Landscaping/Gardening Thread.

[GrrlGoalie33]

Originally Posted by bossy22

What arborist did you use? I have 4 aspens that need to come down. I was originally going to fell one myself, but on closer inspection around my yard, we decided that 4 need to come down.

I highly recommend Grant and his team at Jemm Tree service. http://jemmtree.com/ Tell him Kery sent you

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Can anyone recommend a wall mounted hose reel that isn't a leaky cheep piece of garbage? I thought I had a great one with the auto retractor, but it jammed a few times, then the retraction spring broke.

Lee Valley:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...eel?item=XB133

Just make sure to disconnect it in the winter so there isn't water sitting around the internals to rust it out.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Lee Valley:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...eel?item=XB133

Just make sure to disconnect it in the winter so there isn't water sitting around the internals to rust it out.

Looks like a good one, I forgot to check Lee Valley. I ended up ordering this one:
https://www.princessauto.com/en/stee...?skuId=8517393


Which is the same as the Grainger one I linked earlier, but cheaper. So many of these are available at all sorts of places, just re-branded. For that location though, the one I picked is the best orientation. When the one out front needs replacing, this Lee Valley one looks like a great option.

[Ironhorse]

My wife has informed me that we have a gopher living under the front steps, near her flower beds. Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

[MoneyGuy]

If you’re not opposed to poison, you could try those poison tablets used for mice. Otherwise, maybe a live trap.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

My wife has informed me that we have a gopher living under the front steps, near her flower beds. Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

I asked in the random thought thread how often people fire air rifles in their own yards.

It is technically illegal, but people must do it all the time right? Even the Karenest of Karens isn't gonna call the cops on someone for doing that I think.

I think I'm gonna snag one with a scope from Canadian Tire and commit some casual gopher genocide at my parents place. The rodents multiply like mad.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

you could try those poison tablets used for mice

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Lee Valley:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...eel?item=XB133

Just make sure to disconnect it in the winter so there isn't water sitting around the internals to rust it out.

Gah. I'm going to have to buy it despite the price.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

My wife has informed me that we have a gopher living under the front steps, near her flower beds. Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

Create a trail of wheat and watermelon heading towards Saskatchewan and it should relocate.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Gah. I'm going to have to buy it despite the price.

I bought one. It sprung a leak. I'm fairly certain it's because I didn't disconnect the hose from the reel every winter and it rusted out.

I took it back, they replaced it for free. I've now had it for several years and it looks/works just like when I got it.

In general, I'm so tired of buying things repeatedly because everything is crap. So hopefully this is something that actually sticks around a long time and is worth the hefty initial price.

[Jay's Beagle]

Originally Posted by Frankster

I highly recommend Grant and his team at Jemm Tree service. http://jemmtree.com/ Tell him Kery sent you

I can second this. To take down about a 40 ft pine tree was roughly $850.

[homestand]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

My wife has informed me that we have a gopher living under the front steps, near her flower beds. Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

We have had 100% success putting coffee grounds around the gopher holes. We picked up used grounds at Starbucks.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

My wife has informed me that we have a gopher living under the front steps, near her flower beds. Any way to get rid of it without potentially poisoning a bird of prey?

These work very well. Bait it with a cracker spread with peanut butter and a peanut on top. The bait has to be put at the back, behind the spring that closes the cage.

https://www.lowes.ca/product/traps/1...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[CroFlames]

What do you do with the animal once you trap it?

[redforever]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

What do you do with the animal once you trap it?

That would be determined by you.

I have a huge squirrel problem. The squirrels get relocated to Edworthy Park.

[Shazam]

I was wondering why there were so many giant squirrels at Edworthy.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I was wondering why there were so many giant squirrels at Edworthy.

I declared war on the squirrels last year. They dig up my perennial flower beds, they bury rocks of all things in my annual planters, they dig such big holes in my annual planters that I usually have to replace the flowers in some of them at least once or twice a year. I no longer plant tomatoes either because as soon as they start to ripen, they nibble at them and then the rest of that tomato will rot. I don't know what it is about the rock hauling but I find them along the top of my fence and the like too.

They find the weirdest things and haul them all over too. Last year I found remains of lip gloss containers, bright pieces of what looked like shattered flower pots, and the like in my perennial flowers.

They don't like if you put out small metal sculptures either. I have a metal owl, about 15 inches high, that I had anchored in the ground. Once day it was missing. They had figured out how to get it out of the ground and pushed it behind my peony. I also had a solar owl which they first knocked off the top that glowed and then chewed up the rod it was mounted on. They are wicked little beasts.

I am now a master trapper. 51 black ones and 24 of the grayish browns have been relocated to Edworthy Park. That is how many I had visiting my back yard. So far this year, not as bad and so far I have not resorted to trapping and relocating.

The black ones are really dumb. The first day that I set the trap, I hardly had got back in my house to look if there was any action and along came a black one and he just walked right in...had one in 5 minutes.

The brownish gray ones are a bit leery to start. They sniff the bait, they will walk along the top of the cage and look down, and eventually they are enticed to get the bait.

Anyhow, it kept me amused during COVID.

[Fuzz]

My wife put out a bird feeder last fall. The birds toss the seeds they don't want on the ground, then the rabbits and squirrels eat them. This was the first year neither of them have rummaged through our gardens. I haven't asked how much we have spent on bird seed, though...but it seems to keep them happy.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

My wife put out a bird feeder last fall. The birds toss the seeds they don't want on the ground, then the rabbits and squirrels eat them. This was the first year neither of them have rummaged through our gardens. I haven't asked how much we have spent on bird seed, though...but it seems to keep them happy.

I feed the birds too and some seeds always drop. If the squirrels would just come and eat the seeds on the ground, I would be happy. However, that is not the case and they are quite destructive.

[photon]

Are there no squirrels in Chestermere? I don't think I've ever seen a single one in my yard.