There are animal holes and churned-up dirt near our house foundation. I'm afraid it's rats. Is it?

There are limited rodent candidates. Voles make tunnel holes the size of a quarter. Groundhog holes are 6 inches or more, surrounded by a mound of soil.

Rat holes are a few inches wide and tend to be near buildings. They need food and water nearby.

Remove pet food and dropped birdseed and secure garbage in cans.

Rats are very wary. Bait a snap trap but leave it unset at first. Let them feed at least once before setting the trap. Poison bait is also effective.

For more information, see our publication HG 90: Dealing With Nuisance Wildlife.

Can I lime my lawn now? I'm itching to do something on nice days.

You can lime any time (with the possible exception of during severe drought), but first you'll need to know how much lime to apply. A soil test will reveal your soil's pH and recommend the amount of lime needed to correct acidity.

Most Maryland soils become too acid for growing healthy turf, which likes a pH of 6 to 6.8. Lime takes a long time to change pH, so it's a good idea to lime as soon as you get back your test results.

Checklist

Hand-pull winter annual weeds now to keep them from going to seed this spring. Common annual weeds include chickweed, henbit and dead nettle.

Prune most fruit plants anytime during dormancy, between November and March. Peaches are the exception. For them, wait until after spring budbreak.

Ellen Nibali, horticulture consultant, works at Maryland Cooperative Extension's Home and Garden Information Center, and David Clement is the regional specialist. The center offers Maryland residents free gardening information. Call the center's "hotline" at 800-342-2507 or e-mail plant and pest questions through the Send a Question feature at hgic.umd.edu.