For the last three years I have had something disturbing and undermining the soil all along my fence line. Every spring and early summer I treat the garden with Scotts bug killer and use a Scotts rotary spreader to get right up to and through the fence. I've tried all the stand alone bug killers and traps and had no joy. The rest of the garden is satisfactory.(To call it a lawn would be an overstatement).I do use weedkiller along the fence line as my neighbours are not keen gardeners! I am now at a loss. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
This resembles mole/vole damage!
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/vole-control.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/mole-control.htm
You can contact your local extension service for more assistance with the control of these pests:
How do we keep squirrels from tearing up our grass They are litterly tearing up our backyard
There is not an easy answer to rid your yard of squirrels because, even if you do, more will move in to take their place. Toxins are not advisable because they don't discriminate which animals they attract, including pets. Live trapping and releasing elsewhere is often illegal, plus there is a low survival rate. Trapping and euthanizing is best left to professionals.
Squirrels quickly become accustomed to scare tactics.
Something you can do is make your yard less desirable. Remove food sources for them, including bird feeders. If you have a garden with tomatoes and other food they like, block their access.
You can try applying repellents to your lawn like predator urine or ground chili pepper. They don't like the organic fertilizer blood meal and it would add nitrogen to your lawn. Here is more info:
https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/barring-wildlife-helps-get-your-space-back
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/squirrel-proof-fruit-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/protecting-tomatoes-from-squirrels.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/treating-pests-with-castor-oil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/using-predator-urine-in-gardens.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/birds-digging-lawn.htm
I am having difficulty understanding how rodents and insects can invade the buried cylinder container once corralling the plants against the invasive roots. kindly explain further and is this something I should be worried? Also, what would be the best bottomless cylinder container I should be using to plant below the ground that does not disintegrate over the long period of time? Thank you for your help and assistance to this matter.
Burrowing rodents can make their way through thick roots, and depending on the type of plant that you choose, they may try and eat the roots. Being bottomless, there is opportunity for them to get inside of the containment.
Typically, most use HDPE plastic, as this takes a very long time to degrade, naturally.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides
The pigeon is not there any more but it seems as though some of its guts are there. I have a 2 year old daughter who I want to keep safe, so after clearing up all of the feathers how do I clean the area without damaging the grass?
The sun does it best! Ultraviolet from the sun has, likely, rendered that area safe. Once you remove all materials that could get re-infected, the sun should take care of the area after a few days.
Should you want to take this a step further, then you could cover the area in plastic and, effectively, solarize it:
Brilliant. Thank you for your advice!
How wet we have to appy on the ground?
Use 2 parts castor oil to 1 part dish soap and mix well. You only need 2 tablespoons per gallon of water, so you won't need to make too much.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/treating-pests-with-castor-oil.htm
The picture you post as a black swallowtail is actually a Spicebush Swallowtail.
The squirrels are digging up turf exposing soil. In one place they have destroyed a large area. We water but they won’t give the area a chance to regrow the grass. The granuals in the holes is squirrel retardant seen in the pictures. Thank you for any help or suggestions you have.
One good way to keep pests like this out of your lawn would be to use predator urine! This makes them think that there are predators in the area, and if this is there most of the time then the squirrels will move on to a different location.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/using-predator-urine-in-gardens.htm