The best and safest way to prune Hydrangea is to remove
some older stems but leave most stems so that you are
removing about one-third of the growth each year.
Oak leaf and big leaf hydrangeas are alleged to
only flower on buds that were formed the previous season.
Therefore, if you prune them in late fall, winter or
early spring, you will be cutting off that season's
flowers.
If drastic pruning is required, do it immediately
after flowering. The best and safest way to prune them
is to remove some older stems but leave most stems
so that you are removing about one-third of the growth
each year. NCSU
Hydrangea Link
White grubs are the immature stage of beetles.
Depending on the species, they can live in the soil
for up to three years before maturing into the adult
beetle. Grubs have a white body with six legs and a
dark head.
The majority of white grub species undergo a one-year
(annual) life cycle. Adult beetles emerge, mate, and
lay eggs (30 to 40 per female) from June to mid-August.
The first instar emerges in roughly 2 weeks and immediately
begins feeding on roots and organic matter. Grubs
feed until the first frost and then move deeper into
the soil to over winter.
In the spring, when the soil
begins to warm up, they move back into the root zone
to feed. The adult beetle will then emerge in a few
weeks completing the one year life cycle. NCSU
White Grub Info
Where practical, bag worms can be removed with scissors
or a sharp knife. Bag worms are parasitic by several
ichneumon id and chalcid wasps. Low winter temperatures
and bird predation on small larvae are also limiting
factors.
Chemical control is effective, particularly
in June and early July when the bags are small. For
specific chemical controls, see the current state extension
service recommendations. NCSU
Description and Help
Moles are active all year long.
They live in underground burrows and rarely come to the surface. The burrows are located in high, dry
spots, but the hunting areas are soils that are cool,
moist, and populated with worms and grubs. Their denning
area consists of irregular chambers, which are about
the size of a quart jar, connected to deep runways.
Their tunnels are easily followed since they ridge
up to surface soil. They leave volcano-shaped hills
that are 2 - 24 inches tall (5 - 60 cm), often made
up of clods of soil. In wet weather, runways are very
shallow, during a dry period they are somewhat deeper,
following the course of earthworms.
Methods for control and damage prevention include
exclusion and cultural methods such as eliminating weeds,
ground cover and litter around crops and lawns, and
soil tillage. Repellents, toxicants, fumigants and
trapping are also methods used.
The methods
that are effective are exclusion, on a small scale;
cultural methods, such as eliminating weeds, ground
cover, and litter; mowing and soil tillage. NCSU
Info on Moles
If you have other questions or a more specific question, please call the MG Hotline at 336-703-2846 when the Hotline is open.
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