| May 27, 2007 @ 10:40 AM |
Garden Help!!
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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I try to do everything possible in my yard organically. The front yard is my fathers domain, but the back yard is mine....no chemicals are ever used as I have way to many feathered friends to protect back there. We have a pair of Burrowing Owls that I have to watch out for too  Then add in the snakes, frogs and toads, well I don't want to kill any of them either!
Now for my major problems...I am being over run by snails and moles. I also have fruit rats raiding my bird feeders. I have tried everything I can think of to chase them away, but nothing is working. I really don't want to resort to chemicals to kill them, I just want them to go into someone else's yard...lol The moles are a huge problem this year for some reason...they are attacking everything it seems like. They just loved my Gladiola's too  If I twist my ankle one more time on their tunnels I am going to scream!! With the snails they aren't causing too much damage and when I see them I pick them off and drop them in the owls den...yes I'm evil. I just worry about them as I have a few Orchid Tree Seedlings that I just moved out of the screened porch. They are in pots, but that doesn't stop snails.
Any suggestions on non-poison ways to get rid of them? I really don't want to kill them either. The cat helps with the rats as that is her favorite thing to stalk. Oh and before you think it, no she doesn't go after the birds at all. She use to sleep on top of my aviary and when Kiwi's cage is on the ground for cleaning or what not, she lets Kiwi groom her tail and ears through the bars....yes I have strange animals. 
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| May 27, 2007 @ 3:02 PM |
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eAngel6969
Posts: 91
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one of the things i tried when growing things that were getting "snacked on" was to mix tobasco sauce with water and put it in a mister...then spray the plants with it...it didn't harm the plants but also doesn't taste good to those pesky things trying to eat away...now i was using it on my vegetable garden and ot flowers...but it worked VERY well
this also works if you have pets who like to chew on electrical cords
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| May 27, 2007 @ 6:43 PM |
Garden Help!!
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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I use to use hot pepper powder paste on my horses bandages to keep them from chewing. Maybe the spray will work on the snails...now to figure out the moles...lol
Thanks for the suggestion!!
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| May 28, 2007 @ 2:47 AM |
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Dovestreasure
Posts: 3,419
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I googled and I found this. There is a website for everything.
http://www.getridofmoles.com/
http://www.unitedwildlife.com/AnimalsMoles.html
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| May 28, 2007 @ 2:54 AM |
Garden Help!!
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Dovestreasure
Posts: 3,419
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Here is another.
http://www.plowhearth.com/magazine/moledamage.asp
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| May 28, 2007 @ 8:28 AM |
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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Thanks Dove
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| May 28, 2007 @ 1:36 PM |
Garden Help!!
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Dovestreasure
Posts: 3,419
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You are very welcome.. I recalled last night after reading your post that I once kept a mole for a short time as a pet when I was in summer camp. I was forever adopting creatures of some sort when i was a kid. I have been wracking my brain to think of his name. He didnt live very long in captivity, and I guess I really had no idea how to take care of him. He was probably scared most of the time. Though he did not seem to mind being handled. We had a camp funeral for him next to the flag pole and a fellow camper played taps. I had not thought of that mole in years.. your post sparked a memory.
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| May 28, 2007 @ 8:55 PM |
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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Okay, the resident garden boy finally chimes in! 
I usually just plant trees, shrubs and flowers, weed the yard, lay mulch, remove grass, trim the hedges, prune trees, remove small trees, and maybe offer a little advice on what plants to put where (usually, I have no idea where - I mainly just plant it where they tell me to ). Pentas, plumbagos, exoras, ficus hedge, aboricolas, crotons (both kinds), and impatiens seem to be the most popular plants around here. I don't often get asked to help with an animal problem, however. A customer did, however, have an annoying rat problem in her attic and she was pretty freaked out about it. They had me crawl around laying rat traps and plugging up the holes, so the rats couldn't get in. The husband spotted a rat hiding in some leafy foliage and had me...how shall I put this.. finish it off with a machete. 
However, I don't think I've ever had a customer who had a problem with moles digging tunnels. The only thing I could suggest to get rid of the snails, Witchie, is to apply some sort of chemicals (but then of course, they'd die and you don't want that).
...anyway, since you mention animals in the garden...
Yesterday, while, working in a customer's yard, her grandson spotted an iguana on one of the trees. It was so funny, the grandma freaked out and started screaming and ran over to the driveway. I caught the iguana and the grandfather asked if the kid wanted as a pet (of course he did!). I went toward the driveway to put the iguana in the cage, and as soon as the grandma saw it in my hands, she really started freaking out!!  Anyway, the boy played with the iguana all day, and the mother ended up going out and buying a larger cage for the thing.
This is the same customer that had the rat problem. Never a dull moment at this particular customer's house!!!
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| May 31, 2007 @ 1:38 AM |
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Dovestreasure
Posts: 3,419
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Your Iguana story made me think of this story that happenned locally and made national news.
80-Pound Monitor Lizard Shot Twice, Still Escapes
POSTED: 11:35 pm EDT May 27, 2007
UPDATED: 11:28 am EDT May 29, 2007
CASSELBERRY, Fla. -- Police say they're sure they shot a four-foot-long, 80-pound monitor lizard that had been lurking here for months. Neighbors, though, want to see a carcass before letting their children and pets back outdoors.
The lizard didn't bite anyone, but police officers were authorized to kill it because of the potential danger it posed to small children and animals.
An officer shot the reptile twice Sunday but wasn't close enough to catch it before the animal scampered into a retention pond.
"There's no doubt that the thing was shot," said Lt. Dennis Stewart of the Casselberry Police Department. "We're concerned for the public's safety and concerned that the lizard not suffer."
Neighbors were waiting for authorities to find the lizard's carcass.
"I want to know that it is safe for the kids to come out. If they did shoot it, I'm sure it's going to be angry if it comes out now," said Ilene Gothelf, whose home borders the retention pond.
Authorities said the lizard was likely a pet that escaped or was illegally dumped. For months, it eluded wildlife officials and trappers. At one point, fans of a local morning radio program mistakenly believed there was a reward for its scales.
Monitor lizards have elongated necks and can range in size from about 6 inches to nearly 10 feet. The Komodo dragon is the most famous of these lizards.
The Casselberry lizard was less beloved than an alligator that eluded capture for two years in Los Angeles. The gator, a media darling named "Reggie," was finally wrestled into captivity Thursday.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
My daughter had a Savannah Monitor .. that thing would scare me to death. He always managed to escape and the thing was just plain onery. He would hiss at you if you tried to get close. My cat would go hide. For some reason everytime he escaped he ended up in my pantry. We had to throw a blanket on top of him and wrangle him back to his cage. He got so big that my daughter gave him to a wild life refuge.. hmmm I wonder if that sucker escaped!
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| Jun 19, 2007 @ 9:34 PM |
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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Ok Fuchia, our favorite garden person....I have another question for you.
Our ruby red grapefruit tree is having major issues. Very heavy leaf drop, no fruit at all this year...the last few years the fruit has been very bitter and pale pink. The branches seem to be dying from the tips inward. Now today I was out cutting some of the dead tips off and found it is covered with ants....yuck. Try picking small black ants out of curly long hair...not fun...lol
Any clue what might be drawing the ants to it and why it is slowly dying on us? It gets fed twice a year and watered on a reg basis. I looked online, but haven't found anything that really can be causing it.
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| Jun 19, 2007 @ 10:34 PM |
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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That's a good question Witchie. Is the tree missing a lot of bark? I've heard that sometimes, this will cause a tree to die. How big is the tree? Sometimes, the soil around the tree, if it is poor soil will not allow the tree to thrive, but this usually is only the case with smaller younger trees. Also, if it is a small tree and you put too much mulch too close to the tree, it will suffocate the tree. If you apply mulch around the tree, make sure you leave the 6 to 12 inches closest to the tree trunk free of mulch. Again, that area must be exposed or the tree root will suffocate possibly causing the tree to die.
Also, when you plant a tree, you need to make sure the top of the root ball is at the same height as the surface of the ground. Many people falsely believe the top of the root ball should be slightly below the surface. Again, the root ball can't get enough circulation, even if it is submerged just a few inches deep.
I wish I knew what could be causing the ants to attack the tree. I'd recommend attacking the ants with some sort of ant killer, which you could probably get at a hardware store, but be sure that the ant killer won't be harmful to your tree.
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| Jun 19, 2007 @ 10:51 PM |
Garden Help!! |
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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I don't know Fuchia. The tree is an older tree, 10/15 years old. No mulch under it at all, never has been any...nothing different has been done with it or even by it....other then the dumb moles...they seem to be around both that one and an orange tree. As for the ants, will try my organic stuff first, just couldn't figure out why they were on there and in my hair....you know now I keep feeling things crawling on me....lol
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 12:09 PM |
Garden Help!!
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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Well Fuchia, this tree is going to be the death of me. I trimmed all the dead wood off it, sprayed it with a mixture of garlic, dawn and vinegar. Out there today looking at it, it is greening up, only saw a few ants on it and some new shoots are starting to come out. Then I happen to notice on the highest branches, it has flowers on it  It is totally out of balance seeing they normally bloom in February not July!!
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 2:07 PM |
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Kenn159
Posts: 4,402
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Citrus trees do have a life span unlike oak threes that can seemingly life forever, or at least several hundred years.
Do you know how old the Grapefruit tree is?
Also is it getting enough sunlight?
Citrus is a tree that prefers not to grow in another trees shade.
It is also important when you trim to use sharp blunt shears so it is less likely for infection to start where the limbs were trimmed.
Im not a expert on trees but one idea is you could dig around the tree ]don't cut the roots] and see if there are any grub worms eating the roots,if so you will have to look for a organic remedy for that.
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 2:18 PM |
Garden Help!!
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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Yup I know they do, the tree is about 18 years old, but according to the county extension office, it still has about another 20 years left to it. I had a guy out here last week because I emailed them (the county) about the tree and see if they had any clue what is wrong with it in general. They took some samples of it to have it tested, but their main concern was citrus canker, which it does not have. Thank goodness!! It gets full sun and he is as stumped as I am about it. I should have the results in about 30 days.
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 6:41 PM |
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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Quote = Witchie:
Well Fuchia, this tree is going to be the death of me. I trimmed all the dead wood off it, sprayed it with a mixture of garlic, dawn and vinegar. Out there today looking at it, it is greening up, only saw a few ants on it and some new shoots are starting to come out. Then I happen to notice on the highest branches, it has flowers on it It is totally out of balance seeing they normally bloom in February not July!!
me:
garlic, dawn and vinegar.. 
Did our Witchie unwittingly invent a new secret recipe for a best selling fertilizer?
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 6:45 PM |
Garden Help!!
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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lol...nope, it is for bugs and fungus
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 11:27 PM |
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Kenn159
Posts: 4,402
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Witchie, you might try changing the Dawn to Palmolive, although Dawn does have Nitrogen, the break down of ingredients in Palmolive is supposed to be better for plants.
I have tried it once when I was transplanting small trees , I put them in a solution of a teaspoon of Palmolive in a bucket of water and kept them there while I transported them to be replanted ,after a few hours ,it really perked them up.
Maybe I should call county extensions also; I have 3 sickly young Avocado trees
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 11:32 PM |
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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I have 3 sickly young Avocado trees
I don't think they would come out for them. I honestly think they only came out because they were worried it was canker. The dawn is to kill the bugs, in this case it was ants...it was only sprayed on the leaves and branches. Never soaked plants in it though, hummm will have to try that with my next bunch of seedlings.
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| Jul 3, 2007 @ 11:47 PM |
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Kenn159
Posts: 4,402
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The ant infestation was probably there because there was dead wood ,get rid of the dead wood and they will leave,a few may remain but they won't be destructive.
Yeah they probably won't come out for a Alvocado ,but i'll call them and see if they have any sugestions.
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