Voles (remember the V)

Article provided by: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/index.html

During late March and April we get many calls about voles and vole damage in turfgrass. Voles are among the most important vertebrate pests in turf areas. Unfortunately the name ‘vole' is very close to the name ‘mole' causing some confusion and miscommunication. Even though both can damage turfgrass – the differences between voles and moles is vast, and it is important to understand that they are not related.

Voles are true rodents, and belong to the order Rodentia and family Arvicolidae . The word vole refers to "field"-- earlier uses of the word were used as vole-mouse, and eventually became simply voles. People often refer to voles as meadow mice, or "field mice".

Voles are of pest significance in turf and landscaped areas for two reasons; they tunnel and burrow in turf areas, and they gnaw on the trunks and roots of various trees and ornamental plants

In general, voles are compact rodents with stocky bodies, short legs, and short tails. Their eyes are small and their ears partially hidden. They usually are brown or gray, though many color variations exist. The adult vole ranges from 3.5 to 5 inches in length and weighs 1 to 2.5 ounces.

Voles are prolific. They can produce from 5 to 10 litters per year, with an average of 5 young per litter. Gestation is about 21 days, and females may mate again the day that the young are born. Young voles grow quickly, are weaned at 2 or 3 weeks, and are sexually mature in a month or two.

When conditions are favorable, voles are perhaps the most prolific of all rodents. There are cases of meadow voles producing up to 17 litters in one year for an amazing 83 offspring. Assuming that her offspring also mated and reproduced, several thousand voles could result from one female in a years time.

Fortunately, the high reproduction potential is offset by relatively high mortality rates. The vole is the most common food source for predatory birds, and is a significant component of the diet of coyotes, foxes, snakes, skunks, and other animals. Most voles do not live for more than a few months. However, if they escape all predators, a vole can potentially live up to two years.

Voles are herbivores. The stems and leaves of grasses comprise the majority of their diet, but they will also consume other green vegetation and fruits. Voles do not hibernate and are active throughout the year. During severe winters and snow cover, when green vegetation is scarce, voles often girdle tree trunks and roots killing or damaging trees and shrubs. Voles may be active day or night, but most activity occurs at dawn and dusk. Their activity is comprised of short, quick visits from the burrow through their runways and back. They typically will make 15 -20 forays from the nest, each foray lasting only about 10 minutes. Thus the vole itself is rarely seen. Most people realize they have voles only from the damage.

The meadow vole constructs well-defined, visible surface runways through turf areas, measuring about 1.5-2 in./4-5cm. in width. It is the sight of these paths that cause superintendents concern in March and April.

Vole runways in turf are formed by a combination of the vole eating the grass blades, and the constant traveling over the runway. Voles also spread excavated dirt from the burrow system in the runway, resulting in a dirt-bare path in some areas.

The nests of voles may be constructed on the surface, in underground burrows, or beneath the protection of some object lying on the ground. Burrows may be located beneath protective cover such as vegetation, shrubbery, beneath a rock, or beneath planter boxes. Occasionally, they are located in the open spaces in fairways or greens. In rough areas containing shade trees, burrows are commonly established beneath the tree out to the drip-line. Burrow entrances measure about 1-1.5 in. /2.5-4cm. in diameter. When workers find mysterious holes and pathways on the golf course that fit these measurements, it is usually a good indication of a vole infestation.

One of the major keys to managing voles is to realize that in many cases voles are associated with dense cover. Inspections should begin along building exteriors. First inspect the immediate landscaping outside of the building looking for runways leading from any dense areas cutting through turf. Landscape plantings with low-lying plants such as arborvitae, creeping yews, junipers, and similar species are good candidates for vole activity.

Runways that are broadest and appear especially well worn are usually high activity areas. These areas become marked by vole urine and feces accumulations. As populations build, many of the individuals within the vole colony use the same major runways. Time spent during the inspection to identify runways that lead to burrows beneath cover will pay off in proper trap or bait placement, and facilitate effective control.

The most effective methods of managing voles in turf areas is via cultural practices, the use of traps (minor infestations), and the use of rodenticides.

By eliminating weeds, and dense ground cover around lawns the capacity of these areas to support voles is reduced. Lawn and turf should be mowed regularly.

Mouse snap traps can be used to control a small population by placing the trap perpendicular to the runway with the trigger end in the runway. A peanut butter-oatmeal mixture or apple slices make good baits. Fall and late winter are periods when many vole species are easiest to trap. Trapping is not effective in controlling large vole populations because time and labor costs are prohibitive.

Zinc phosphide is the most commonly used toxicant for vole control. It is a single-dose toxicant available in pelleted and grain bait formulations. Zinc phosphide baits generally are placed by hand in runways and burrow openings. Zinc phosphide baits are potentially hazardous to ground-feeding birds, especially waterfowl. Placing bait into burrow openings may reduce this hazard.

The anticoagulant baits used against house mice and rats are also effective in controlling voles. Anticoagulants are slow-acting toxicants requiring from 5 to 15 days to take effect. Multiple feedings are needed for most anticoagulants to be effective. One or more anticoagulant baits are registered for controlling voles in many states, but the state regulations must be consulted prior to use.

Many people who want a handsome lawn do not realize just how important the job of mowing really is. There are five dimensions of mowing to be considered. 

• Cutting height 

• Mowing Frequency 

• Mowing pattern 

• Mower operation 

• Disposal of clippings

Cutting height of different varieties of grass is mentioned on the other side. Lowering the cutting height can be disastrous. Removal of a large portion of the leaf results in reduced carbohydrate production, because the leaves are largely responsible for photosynthesis.

Mowing frequency has a general rule not to remove more than 1/3 of the leaf at one time. Time of year will vary depending on rate of leaf growth.

Mowing pattern is far less critical but should be considered. A side-by-side mowing pattern is acceptable if the 360° turns can be made on sidewalks or roadways. If the turf is thinning due to about face sums, try a circular cut.

Mowing operations should be operated at the speed specified by the manufacturer. Rapid, spinning sums, can cause bruising and tearing of the turf.

Do not remove clippings. Short clippings decay quite rapidly and do not contribute to thatch formation. The only two situations when clippings should be removed (a) When excessive clippings may smother the lawn. (b) When surface clippings give the lawn an objectionable appearance.

The two most common errors of mowing are:
Lawn isn't mowed often enough.
Lawn is mowed too short.

The proper heights are: Bluegrass (Common Kentucky) 2" to 2 1/2", Bluegrass (Improved Varieties) 1 1/2" to 2", Fescues - 2" to 3", Zoysia grass - 3/4" to 1 1/2", Bermuda grass - 3/4" to 1 1/2", Hybrid Bermuda grass - 1/2" to 1".

Mushrooms

Damp weather and high humidity are ideal conditions for mushrooms. The fungus "pops" up from dead organic matter in the soil. Decaying of buried wood, an old tree stump, or roots of a tree that has been removed, will also contribute to mushrooms showing up in a lawn. Also, something as simple as grass clippings decaying on the soil surface will bring about mushrooms.

Mowing over the mushrooms will break them up and contribute in ridding the fungus. However, less rain and lower humidity will have the biggest effect on making the fungus disappear.

Poison Ivy "Leaves of Three, Beware of Me"

 Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac and Poison Oak

10 to 50 million Americans per year develop an allergic rash after contact with the above poisonous plants.  There are three ways to contact this allergic rash:

• Direct Contact - touching the sap

• Indirect Contact - touching something which had been in contact with the poisonous plant. ex. Fur on animals, garden tools, or sporting equipment.

• Airborne particles, ex. if a poisonous plant was on fire.

Once in contact , it penetrates within minutes and will usually appear as a rash within 12-48 hours. Swelling and redness along with blisters and sever itching will occur and can take 10 days or longer to heal.

 Prevent yourself from this misery and have your yard sprayed today! Call for a free inspection and estimate.

Protecting 

Trees & Shrubs

Our founding father truly knew what he was talking about. And taking care of our trees and shrubs is no exception.
Horticultural oil sprays are the ideal way to prevent tree damage and loss due to insects. Like most living organisms, trees and shrubs are susceptible to a variety of pests.

Horticultural oil sprays have proven to be extraordinary pest management tools without the traditional concerns. Oil sprays are derived through special refining processes from crude oils.

Oil sprays are recommended for both dormant and summer pest control treatments. The oils can be used on most foliage plants, trees and shrubs and they control a wide range of insects including mites, aphids, leafhoppers, white flies and chewing insects.

So be sure to protect your treasured plants from the ravages of harmful insects. If you think your landscape might be suffering from a pest problem, consider using oil sprays. They are one of the ways damage can be effectively minimized.

Winter weather conditions are very conducive to snow mold!!

When the snow disappears from your lawn, there may be areas of weak or dead turf. Often this damage is caused by a disease known as Snow Mold.

What Is Snow Mold?

There are two types of snow mold, Gray Snow Mold (Typhula spp) and Pink Snow Mold (Fusarium Nivale). Both types of snow mold develop under snow covers or prolonged periods of cool, wet weather. The optimum temperatures are in the 32 to 45 degree F range for both, however, the pink snow mold can cause significant damage at temperatures of 65 degrees. Both snow molds develop most rapidly when snow has fallen on unfrozen ground.

How To Identify Gray Snow Mold

Where snow mold has been active, the turf commonly develops rough circular spots of matted, silver-gray turf. Often these spots are so numerous that an entire area may be disfigured. The trouble is most likely to be seen on the shaded side of a building, in the shade of trees and shrubs, or similar areas where moisture remains for a long time in late winter.

How To Identify Pink Snow Mold

As pink snow mold develops, the initial infections are irregular patches of pale yellow grass, ranging from two inches to over one foot in diameter. As the disease develops further, the individual blades will take on a bleached appearance and the patches become whitish-gray. For this reason, pink snow mold is often confused with gray snow mold.

Both snow molds develop mycelium (which resemble cob-webs) that form a white mat under prolonged moist conditions. However, there is normally more mycelium with gray snow mold.

How To Control

Once snow mold damage has occurred, the only possible procedure is to loosen the discolored, matted grass with a leaf rake (without digging into the soil), fertilize the entire lawn and see what will develop once good growing weather is at hand. Often the snow mold fungus kills only the tops of the plants and they recover with a few weeks of good growing weather. In more serious instances entire areas of turf, roots and all, will be destroyed and the spots will not recover. After a few weeks of good growing weather, it is reasonable to assume that any turf that has not recovered, will not do so. Then it is the time to do any necessary patching by loosening the soil and planting more seed. The delay to see what may develop is usually well worthwhile. Often the most devastating attacks of snow mold will recover without any reseeding.

Whether you are trying to establish a lawn or simply maintain an existing one, you need to first know what condition the soil is in. The success or failure of any crop, from corn to turf grass, can be linked directly to the health of the soil in which it is growing. Without the proper nutrient levels in the soil, plants will be unable to thrive and remain healthy.

A complete soil test should be done in order to determine your soils pH and nutrient levels. This is done by pulling several soil cores from throughout the lawn area. Remove the cores at a depth of about 1-2 inches, then remove any thatch from them and put them in a bag or other suitable container for shipment. Once the sample is collected, send it to a qualified laboratory for testing. Your local extension agent can usually provide you with a listing of qualified labs for this type of work. Once you receive your test results, you can then determine your fertilization requirements as well as any additional soil amendment requirements, such as lime, that may be needed.

Most fertilizers for home lawns contain 3 major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, all of which are necessary for good plant health. Each of these nutrients are responsible for different portions of the plants development. If your soil is lacking in one or more of these nutrients , you may see a decline in the health or vigor of your turf.

At Emerald Magic we believe so strongly in the importance of soil testing, we have made this the foundation of our exclusive "Natural Care Plus" lawn care program. We begin each of our full service customers with a complete soil test for their lawn. Once we know the pH and nutrient levels of each individual lawn, we can then tailor our program to deliver exactly what is required for optimum turf growth and development. Our commitment to deliver the best in service does not stop there. We repeat this test every 3 years to ensure that our program is delivering exactly what it needs to.

Summer Weeds

The weeds that appear in hot weather are some of the toughest to control. They show up when the lawn is under stress from heat and dryness. These summer weeds have some very good defenses that are hard to crack.

TINY LEAVES WITH VERY THICK SKINS

Summer weeds usually have very small leaves with a thick, waxy coating. These features help the weeds survive during hot, dry weather by conserving water in the plant. But the same things that help the weeds thrive while your lawn is wilting make them a harder target to hit with weed control materials. When the weather gets very hot, these weeds dose the "pores" on their leaves almost completely making good weed control difficult, if not impossible.

TIMING IS THE KEY

To get control of difficult summer weeds, it's important that the weeds are actively growing so they can absorb the weed control application. A treatment in late spring or early summer may eliminate many weeds before they become a nuisance. Waiting until the weather cools in the fall is also a good alternative.

If weed control must be applied during the heat of summer, make sure the lawn has been heavily watered for several days before the treatment to "wake up" the weeds and get them actively growing.

THATCH

Thatch is the layer of living and dead stems, roots, and crowns that forms a type of blanket over the soil of your lawn. A small amount of thatch (one-half inch or less) is acceptable and even good for the lawn. But when thatch accumulates to over one-half inch, it can become one of a lawn's most serious enemies.

KEEPS OUT THE GOOD & PROTECTS THE BAD
Like an old-time thatched roof, the thatch on your lawn creates a barrier which prevents the free movement of water, air, fertilizer, and insect controls into the soil. Since thatch is an ideal breeding ground for many diseases and turf-destroying insects, a heavy thatch layer can quickly become a serious problem.

GRASS CLIPPINGS NOT TO BLAME
Contrary to popular belief, grass clippings are not the prime cause of thatch build-up. Clippings are almost all water. Once dried, clippings add very little bulk to the thatch layer. Thatch is mainly made up of the heavier crowns, stems and roots. Clippings of moderate length can be left on the lawn without fear of quickly increasing the thatch layer.

REDUCES LAWN CARE EFFECTIVENESS
Heavy thatch prevents fertilizer and water from reaching the grass roots. This can result in a lawn that is thin, off-color, and prone to disease, insect, and drought problems.

You have two choices.
You can ignore the thatch, and hope it will decay before it does any harm. However, a thatch problem will almost always get worse with time, not better.

The second alternative - the option we most often recommend - is core aeration because it offers the least amount of disturbance to the healthy plants.

CORE AERATION
Simply put, core aeration is the mechanical removal of a small core of soil and thatch.

Core aeration benefits your lawn in three important ways: (1) it breaks through dense thatch and opens up the soil to permit free movement of water, fertilizer and air, (2) by extracting cores from every square foot of your lawn, core aeration relieves soil compaction and gives grass roots room to grow; (3) the soil cores break down and integrate into the thatch to speed up its decomposition.

Just one good core aeration can actually shrink your lawn's water bill by as much as 50%. The reason is simple. With a heavy thatch buildup, most of the water sprinkled on the grass rims off your lawn, and down the street. Once we've core aerated, though, you'll find that water runoff is all but eliminated - a lot less water will go a long way.

Another benefit is a stronger stand of grass. Roots will dig deeper into the soil and spread farther. This will help your lawn survive stress times of drought, high temperatures and normal foot traffic.

But of course the most important result of core aeration is a healthier, more beautiful, more lasting lawn.

Core aerate at least once a year.
Bringing up cores is one of the most important forms of preventive maintenance you can give your lawn, and should be done at least once a year. Some lawns need to have this done twice a year. Talk to us - we'll recommend the schedule that will help to relieve your thatch and compaction problems.

The plugs will disappear.
Once core aerated, your lawn will be dotted with the little plugs we've pulled from the soil. These plugs will break apart and disappear into the lawn within a week or two.

Shade Seed

Turfgrasses Don’t Grow in the Shade. Period.

If you don’t receive a minimum of 4 hours of high intensity sunlight, your grass will be sparse or die entirely.

Many grass species and cultivars are sold as “shade seed”. Shade tolerant grasses for New York include fine-leaf fescues for dry shade and tall fescue for damp shade.  Realize that the word “tolerant” is the operative word, which does not imply “shade-loving”. These grasses may survive, but will never thrive in the shade like they would in full sun.  They will not maintain a dense turf, will not tolerate traffic, and will need regular reseeding to provide even an acceptable stand.  And if you ever do get a grass marginally established in the shade, it will very likely die with unusually severe summer heat or drought. More reason to avoid trying to maintain turf in the shade.  You’re much better off planting shade-lovers such as English Ivy, periwinkle, hosta, mulch, stone or even concrete!

Watering

The most Common Error committed by people is light irrigation. Too little water too often encourages a multitude of problems such as shallow root system. The need for watering depends mainly on your soil and of course, the weather.

Rainfall is no guarantee. Light showers merely wet the surface. Short down pours do the same. Most of the water is lost in runoff before it can soak in.

How much water is needed? A lawn will use as much as two inches per week in hot, dry weather - a fraction of that when it is cooler. If you decide your lawn needs water, you should put on enough to wet the entire root zone as shown on the other side.

When is the best time? If you can, avoid late afternoon or evening irrigation. Grass that stays wet for a long time favors development of diseases. However, do not avoid watering at these times if this is the only time you can water. The important thing is water. Avoiding late afternoons is secondary to providing the needed water. In heavy clay soils prevent watering to the full amount at one time, frequent watering is then necessary.

Bulk Top Soil and Compost

Coverage Chart

Bag Mulch

Coverage Chart

Training Cats & Dogs Away from Garden Areas

Don’t let dogs and cats become a nuisance in the garden. You can stop their messing, digging and chewing with a bit of care and attention. Just train your pets to behave the way you want! You’ll succeed with wandering neighborhood animals as well, but it might require a little more effort and persistence.

So how do you train your pets? Even an old dog can be taught new tricks by rewarding good behavior and discouraging bad habits. Give your dog or cat a "play area" and teach them to use it. And remember that pets have to go to the toilet too! You can encourage them to void in a particular part of the garden.

At the same time, protect other areas of your property with some defensive gardening. Wire mesh will stop dogs from digging. Low hedges will keep out strays. You can choose your plants to suit your pets. For example, cats avoid Geraniums, Petunias, Marigolds and Fuchsias but are attracted to Thyme, Catnip, Ground Ivy and Evening Primrose.

Try some of these popular home-made dog and cat deterrents:

• Pepper: You can make a simple animal repellent with black pepper and chili pepper. It’s best to grind your own because the smell will be much stronger. Spread the powder on annuals and perennials to keep pets away.
• Mothballs: These contain naphthalene which will repel animals. They can be used as a barrier around flowerbeds, but take care with children about.
• Citrus: Cats don’t like citrus smells. Scatter some orange or lemon peels to create no-go zones. Citronella oil is considered to be a good cat repellent but generally it does not appear to have an effect on dogs.
• Ammonia: Dogs and cats absolutely detest the smell of ammonia. Buy some cloudy ammonia and dilute with 10 parts water. Spray around the garden and yard but always do a small test before applying to plants