Basic Gardening Information from Past Piscataquis Gardening Newsletters
Round Headed Apple Borer: When a young apple tree in a home garden dies, the cause is often insect borers. Check at the base of the tree for clumps of reddish-brown sawdust-like frass. The other common cause is physical damage at the base of the tree by a weed-whacker or lawnmower.
Bagged Apples for Spray-Free Apple Maggot Control: Master Gardeners in Minnesota helped with a three year study that found covering apples in July with a plastic bag yielded apple-maggot free apples that tended to be bigger than controls. The draw back is the time it takes to apply the bags to individual apples and there is an increased drop of apples before they mature. Check out the website for more details about this project that was conducted from 2000 to 2003.
Woodchuck/Groundhog in My Garden! Woodchucks or groundhogs are in the squirrel family. They hibernate in the winter and become active in the early spring. They will produce one litter of two to four young annually. They are active during the day and stay within 50 to 100 feet of their den. Their burrows can be as deep as five feet and up to 60 feet in length. They are voracious feeders, feeding actively on succulent, green vegetation in early morning and evening periods during the summer. Their favorite foods include beans, cole crops, carrot tops, clover, squash and peas. For information on controls, go to Woodchucks from the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.
