-
3 weeks ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Last week, I got an email from a reader. My reader was pleading, ‘HELP!’ Squash bug or Anasa tritis had invaded her garden. She had planted pumpkins, acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squash. There was no hint of mercy in these squash bugs because she said, “There were millions overtaking everything.” Let’s take a military stance to annihilate this enemy. As the general, marshal your troops and attack the coming onslaught of the enemy.
-
3 weeks ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Last week, I got an email from a reader. My reader was pleading, ‘HELP!’ Squash bug or Anasa tritis had invaded her garden. She had planted pumpkins, acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squash. There was no hint of mercy in these squash bugs because she said, “There were millions overtaking everything.” Let’s take a military stance to annihilate this enemy. As the general, marshal your troops and attack the coming onslaught of the enemy.
-
1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
An identifier of Giant Hogweed is the 15-foot height of the plants. Another identifier of Giant Hogweed is the two-to-four-inch hollow stem, which is red to purple. This same stem has little bristles. This serious weed has been pushing its way through Ohio. One of the challenging things about this weed is that it is easily confused with other relatives. But right now, as we pull weeds out of our gardens, we identify poisonous plants and dress appropriately, wearing long sleeves and gloves.
-
1 month ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Almost 20 years ago, I helped teach a class to my Pathfinders, a Christian group likethe Boy Scouts, on wild edibles. You know, there are several different approaches to weeds. You could pull the weeds by hand by digging the plants to the root level. You could spray any number of compounds over the weeds to kill them. You could pour boiling water or vinegar over the dandelions. You could burn the dandelion out with your lawn blowtorch.
-
1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Almost 20 years ago, I helped teach a class to my Pathfinders, a Christian group likethe Boy Scouts, on wild edibles. You know, there are several different approaches to weeds. You could pull the weeds by hand by digging the plants to the root level. You could spray any number of compounds over the weeds to kill them. You could pour boiling water or vinegar over the dandelions. You could burn the dandelion out with your lawn blowtorch.
-
1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
I got an email from a reader years ago in April about a sunny site with a recurring weed problem. “I used some chemicals a few years prior and got rid of them.”The bad news was that weeds from the lawn had crept back into her flower beds. As you prepare for the main part of the gardening season and recall the weeds you pulled last year, we need to approach weeding differently this year.
-
1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Last week, I got a question from a reader about a couple of groundhogs that reside in his garage and include his garden items in their diet without paying for their meals or leaving any tip. These rodents, called groundhogs, have a scientific name, Marmota monax. Groundhogs can tear up any garage floor. So, what do you do? One of the characteristics of this rodent is that it must have a way to sharpen its teeth, which grow as much as 1/16 “per week.
-
1 month ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Last week, I wrote a column on moles and recommended how to help you manage moles in your gardens. Moles and voles are not even in the same family. Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, or meadow voles, are voracious vegetarians and may eat up to 100% of their body weight daily: carrots, beets, seeds, berries, bark on young trees, and other root crops. One of the unusual pieces of evidence that voles leave is a half munched carrot, or only carrot leaves remain.
-
2 months ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
Last week, I wrote a column on moles and recommended how to help you manage moles in your gardens. Moles and voles are not even in the same family. Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, or meadow voles, are voracious vegetarians and may eat up to 100% of their body weight daily: carrots, beets, seeds, berries, bark on young trees, and other root crops. One of the unusual pieces of evidence that voles leave is a half munched carrot, or only carrot leaves remain.
-
2 months ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
A few weeks ago while at the pool, I made a new acquaintance who asked me about moles. He said, “How do you get rid of moles?” I recalled some initial ideas about castor beans and a trap that works. Here are my insights as I reviewed my previous columns and current research on this topic. My answers to this question changed over the years from a quick solution to “Why do you want to get rid of the mole?” Moles eat grubs under your lawn. Voles eat plant roots. Moles don’t eat plants.
