voles/mice

[buckvelvet]

There is a garden center where I live that sells rock but they don't open till April so I'll check with them and see how their rates are, is it only pea gravel you want?

 

[CrazyEd]

Doesn't have to be pea gravel. Some use crushed limestone or crushed stone.

 

[buckvelvet]

good deal, thanks Ed.

 

[chummer]

Ed,

For people with lower ph levels would the limestone eventually leach into the ground to help them out in the long run? Is it much more expensive than the standard crushed stone? Do you rinse the stone before using in case there's any chance of chemicals on the stone?

My area has a lot of lime stone so crushed limestone is very cheap. I think I pay $14 a yard for it. I don't think you need to wash it. Even our standard crushed stone is lime stone. Not sure if it helps the soil. Is your crushed stone granite?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Having done a number of limestone diversion wells within streams ( as a member of Trout Unlimited ) to UP ^ the pH of the stream, I can say that you don't have to wash limestone before putting it down. The streams in question had ZERO insect life in them, so for a stream that sensitive, limestone right out of the quarry was just the ticket. And limestone WILL eventually dissolve - but it's slow, even with stream water constantly washing over it in the diversion wells. I can't speak to crushed granite as far as chemical contamination on it. For rapid action in soil, I'd say use pulverized ag limestone. Even then it takes several months for it to have any effect in the soil's pH.

I have pea-sized limestone chips around our apples & crabs at camp. Cheap. And the acidity of the rain in the Northeast WILL cause that limestone to dissolve and leach SOME into the soil, although the effect is most likely small. But some effect is better than none. We also add pulverized limestone around the trees to improve the pH.

 

[Rally1148]

In not sure what the local stones would be. Must be some limestone on my land but most is granite.

http://geology.about.com/library/bl/maps/n_statemap_NH1200.htm

Put some vinegar on the rocks, if they fizz they're either limestone or marble. My guess would be marble, since the map doesn't show sedimentary formations.

If you find where you are on the map, you can get a pretty good general idea of what you'll find.

 

[Rally1148]

Thanks Rally,

That's interesting. It looks like my land could by a mixture of 4 zones. I don't think any marble though.

I really wish that they put cities on the maps. Not that it would make much of a difference in Michigan, as most of our soil is sand from glaciers.

 

[buckvelvet]

in Michigan, as most of our soil is sand from glaciers.

I seen a wooly mammoth yesterday.....

 

[Rally1148]

I seen a wooly mammoth yesterday.....

I'm kind of surprised. I think it'd be more likely to see a camel or maybe a dingo. You guys have up and over (N & W) have lots of sand!

 

[buckvelvet]

Yeah, if I'm being honest, it's ridiculous. If I had a lake I'd never have to go to the beach again w/ the kids. I've accepted the fact that I'll never have a yard. :)

 

[Rally1148]

Montcalm isn't too bad. It's definitely sandier than sandy loam, but it's not complete sand. I do have a sandpit on my property that I use as a backstop to shoot into. It's great, but I certainly wouldn't want it to be what I had to plant into.

 

[buckvelvet]

but I certainly wouldn't want it to be what I had to plant into.

Its like your out to emotionally wound me. :)

 

[Maya]

If you're asking me peeps, I staple the screen to about 3/4" from the tree trunk, so it's not TIGHT. I do that at top and bottom so there's a little " wiggle room ". My screen bottom is about 3" below the stone chips which - in our circumstance - deters mice/voles from tunneling into the bottom of the screen. As the tree trunk expands in girth, it'll work the staples loose and make it's own room. I periodically check our trees anyway so if a staple needs a little " help " I can pull it out. No headaches, really. I learned this method from other guys on this forum and another forum. The apple experts that have been doing this for a while get the credit. Guys like Stu, Maya, NH mtns., Aero, Crazy Ed, Benhpr, etc. I've been planting apples / crabs for a few years, but I can tell you the system I learned from these guys WORKS !! I also learned some of the same tips from a local orchard man near to my camp.

I disagree Bows, staple them tight, close to the tree, vols will get in if you don't. It doesn't hurt the trees at all, and as the tree diameter grows it just pops the staples. I just got a call from a client that was heartbroken. 5 trees were girdled this winter. She did not staple them good enough, way to loose.

One of the other main things to do is to keep the area mowed close to the trees if possible. They do not like being out in the open. Just walking around town I've noticed a lot of barking this year. I don't think vols and such squirreled away enough food for this awful winter we had.

 

[buckvelvet]

Can't you just zip tie the screen together?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I wouldn't try using zip-ties. I don't think a tree can break those loose as it grows. Staples can just bend open easily.

Gotcha, Maya - on the stapling tight to the tree. You've been doing it long enough to know what's best. I'll tighten up the screens that are in need. Many thanks, Brother !!:)

 

[buckvelvet]

Check, no zip ties, staple it to the rootstock, got it.......

 

[buckvelvet]

maya just said to staple it to the tree.....

Why are you guys confusing the newb, i feel abused. :)

 

[buckvelvet]

Boy you MN guys are serious aren't you, no daisy's and lollypop fields around your place. My faults are that i'm not mechanical at all nor can I build anything structurally, I lack the captain everything that some folks seem to be blessed with. I also have bad hand writing, left handed ,male, etc....

So you see i'm painting a bleak picture, some folks pop pills, i just use my green thumb to cheer me up. Lol. :)

 

[buckvelvet]

Bet you're red headed too

No I'm not in Kentucky.

 

[buckvelvet]

so I looked at lowes on my lunch hour today, seems like 36 would be tall enough as 48 seemed over kill. How big do you make the screens, justing from Ed's pics I would say between 6-12 inches but just wanted to clarify that.

I don't have a saw that would easily cut this screen, how do you guys normally cut it?