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j_nel_2003

2 part question, yard care and mole or squirrel issues

Jesse Nelson
7 years ago

First question is, I was curious what is a good schedule or plan for a yard. As far as fertilizing and such, I am in Nebraska and my yard is pretty green already and pretty thick, some spots are bare but that's scarce. I have earth worms and so my yard is bumpy because of it, anybody know a way to fix that or am I just stuck with a bumpy yard?


i also have an issue with moles or ground squirrels, there are a lot of dirt spots in my yard, what is the most effective way to either scare them off or keep them away? I was going to spray tempo all over to kill the bugs which may help with the moles or squirrels, but I'm open for other options, anybody got any ideas for me, thanks in advance!!!

Comments (6)

  • Pennstater2005
    7 years ago

    Not enough information. Do you have weeds you need to take care of? What type of grass do you have? Is your yard bumpy because of the earthworms or the moles?

    Moles primary food source is earthworms. I had them bad a few years back. I tried every product, including grubex, to no avail. Then I found the Trapline mole traps and cleared my yard of them completely. Do you have raised tunnel like areas in your yard? If you do tamp them down and check them again the next day. If they're back up you probably have a mole or moles.

    I consider earthworms a sign of a healthy yard. Although I can't actually see mine :)

    I would take care of the rodent problem before I started too much of a yard plan. However, since you asked....

    1. Pre emergent around when the forsythia bloom. You can use the gddtracker to help time this. Dimension and Prodiamine are popular and relatively affordable. I sprayed Prodiamine this year at the max rate for full coverage into late fall. Granular form is easier but was mostly efficient for me.

    2. Spot spray weeds when they are actively growing in the spring or fall.

    3. Fertilize for the first time around Memorial Day. Then again around Labor Day. I would strongly urge the use of Milorganite if it's in your area.

    4. Finally, after your grass has stopped growing, you know when you mow and there are no clippings, apply a winterizer; urea is good (46-0-0) .

    5. Deep, infrequent watering is crucial as well as is mowing high.

    These are very basic instructions and not exact for anyone but could be used as a start. I do things a bit differently than this myself but you would have a nice lawn with minimal effort this way.

    Good luck!

    Please ask more questions as I'm just bouncing general ideas around here!




  • Jesse Nelson
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    I do not have a lot of weeds, I guess a little bit of crab grass, but that is it

    How can I figure out what type of grass I have, just recently bought this house.

    The earth worms I believe are the cause of the bumpy yard, but now the moles are adding to it. I will tamp down some of the tunnels and check tomorrow to see if they are raised again. I bought this house last July, and the yard was bumpy. never noticed mole tunnels until probably late August.

    whats best to use for crab grass?

    I will look for Milorgranite

    I didn't water at all last year and my yard stayed green basically until winter was in full force.

    I am curious if I use tempo, which people talk about a lot here to get rid of bugs etc, may help with the moles, but idk

    thanks again

  • Jesse Nelson
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    ok, I found Milogranite, it is in my area, so I will get that and lay it around memorial day

    here is a link to the tempo I was talking about, maybe you can advise on it

    http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/tempo-sc-ultra-p-215.html

  • Pennstater2005
    7 years ago

    Don't know about Tempo. I do know that trapping moles is the best way to get rid of them. Below is a good link to post emergence crabgrass control.

    http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/crabgrass_control_during_a_hot_summer

    Pre emergent control for Nebraska is probably now or even a little late. I use a combination of timing it when the forsythia bloom and the gddtracker crabgrass pre tool.

    http://www.gddtracker.net/?model=7&offset=0


  • Jesse Nelson
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    ok, thanks, as for the bumpy ground because of earth worms, I probably have no options for that huh?

  • Pennstater2005
    7 years ago

    None that I know of. They can make your lawn a bit bumpy but I feel their benefits outweigh a few bumps. Generally, rolling your lawn is frowned upon because you may compact the soil too much. If the bumps bother you consider rolling it with a minimally filled roller.