November Ramble

Well, it seems this is going to be one of those falls that won’t quit, and we may be able to continue to work outdoors well into December. Great for those who procrastinated and still need to get the spring bulbs in, and it sure is an opportunity to get things done that a cold fall or early winter would preclude. So, with the weather being mild and the long-term forecast saying that it will continue, it’s time for the November ramble.One thing that has been very apparent is that the moles have gone wild. Every morning when I take the dog out, the lawn just outside the house is a maze of raised tunnels making the usually smooth lawn a trove of hills and ruts. It doesn’t help matters that the dog thinks this is the greatest thing going and she seems to have mole-dar and will hone in on a particular tunnel and rip it up for yards, hoping to find that tender morsel that seems to be able to stay just a few feet ahead of her. But what’s going on and why are these moles so active now?

Well, moles are insectivores. They don’t eat plants, they don’t steal bulbs and they’re not interested in seeds. It’s bugs, worms and grubs that these guys are after, and since the soil is remaining relatively warm for November, they’re feeding and searching like there’s no tomorrow. It’s not all bad news though. Yes, it’s bad news if the food they’re finding are the grubs of Japanese beetles, rose chafers and Oriental beetles, but if that’s not the situation they’re going after other beetle grubs, worms and a variety of other soil-dwelling insects. And the tunneling isn’t all that bad. Their handiwork actually acts to aerate the soil and may even stimulate root growth in turf.

I know there are places in my lawn where this can happen each fall, but I also know that it will only last until the ground gets colder. The lawn can be rolled and tamped, but they’ll be right back and winter will tend to settle things out. There are a number of poisons that claim to work but most don’t. A good cat will take care of things also, and for those sadists among you there are harpoon traps that work really well. For me, it’s live and let live … and the cat.

Moles are not rodents, but rodents like mice are also rampant this fall. If mice aren’t controlled the first place they want to go when the cold sets in is in the house. Now’s the time to do some trapping, and I still rely on old-fashioned mousetraps that can be reused if you’re not squeamish—and they also work on voles, who by the way do eat roots, some bulbs and the crowns of perennials as well as bark. For mice a tiny bit of peanut butter works well in the trap and for voles a small piece of apple will do the trick.

And then there’s the firewood pile. This is a great place that chipmunks like to hide in, but they will overwinter in underground burrows. To keep the woodpile from being a magnet for animals that might also want to take refuge in your home, the pile should always be kept as far from the house as is practical. This also reduces the chances of wood-feeding insects getting into the house, and the woodpile should never lean against the house or garage. Those piles of sawdust that you notice under a log or piece of split wood are the results of wood-feeding or wood-boring insects that would be just as happy doing their work inside as well as out. And remember, wood for your wood stove or fireplace needs to age before you burn it. How long? If split, six months to a year. Unsplit logs larger than 8 inches in diameter with the bark still on can retain moisture for much longer and reduce burning efficiency substantially.

I’ve already done my walk-through, pulling out all my garden stakes and hoops. I try to organize my metal stakes by size and bundle them with some garden twine and do the same with the bamboo. If the bamboo is left in the garden it’s usually useless by next year, but if pulled and kept dry you can get two good years of use out of them. It’s also time to push those plant labels back in the ground so they remain in place through the winter.

And as our landscapes become less attractive to Bambi, the deer begin to aim their appetites at evergreen foliage, delicious buds on things like small magnolias, and last year my low-growing Japanese maples were browsed nearly to stubs. There are only really two ways to protect susceptible plants. Fence or spray … or both. Remember that deer are creatures of habit and will follow a “beat” or path day after day after day. Disrupting that beat can help, but that only moves the deer somewhere else. There are any number of types of fencing that are effective, but you need to decide if you are fencing individual plants or want to create an entire enclosed area. If it’s a single plant you’re protecting you need to fence around and over. If it’s an area of exclusion the fence has to be high enough to keep them out and strong enough to keep them from knocking it down.

As for repellents, now is the time to start spraying them. You’ll have to repeat the application several times through the colder months, and repellents are not as protective as fencing. When the deer are starving they will eat almost anything, including foliage spayed with repellents. Ground-applied granular repellents are better in the summer and in the colder months it’s the liquids that work best. Have an arsenal of two or three different products and alternate them instead of using the same one all winter. It seems pretty clear that the deer will get used to one repellent, but when several are used in rotation you get better, but not foolproof, protections.

Garden chemicals, liquid fertilizers and bio-stimulants need to be moved to a place where they are safe and where they won’t freeze. Never store any chemicals in anything other than the original container they came in, and when storing for the winter find a place that won’t freeze and where children won’t be playing. Freezing can affect the chemistry of some insecticides and herbicides and the effectiveness of liquid fertilizers.

It’s not too late to test your soil pH in the vegetable garden and ornamental beds. You can buy inexpensive kits, and many garden centers will do the testing. If liming is recommended, get it down soon, as it takes a while for the lime to work into the soil and become effective. Applied in the next few weeks will be perfect for results in the spring.

Still want to get some grass seed down? It may not be too late if you want to try dormant seeding. The seed is applied now at the rate of about 3 to 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet, and the seed germinates in the spring. This is not recommended for those areas where a preemergent herbicide might be applied early next year, but for other areas you may want to experiment. It’s hard to evaluate the results, but I’ve been doing it for several years only because I’m too busy to seed earlier. If you want to read up on this method try this link for more information http://goo.gl/5qVYP5.

Saved seeds need to go in the refrigerator and never in the freezer. Seal them in plastic bags, and if they’ve been collected in the garden make sure you have a label in the bag indicating what the seed is and the year collected. Keep growing.