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By Scott Aker
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, July 20, 2000; Page H11

Q: Moles are having a ball tunneling all over the place. Neighbors have told us that the adjoining golf course puts down poison that drives the moles into our yards. We have tried two castor-oil-based products that do work temporarily: The moles move to another side of the yard for a couple of days, then they are back in full force. The local garden center said the little demons are after grubs, so we put down an appropriate grub remover, but the moles are still building highways. Do you have any suggestions on how we can send the moles back to the golf course, or, send them on to the big mole tunnel in the sky?

A: Grubs, earthworms and other soil creatures are the fuel for these subterranean digging machines. Elimination of grubs sometimes helps to curtail mole numbers, and grub control is often recommended when moles are a problem. The last three dry summers have reduced grub numbers drastically, unless, of course, you watered your lawn regularly through recent droughts. But grub control is not always the answer--moles can feed on almost any insect or worm they find.

The best way to control moles is with a harpoon trap. The trap is placed over an active, fresh tunnel, and the mole is stabbed as it passes underneath the trap: Sounds cruel, but live trapping is even more cruel because moles soon starve to death.

Poison baits and chewing gum won't work because moles only eat living soil fauna. Repellents at best only drive the moles temporarily to another location.

You can, of course, choose to tolerate the moles. They won't eat plants in your garden, they are helpful in controlling grubs, and they do benefit the soil by introducing air, mixing in organic matter and relieving soil compaction.

Q: I have a linden viburnum that bloomed gorgeously this spring. However, it sets almost no fruit. I would have expected it to be covered with clusters of red berries, as it was when I bought it originally.

I thought viburnums were self-pollinating. Which other variety would you recommend to ensure berries?

A: Although linden viburnum, Viburnum dilatatum, is frequently planted for its stunning coral-red fruit, which ripens in August and remains on the shrub until midwinter, it is hesitant to fruit heavily unless another linden viburnum is nearby. Plant a second linden viburnum. Fruit production will be best if you are able to plant a different variety.

Iroquois, Catskill and Erie are three linden viburnums that are easy to find in nurseries. The latter two are smaller than the first, if you are short on space in your garden.

Q: I have these orange objects growing five to six inches long. They resemble crab legs, and their odor attracts flies. When I dug them up, I discovered round white balls under them. Can you tell me what these things are, and how I can get rid of them?

A: They are probably stinkhorns. Stinkhorns are inedible mushrooms that emit a putrid slime embedded with spores from the tip of the red fruiting body. The slime has a strong, foul odor that attracts flies. The flies aid in dispersing the spores of the fungus, found in areas of dense leaf litter or rotting wood.

You can collect the offending fungi and dispose of them or tolerate them for the few days that they are present. They will make a periodic reappearance in wet weather as long as wood or leaf litter is available in or near the soil. Thorough watering can sometimes eliminate mushrooms by favoring bacteria that compete for the food resource with decay fungi, which generally like drier conditions.

Scott Aker is a horticulturist at the U.S. National Arboretum.

Have a question about gardening? Write Digging In, Home Section, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or e-mail home@washpost.com.

TIP OF THE WEEK

CUT BACK PETUNIAS and other potted annuals that have grown leggy, leaving about four inches of stem, said Kerrie Nichols, of Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. The plants will grow back bushy and more floriferous for a late summer show. Feed with a balanced liquid nutrient, making sure the container is watered first to avoid fertilizer burn.

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