) animal that wanders through.

We have a skunk that comes by most days, and is very careful to stay on the perimeter where it knows the dog can’t get it (due to being on a lead attached to the porch).

The problem is going to be, one day, the dog won’t be tethered or will slip out when the skunk is doing his thing eating grubs…. the dog is getting sprayed again.

[dendrite]

Rhodies are in full bloom

[tamarack]

Lilacs at peak here, though the amount of blooms is lower than usual.

[jbenedet]

On 6/5/2025 at 11:55 AM, tunafish said:

What I assumed to have been brown rats that ate my carrot crop last Fall turns out to be Eastern Meadow Vole.  I've got a lot of them.  They carry ticks and will hurt the garden again if I don't deal with them.  

I'm not dropping rodenticide, and trapping proved ineffective last year.  They have a 20-25 day gestation period and once you trap one in their run, they stop using that run.

Other than predators (hawks, ermine, snakes), is there anything effective on these things?   

Anyone had experience with them?

https://rohrerseeds.com/products/st-gabriel-holy-moley-mole-repellent-10-lb?srsltid=AfmBOoqHunpQHPlH-DlrQqHVxYH_03x1GrCW_Nrmma3Bi4KuyIcXya_c

Neighbor put this down last year with pretty good success. 

[IrishRob17]

On 6/6/2025 at 8:52 AM, tamarack said:

Lilacs at peak here, though the amount of blooms is lower than usual.

Lilac peak was a solid month ago down here but I had noticeable less blooms as well. 

[tunafish]

1 hour ago, jbenedet said:

https://rohrerseeds.com/products/st-gabriel-holy-moley-mole-repellent-10-lb?srsltid=AfmBOoqHunpQHPlH-DlrQqHVxYH_03x1GrCW_Nrmma3Bi4KuyIcXya_c

Neighbor put this down last year with pretty good success. 

Nice.  Purchased.  Thank you.

[jbenedet]

On 5/29/2025 at 1:41 PM, Lava Rock said:

with all the rain and fresh mulch, this is as good as backyard will look. Front yard looks better. sorry, no pic

It really doesn’t have to be this way; but you guys who want 88+ and endless sun are asking for it. 
 

 

[jbenedet]

It’s amazing how second soil temps crack summer levels the crab grass explodes into existence. I’m grateful for the rain, and cooler temps right now. It’s giving my sprouting grass and young lawn a fighting chance.

 

Full Sun and dry for a string of days is especially detrimental for new lawns in June with the peak sun angle.

[dendrite]

1 hour ago, tunafish said:

Nice.  Purchased.  Thank you.

Have you tried the ultrasonic repellents? I know they have solar ones now. 

[tunafish]

11 hours ago, dendrite said:

Have you tried the ultrasonic repellents? I know they have solar ones now. 

I did last year.  Ineffective against both moles and groundhogs,  ha.

[DavisStraight]

On 6/5/2025 at 10:12 PM, powderfreak said:

My conundrum is a dog that has been sprayed twice in her life, but I know her instincts are to go after any small (or big) animal that wanders through.

We have a skunk that comes by most days, and is very careful to stay on the perimeter where it knows the dog can’t get it (due to being on a lead attached to the porch).

The problem is going to be, one day, the dog won’t be tethered or will slip out when the skunk is doing his thing eating grubs…. the dog is getting sprayed again.

Every dog I've had (4 dogs) except for the current pup have been sprayed, nasty smell but I keep hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dawn in the house just in case.

[HIPPYVALLEY]

Is there a reason why my neighbor would be mowing his lawn every 2 to 3 days?
He’s only 60 and retired so it could just boredom but maybe there is a good reason for mowing that frequently?  
i’m not going to ask him because I find it all a little annoying and he’ll probably detect that in my voice.

edit: this is the same person, who will spend Sunny days in late February and early March, snowblowing snow from shady sections of the yard into sunny sections to melt it quicker.

 

[Brewbeer]

59 minutes ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

Is there a reason why my neighbor would be mowing his lawn every 2 to 3 days?

good exercise if they are using a walk behind mower, cheaper than a gym membership

[HIPPYVALLEY]

34 minutes ago, Brewbeer said:

good exercise if they are using a walk behind mower, cheaper than a gym membership

Lol.
Unfortunately, it’s a full ride on mower. 

[klw]

3 hours ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

Is there a reason why my neighbor would be mowing his lawn every 2 to 3 days?
He’s only 60 and retired so it could just boredom but maybe there is a good reason for mowing that frequently?  
i’m not going to ask him because I find it all a little annoying and he’ll probably detect that in my voice.

edit: this is the same person, who will spend Sunny days in late February and early March, snowblowing snow from shady sections of the yard into sunny sections to melt it quicker.

 

We used to have a neighbor that did this and he usually did it right as it was getting dark/ bed time for our kid back then.  We assumed he did it to get an hour away from his wife.

[DavisStraight]

2 hours ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

Lol.
Unfortunately, it’s a full ride on mower. 

Mybe he just likes to ride his mower. I had an old guy for a neighbor, he cut his lawn frequently, not sure if it was every 3 days but it was more than I did.

[mreaves]

4 hours ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

Is there a reason why my neighbor would be mowing his lawn every 2 to 3 days?
He’s only 60 and retired so it could just boredom but maybe there is a good reason for mowing that frequently?  
i’m not going to ask him because I find it all a little annoying and he’ll probably detect that in my voice.

edit: this is the same person, who will spend Sunny days in late February and early March, snowblowing snow from shady sections of the yard into sunny sections to melt it quicker.

 

Are sure DIT don’t move in next door?