skip to main content

Texas Gardening

help, holes in my lawn pics

15 years ago

Greetings, all I'm a lurker on the forums & have learned much from all the info posted here, thank you. I'm desperate and need some help. For the past two days there have been MANY holes dug up in our yard (it's happening at night because I've been watching during the day & see nothing). I'm thinking armadillo(s). I live on a military base in the DFW, TX area. My children love to play outside & I refuse to let them go outside with all these holes out there. Do they look familiar to anyone? We have about 500 sq feet of yard/lawn and there are about 30-40 holes ALL OVER THE AREA. Some big some small but all of them look the same in the sense that they were dug OUT. I would appreciate any help on determining what these holes may be & how to get rid of whatever it is that is making the holes. I have always had a bird feeder but this has never happened so I'm totally confused as to what is bringing them here. Oh and I really hope I'm posting this correctly. Thank you so much & I look forward to any and all responses :(

[URL=http://img116.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010405jn4.jpg][IMG]http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/817/1010405jn4.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010406ry9.jpg][IMG]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7338/1010406ry9.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010407gh0.jpg][IMG]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/970/1010407gh0.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010408us1.jpg][IMG]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/2661/1010408us1.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[url=http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010409up0.jpg][img=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7185/1010409up0.th.jpg][/url]

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (21)

cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
So sorry it looks like I didn't correctly add the pictures ...

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
prairiepaintbrush
15 years ago
My only experience with diggers is armadillos. Squirrels also dig, but it looks like a lot of holes for squirrels.
Related Discussions
Lawn and Landscaping WoesPlease Help (Pics Inside)
Q
Comments (12)
Ground cover is, I agree, appropriate to many situations. Prolly not to this one, though, given the OP's concern about his lawn. (He'll likely have to give up having any gorgeous grass in that sideyard.) Whether water is precious depends on where you are. Dallas? Yes. BUT...you don't need St. Augustine in Dallas. All hail Bermuda grass there! Houston? Rarely is there a drought severe enough to cause a temporary water concern. As for there, St. Augustine or "stickers" are your choices. Mobile, AL, is another place that needs St. Augustine. And rain? Try the rainiest city in the lower 48! Different regions have different concerns--some have water concerns, while fertilizer runoff is a lot more troublesome in others. (Apparently, the strawberries that annoy me so in my grass? A noxious invasive exotic. Great. Suggestions for getting rid of them or even controlling them? Pretty darned feeble, as far as I can tell.) Trying to nurse a lawn that won't ever do very well into a state of verdant, glowing health is going to do a lot more damage than watering a lawn up to two times a week in August in many places. 1" per week *includes* natural rainfall and only applies to the growing season, BTW. Areas that need St. Augustine that I've lived in have ranged from 36 to more than 40 inches of rain per year, on average. That's not much water. It's less than I had to put on my "xeric" plants in NM while they were getting established. (You should have seen me panicking when I first planted them and they started to wither even though I was watering them, in my mind, "all the time"--meaning once a week. *snort* Yes, in a high-wind, high-elevation, semi-desert environment!) I am ALL for choosing a low-maintenance ground cover--*where it works*. I haven't found a single satisfactory replacement for a lawn for kids to play on. I've looked. "Light to medium foot traffic" groundcovers won't do it, though goodness knows I wish they would. And many people live in areas in which replacing a "merely decorative" front yard is either culturally unacceptable--take that as you will--or is actually explicitly restricted by covenants or zoning laws. And that's assuming that the OWNERS like them. In those cases, the best you can do is make large beds which you can try to make as low-maintenance as possible. (Honestly, for 9/10ths or more of people, high maintenance is a bad idea from any standpoint, anyway. Vacations, boredom, illness, business--all of these things would intervene in a strict routine of trimming, spraying, fertilizing, etc., etc., to such an extent that the landscape would soon look pretty pathetic. And so often does! I am WAY too lazy to do that and bitterly, bitterly disappointed that I'll have to water the slope in back next year at least four times to keep back that $%# crab grass.) As for Lyme disease--I'd rather not have my kids--or the neighbors' kids--get it by playing in my yard. I can check myself after going out. I can trust other adults to do it, too. Stripping down elementary schoolers every time they go outside--and in summer, they're banging in and out all the time--is practically insane, but it was the only alternative to treating the 1/8th of an acre that's the major play area last year. We had started averaging, literally, a tick a week. I looked up the incidence of tick-borne diseases in our area, and the statistics were NOT good. Now, I hate using pesticides. This was the first time that I'd personally applied them. I'm killing all sorts of critters I'd LOVE to have in my back yard, but if it's that or a sick kid, I'm grabbing my bag of pesticide. Of course, I COULD just keep the deer out somehow. If you can suggest an effective and economical way of keeping deer out of a 2-acre spread, part of which is wetland, please do! *g* I mean really, I'd love to know, 'cuz I have an azalea that's looking bedraggled nearly 2 years after some young buck decided that it was an all-you-can-eat salad bar for several week running. I have another question, though, purely hypothetical at this point. In one area I lived in, we wouldn't get a hard freeze once every four years or so. And in those years, no matter how we treated the dogs (pills, sprays, collars, what-have-you), they would bring in hundreds of fleas--dozens with every trip outside--that would set up home and eat people and pets constantly. The dogs went piebald with scratching, and we were covered in bites. How can you get rid of fleas at that level of infestation without using a pesticide? We did every de-flea-your-house trick known to man, BTW, from vacuuming more than once a day to the dust that dessicates them. After going through every other option the first year, my dad (who, BTW, has a master's degree in a wildlife field!) broke down and went the poison-the-yard route--which worked beautifully, knocking back the numbers hard enough that bites were rare rather than constant. I do want to makes a BIG point about using "organics." Raw sewage is organic. It is also devastating to the environment. Soooo many gardeners like to make a big point about how they only use ORGANIC compost/worm castings/whatever on their plants. The streams really. don't. care. whether the nitrogen that gets dumped in them from your/my garden is from 100% certified premium organic sources or from cheapo-granulated nitrogen pellets. It doesn't make a difference! I like compost for all sorts of reasons, including reduced runoff and reduced chances of burning a plant because of slower release. But I don't pretend that there's "good organic nitrogen" and "bad inorganic nitrogen"--once it runs off, it's just plain ol' nitrogen. Sorry for sounding condescending--it was meant to be a drawl. ;-)
...See More
My new lawn is dying, please help!! (PICS)
Q
Comments (16)
"I'm not sure I agree with the idea that the lawn MUST be re-seeded, unless the OP has decided he wants a KBG lawn. The Perennial Rye that was in the original mixture will eventually predominate over the KBG, so he will end up with a mostly PRG lawn. Some people do go that route. Not sure what the recommendation is for upstate NY." The perennial rye cultivars in that mix do not spread. Any bare areas now will be bare in the fall unless some of the KBG made it and starts to spread. I said anything that survives into the fall should do well, but how much grass is left at the end of August is anyone's guess. There is nothing wrong with a PR lawn, they look great, and are easy to overseed if need be. Upstate NY is KBG country, and if it gets too cold PR can die off due to cold kill, but I have read this isn't as much as an issue as once believed. I happen to think monospecies lawns are easier to start and take care of regardless of what type you pick. My whole point is this; 2500 square feet isn't a lot of area to seed again. Most of the work has been done. Instead of having a weed filled patchy lawn, kill everything and do it over. The grass will do much better, the weed pressure will be minimal, and the lawn will be very consistent and thick into the winter.
...See More
What is taking over my lawn? (PICS included)
Q
Comments (8)
Waldvo: That is either Nimblewill or Bentgrass most times. Both are considered weeds in most lawns. Many varieties of bentgrass are used for both home lawns and golf course Fairways, tees and greens. It also often shows up as an invasive weed (especially in low or wet spots). Nimblewill is just a plain old school weedgrass (no redeeming value what-so-ever). There is another thread or two going on Nimblewill vs. bentgrass and you can use the site's search option to explore those threads. Michael: The first photo looks enough like zoysia for it to be possible, but the ID characteristics require up close and personal details you cannot see in a wide shot of the lawn. So... 2 choices: Compare it to the neighbors 'known' Zoysia. And/Or look for very tough wiry stolons (runners) in the patches of (zoysia?)undesired grass. Both grasses have stolons. Stolons allow the grass to spread by creeeping along the soil and sending roots down and shoots up simultaneously. Zoysia has wiry tough stolons. Bentgrass is almost entirely succulent and has no woody tissues at all. Either you'll find tough wiry runners (pull some out with difficulty) and diagnose Zoysia or you'll notice no wiry stolons and your bentgrass will pull up easily. Solution is similar. Round-up the undesired grass when actively growing (treat at least 3 feet past where you think the 'weed' has stopped) and then reseed. Ugh! I know, not fun. But both can be killed and removed in Late summer and the reseeding can take place almost immediately afterwards. I might spray (Zoysia especially) two times. Once Now (or very soon) and once right before seeding in 3-5 weeks(anything that looks even a little suspicious). Round-up (Glyphosphate) breaks down very quickly and will not adversely affect seed. But miss just a bit of the stuff and you'll be doing the renovation again (eventually). Another solution would be to live with it. Lots of folks do just that.
...See More
What could this be ruining my lawn? *pics*
Q
Comments (8)
Debbie, Johns November post was clearly showing raccoon damage. They will dig small round holes in sod, or as in his photo, peel sod back when 'hunting' at the edges along sidewalks, patios, beds. They love worms, nightcrawlers - both found in healthy moist soil. An ongoing problem in many PNW neighborhoods, including my own.
...See More
popcornhill
15 years ago
Hey cyndy.....I think you have a/some "voles". I had one too. They are not gophers but in that family I think. Sort of between a gopher and a field rat in size. I bought some stuff in a cone shaped package and poured some into the hole. I think it left. Maybe someone else can tell you something better to use and I'll try it to. Good luck......DT
debndal
15 years ago
Whatever it is, it might be eating grubs, which would be a good thing, but if you think you have very many grubs, you might should treat the lawn. It's normally done in August, but it's probably not too late to do it now. Sure beats having to replace grass.
Or it could be something just eating roots. Possibly skunk, armadillo, possum, raccoon. Maybe squirrels, but they are active during the day, and I would suspect you would see them. The others hang out at night.
carrie751
15 years ago
I have armadillos that eat at night. They have managed to rearrange many of my flower beds, so be grateful if they are just in the lawn. If you want to discourage them without trapping and relocating them, try sprinkling sulpher around your fence line. They have a very sensitive nose and do not care for the smell of sulphur at all.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all so much for all the tips :) I'm going to try them all ... I gave base housing a call yesterday about the issue and they had someone come by and sprinkle coyote urine. Which I'm not sure if it worked but last night there was no activity because this morning all the same holes were there. So, I'm thinking they must be sensitive to smells, I also used vingegar which was suggested by a friend. I had my husband dig about a square foot of dirt and we do have grubs. Not that many but enough to attract these armoured bandits. We plan on fixing the problem this weekend does anyone know if its ok to let my kids outside and play sometime next week? I mean someone told me that armadillos carry lots of disease.
popcornhill
15 years ago
I think I missed the call on those holes. I thought they were round holes. But after looking again I guess it's just something rooting around from the top. I believe you are better off trying to get rid of a rooter rather than a driller...good luck....DT
Gardener972
15 years ago
'Possums... we had the same thing.
denisew
15 years ago
Will sulphur keep the squirrels away too? I have seen squirrels digging in my garden. One of them is very brave and will allow me to get within just a few feet before it decides to move another couple feet away. I really have to scare it to scamper up a tree. It has also sat on a branch and scolded me - the little s#*%!
maden_theshade
15 years ago
Check the label on whatever you are treating the lawn w/ for the grubs to find out how long you'll need to keep your kids inside.

The armadillos are mostly nocturnal...and they are lightening quick. I'd say there's a 99.9999% chance your kids will never catch one. Even if they did, they would be in more danger from being scratched by their long claws than from any disease they could possibly carry. I've never heard of anyone catching anything from an armadillo. The only thing I could even fathom would be rabies, since they are a mammal.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all, it looks like the armadillos or whatever was digging back there are now gone. We used two things, the coyote urine & vinegar. We're trying to help the grass regrow by watering now & seeding in a few weeks. After all the holes they dug up it made the lawn look 1/2 dead. Which ticks me off. They only thing I know of keeping squirrels away is not placing food outside. I feed the birds so I always have 1 or 2 squirrels that show up. Yep, some of them critters can be very brave. We call him Loco.
debndal
15 years ago
It doesn't seem to me that those holes should make your grass look 1/2 dead. I'd be thinking I have another issue besides the digging. I don't know how many "a few" grubs were when your husband dug the square foot, but you might should treat for them anyway. They could make the grass look 1/2 dead.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
Bad news here, the creature or creatures are back. They dug up new holes last night & I'm so fed up with this. The thing thats bothering me the most is that my four year old goes outside and runs around and falls in those darn holes. I made a call to base housing they stated they would add the repelant (coyote urine) & look into placing a mesh on the gate (if they show up with some cheap mesh I'm going to lose it). debndal, I thought the same thing this morning. When we lifted part of the grass we saw about 3 grubs I'm having him treat it today. I also noticed a brown patch on the lawn that has suddenly started to get worse since I first posted here. Ugh, I never had these problems before with the lawn. Oh we also use Miracle-GroÂ® Water Soluble Lawn Food. I'm starting to wonder if this could also be the problem. We follow the directions to the T.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
One question, how far deep do I need to dig to see the grubs? I just tried doing it myself and i could only get about 2 inches deep. I saw nothing ... do I need to dig deeper?
debndal
15 years ago
Cyndy - I'm not a grub expert, but as I dig in my beds I occassionally will find them 2-5" deep. They are after the roots, and when the soil is deep the roots can go deep. You could also be looking at take all patch or brown patch - so many things it could be. It's also the time of year when grass slows down, so that might be part of it too. The critter that is digging is definitely looking for something in the soil to eat, so grubs would be my first thought.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks debndal ... they are placing chicken wire on the gate today. They added the repelant yesterday. Today we plan to treat the lawn with the grub killer once the gate has the chicken wire on it. Then we'll need to fix the lawn, it looks like swiss cheese in some parts. Any advice on how to fix those holes and help the grass regrow?
debndal
15 years ago
The grass will be slowing down for the year, so you might not get much regrowth this year. If the holes are deep you could fill with some soil from other areas of your garden or yard. If they aren't deep, they will even out over time. For now I think I would just watch it and wait see how it does next spring. It will probably be fine and cover quickly.
cyndy716
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks debndal I really appreciate all your help :) Next spring I'll be moving, I do hope there are no creatures in VA
kalena
15 years ago
I know this is an old post, but I just experienced holes in my lawn and while searching for an answer found this. Your pictures look like I took them of my lawn, it is the same scene. Did you ever find out for sure what was causing the holes?
pj426_comcast_net
13 years ago
I also have holes in the grass could this be grubs the
grass is also dying in spots.
Kevin Adkins
9 years ago
so I have the same problem in my yard now I border a ranch an have a fenced in yard but with all 15year old fences there are places that wild life can get in so I do put food out for the Squirrels,Rabbits, an what ever else passes through our yard an recently have seen a skunk digging in the back yard also a possum was hit with in 100 yards of the house. so I think we have a digger an the predators urine will be the best answer you'll have to repeat every couple weeks if it rains a lot so the scent will be fresh good luck am trying the scent today will post results soon

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Unthirsty Plants Help You Save Water in Style

By Bruce Parker

Spend less effort and money on your landscape with drought-tolerant and native plants that liven up your yard

ORGANIZING Do It for the Kids! A Few Routines Help a Home Run More Smoothly

By Alison Hodgson

Not a Naturally Organized person? These tips can help you tackle the onslaught of papers, meals, laundry — and even help you find your keys

PETS How to Help Your Dog Be a Good Neighbor

By Alison Hodgson

Good fences certainly help, but be sure to introduce your pup to the neighbors and check in from time to time

MOVING Relocating Help: 8 Tips for a Happier Long-Distance Move

By Laura Gaskill

Trash bags, houseplants and a good cry all have their role when it comes to this major life change

SAVING WATER Houzz Call: Are You Letting Go of Your Lawn?

By Annie Thornton

Many facing a drought are swapping turf for less thirsty plantings. If you’re one of them, we’d like to hear about it

BEFORE AND AFTERS See 6 Yards Transformed by Losing Their Lawns

By Annie Thornton

Wondering whether a turf lawn is the best use of your outdoor space? These homeowners did, and they found creative alternatives

FRONT YARD IDEAS Before and After: Front Lawn to Prairie Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

How they did it: Homeowners create a plan, stick to it and keep the neighbors (and wildlife) in mind

EARTH DAY The Case for Losing the Traditional Lawn

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Work less, help the environment and foster connections by just saying no to typical turf

PETS 6 Ways to Help Your Dog and Landscape Play Nicely Together

By Marianne Lipanovich

Keep your prized plantings intact and your dog happy too, with this wisdom from an expert gardener and dog guardian

LIGHTING Help! I Need a Light!

Sponsored

More Discussions

Placing the TV on the wall and designing the artificial stone behind t

1

How cold is too cold for bare root bagged roses?...

12

Costco bareroots in TX -- 2 plants $16

2

Weed Treatment For Bermuda Grass

6

Crossvine oddness

4