Cherry Laurel photo courtesy of Dave's Garden
Q: Is it too late to transplant an aucuba or an Otto Luyken cherry laurel? I was told fall is a great time to transplant.
A: There is a short list of plants that do not respond well to fall transplanting. Broad-leaved evergreens are on the list. This is probably because their wide leaf surfaces lose moisture throughout the winter. In the process of transplanting, some roots are usually lost or damaged and thus cannot supply as much moisture as the plant needs.
If you are able to dig a big rootball that does not disturb your plants' roots, they may weather transplanting just fine. Water them during any dry periods this fall.
Q: Holes are appearing in the yard, larger than our usual mole and vole holes. We thought they were rat holes, but we probed them with a stick and they don't seem to go into tunnels. There are so many holes it looks like someone roto-tilled the yard! Will this damage tree roots?
A: Squirrels dig holes to bury or retrieve nuts. Early fall is also the season when animals hunt for grubs. Skunks are typically the culprit, but raccoons, opossum and fox also dig holes in search of grubs. All of these grub predators are nocturnal. If holes are rather clean and small, it could be birds.
You can temporarily lay down netting, screening, or chicken wire to keep them off the area. People have reported success spreading Milorganite, a sewage-based organic soil amendment, as an animal repellant.
There is no point in treating the spot with a grub control product now. Grubs will soon move deep in the soil for the winter, then pupate into beetles and leave next spring. If anything, this type of animal digging activity may benefit trees by loosening and aerating the soil.