Eric Larson

4 days 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 week 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.

2 weeks 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 weeks 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.

3 weeks 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.