in fergus falls i have mature shrub roses which i pruned 18" to 24" last fall. can i prune more now this spring and to what size to make them more manageable. thank you

I read sever conflicting articles on when to apply a preemergent for crabgrass. One arrival says when soil is between 55-60 for four days straight. Another article says after May 30. I'm so co fused. I have so much crabgrass I just want it gone. So when do I apply it? Also I have bare spots from last year's crabgrass. When Is the best time to over seed my lawn? I can't apply a preemergent and over seed it at the same time or close to it. City is Wyoming Mn.

My Minneapolis lawn is in terrible shape after years of drought and animal activity. I'm looking for ways to prevent further harm to my yard and rebuild it better. I have two big questions. First, about the aforementioned animal activity. For years now I have been seeing lots of small holes being dug in my yard, evidently by animals. They are not deep and are usually 1-2 inches across, though some larger sections of turf have been destroyed, especially as it weakened due to the drought. I've attached several pictures of these holes. What could be making them? I suspected squirrels since they are the main animals I see in my yard, but others have suggested it could be raccoons digging for grubs at night. Walking around my neighborhood, no other yards seem to be suffering from animal digging as badly as mine, and I'm wondering why. Second, about rebuilding the plant life in my yard. I believe in planting species that can survive our increasingly hot and dry climate without needing supplementary watering once they're established, which I consider wasteful. I'm considering either a drought-resistant grass like fine fescue or cultivating some restored prairie. I'm not sure how legal this is in Minneapolis, though--do you know much about the legality of "wild" lawns, or how I can check? My other concern is that I live on a small urban lot, 1/8 of an acre. Is there a recommended minimum area for prairie restoration projects? Would I need some kind of buffer zone between the restored prairie and sidewalks/neighbors' lawns?

Hi, In perusing our yard I noticed what I think are some species of ground bee nests on a particularly patchy and sandy part of our lawn. I estimate between 50-100 nests across a stretch maybe 8' wide by 100' long. Most of these are outside of our fenced area but some are inside of the fence. Is it correct that these bees only are around for a few weeks? Ideally I'd like to amend the soil on that sandy area and grow grass there but am wondering if there are any recommendations you would have for a situation like this. We also have a young child who plays near that corner of the yard and I have some trepidation about them getting stung. Thanks, Adam

Hello, I have a 6 week old chick who has developed ear cankers on both ears. I have been doing as much internet searching as I can about this and the theme I'm seeing is that while the pus and scab of the canker can be removed, even after several cleanings and treatment with a topical antibiotic, it is very hard to get rid of. Some articles mention oral and injectable antibiotics, but it's unclear how effective they are, or which is best to use. Do you know of any successful treatment for ear canker, and/or which antibiotic would be best (and how to get it? I can't afford to take her to the vet.) If there is little chance for this going away completely, I'm thinking it would be better to euthanize the chick rather than putting her through the stress of repeated cleanings and treatments. The photo I attached is from an online blog post, but it looks just like what my little pullet has on both ears. Thank you for your help and insight!

What is the best way of eliminating rabbits from my back yard. We have a fairly large garden area where we plant tomatoes, cukes, onions, beans, carrots, squash, etc. The rabbits last year mowed down my beans when they were about 2-3 inches tall, they also munched on the squash, tomatoes. We have seen them and know they are around. Our backyard is totally fenced and we have dogs on each side of us so they feel safe in our yard because we do not have pets. They also get in my planters and eat flowers, shrubs and one perennial when it bloomed in a long stock they ate the whole thing off the plant and carried it away. We have tried live traps but they don't go in the trap. Any suggestions? Thanks

What insecticide should I use in the pacific nw?

I have a little pawpaw sapling, only about a foot tall, that's been in a pot for a little over a year. It's just starting to put out a few leaves. Have I waited too long to transplant it into the ground this season? I've heard they're finicky about transplanting.

We had to remove our Ash tree because it was dying. When we moved the large pile of wood chips left by the tree service, we saw the stump wasn't removed very deep. It is almost flush with the grass around it. Do we have to have more stump removed before we put topsoil and seed over it? A better question is, how deep should the soil be to re-seed? Thankyou, Judy Landis