Does cutting grass/weeds very short cut down on the amount of pests?

Yup…no problem with moles either…other then they make mowing a pita… if they are eating grubs, etc…go right for it. Voles=bad. They like long grass. I try to keep my lawn short at all times and try to keep it open as much as possible…give them less places to hide.

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Many people forget or are unaware that roundup was first used as a wipe on a rope wick applicator. I don’t remember it even being on the label anymore. There is a tool called a red weeder to wipe on roundup and you use very little produce w/o ant spray drift.

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Thanks. I’m just debating about using ground covers or investing in an expensive grass cutter.

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I know the taller grass around the garden, the more grasshoppers and things that show up in the garden itself. I think otherwise cowbirds lay waste to them in short lawns at least our short lawn… less cover for them to hide in

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Most of my orchards are former brome fields and have high populations of voles and rabbits. Mowing every week or two keeps their populations in check. It is most useful in the fall preventing grass from going to seed thus limiting their food supply and cover.

Roundup alone only allows nasty resistant weeds a foothold. A regular spraying program rotating different pre and post emergents must be incorporated if you want bare ground under trees and have an significant annual rainfall. I have limited time and tolerate some grass under the trees, I try to spread wood chips in the off season.

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Moles are insectivores and do not eat roots.
Voles do eat tree roots when other food is not available.

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It makes the grass angry.

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Hello 39th,

Do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions for a pre-emergent?

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I have been using Prowl H2O. Pre-emergent suggestions? A couple well timed applications at the highest application rate every year helps a lot. I still have to manually remove a few weeds.

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You are so right! I have voles not moles.

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Yes they are but I lost 2 apple trees that had mole runs going right under. They did not eat the roots but they sure removed them to make the run.

Normally I wouldn’t have a problem with moles when they do not harm the trees. It is not so much the moles, as the dog that digs a hole you could bury a small car in trying to get to the mole.

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When I started fruits and veggies years ago, Treflan (Preen), Amiben (almost gone now) and Surflan all had extensive labels. Treflan, Prowl, and Surflan, are all related chemistry and still available. If you can find old labels, you can still use them. Amiben has been of the market for 40+ yrs now but has an amazing F&V over the top label. I have about 20# left and hoard it like an old miser. Works for about a month on tomato and pepper transplants.

Roundup resistance is made worse by farmers using half rates of product and filling it out with AMS to save a little money. It would kill the most susceptible weeds and leave the resistant weeds, damaged, but still reproducing, soon to produce resistant, full sized, undamaged weeds which we selected for. Beekeepers did the same with Varroa mites by not following application instructions and selecting the mites for resistance to certain chemicals

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I’m not sure what insects are deterred from keeping the grass cut other than ticks which like to crawl up taller sections and then attach to your leg as you brush up against them.

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Grasshoppers hate mowed grass because the birds can get them easier.

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Thanks guys, a lot of good comments here.
That’s especially interesting about the round up resistant weeds, I didn’t know such a thing happened.
I just ordered a half decent cordless brush cutter, and I’ll buy an aftermarket weedeater attachment. I believe I can drop it on the ground and run it along the dirt that way, getting a clean shave without dangerously hitting the chipsaw on rocks. Hopefully it works out well.
Do you guys rake up all of the cut grass to get rid of more pests? I imagine they could hide under it. I suppose the grass clippings could be used as mulch around the trees?

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Your stunting may not be from roots being eaten, but from excessively loose soil from all the tunneling. Long past in my CA life, gophers used to do that to me with fig trees even though they apparently don’t eat the roots. I’d revive the trees by growing them in a well and filling it with water as I tamped things down with my bare feet, firming wet soil around the roots. It was sandy soil.

Pine voles are mostly subterranean root eaters, but they usually do more than just stunt a tree.

Voles remind me of hamsters. Short tails. Grey fur. They are kind of cute…vs the typical house mouse that is smaller with a long tail. I kill them all.

Voles are more common here–they are very easy to find because they’ll make little runways in the grass, i do kill house mice (garage) a few times a year. They get in and think they are going to start a family… Mass trapping works very well. I’ve put out 8 to 10 traps at once.

Voles are best baited with small pieces of apple. House mice seem to set traps off better with peanut butter. The easy set plastic traps are a life saver.

Pine voles are much different than meadow voles, and most of the year are said not to come to the surface for bait. Special underground bait stations are often used but I have been able to control them on the surface in fall when they come up for the ample food on the soils surface. Pine voles treat trees like gophers- when they eat their roots trees tilt with no support and often die- or get stunted for several years. Unlike gophers, they girdle the larger roots and don’t eat the whole thing.

They are so cute though

In early spring as the snow melts…you can see the tunnels they made through the snow banks. Amazing how they can survive all winter. I use hardware cloth around all my trees…voles+rabbits=dead trees.

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My voles are chubby. They see their reflection in my small pond and dive right in and commit volecide. One evening I saw one pulling roots of a raspberry bush right out of the ground . He did not live much longer.

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