QuestionI bought this house over a year ago, and I have noticed that between the sandy muck soil and moles it is hard to grow a decent yard. After moving in I removed over forty red pine trees and have more to do yet. I plan on removing out all pine trees from my yard and starting fresh.
Part one of the question is, I read about compost and alfalfa meal, I have access to cow manure becuase of our farm but will that be enough of a top soil to hold water better than sand?
Second part is those darn moles. I put some cheep grub killer on early in the season, but the moles came back with a vengence. I got rid of them by mowing the yard then waiting 1/2 hour then scooping them out of the ground with a shovel. Is there any product you recomend to keep them out once the yard is completed in the next couple years? Also going back to the sandy soil, would there be a benefit of using landscape clothe throughout the yard to hold mosture and hold moles away from the yards surface.
Last question, you talk about bark mulch, are you suggesting using mulch like what you would put around trees?And would that with the cow manure and obviously fertilzers be recommended.
AnswerOkay, lots to answer here!
1) The bark mulch: I recommended that this be used instead of grass for an area where the dog would be urinating. Essentially, it could be a sort of outdoor litter box for the dog. Bark mulch should NOT be used as a part of a soil mix.
2) The topsoil: You brought up the use of compost, alfalfa meal, and cow manure. All three are 100% organic matter and have no mineral matter whatsoever. Soil should be predominantly mineral matter with some organic mixed in. If you want to take any or all three of those and mix them into the sandy muck, it will definitely improve the quality of the sandy muck, but they would not provide a good growing medium by themselves.
3) The moles: I do know of a product called "Mole-Med" that seems to work quite well if you remain diligent. It's a formulation of castor oil that makes the area taste really bad. You'll need to apply weekly until they seem to be gone, but you sound like someone who's not afraid to roll up his sleeves a bit, right? Getting rid of grubs as a strategy for mole removal still makes me pull my hair out. It doesn't work, period. Unfortunately, there are still a ridiculous number of people out there advising that you do this. So now you end up spending money on unnecessary chemicals and dumping them into the environment with zero results. The theory makes sense but the reality doesn't show results.
4) The Landscape Cloth: Not a good idea. It will only inhibit the grass growth.
Let me know if this all helps!
-C.J. Brown
www.thelawncoach.com
