squirrels and bulbs - What to Do?

Did any of you see the movie they do eat squirrles ? Ernie

Hello again Peter:

I finally got out to take a pic of the famous chicken wire. I hope that it helps. Think spring. Thanks for the reference for another bulb source. I can't refuse another bulb. I'll be digging in the snow too, but if I wait too long, I'll have to use a crowbar up here in chilly land. 18 degrees today!
BRRRRR.

I built a tulip bed for my mother a few years ago. I dug it down to about 12" and lined the entire bed and sides with 1/4 inch hardware cloth, wired it together at the corners even, filled with good soil, bone meal and planted tulips. Covered with chicken wire like above. The bed was 4' x 10'.

Unfortunately she chose tulips with a short life, so she only had one good year and then she moved to FL.

Darius:
You are just too good! That hardware cloth would certainly deter the moles, chipmunks, etc. I think that I'll use that idea for my new beds that I'll make this year. Thanks for sharing that tip.

I didn't know that there are short-lived tulips. I am just starting out with bulbs (my second growing year). Some are cheapies and some are from Parks. I am hoping that most of the 400 + that I put in the ground show me some color. I also have a dozen or so pots that I am forcing now.
Mary

Mary, I seldom plant tulips because they never last more than a couple of years. Somewhere I know I saw someone post what tulips last a long time but I don't remember which they were. I think they were not hybrids but not sure.

I do plant lots of other bulbs, lilies fast becoming favorites. The chipmunks and squirrels never bothered my grape muscari and my first 25 bulbs multiplied enough in 3 years to edge one side of a 25' bed!

My mother has recommended mixing a little cayenne pepper into the soil around my tulips to deter those pesky squirrels. Anyone know anything about this?

I would think if there's any benefit it would be short-lived and would need to be repeated because it would wash away with rain, snow, watering.

I spent quite a bit of money on bulbs this fall and while I'm not inundated with the squirrels, I decided the best course of action is to feed them. That way they don't go for the bulbs. So far it's worked. Mine really like those suet blocks you can get that you put in a wire cage. I've not bought the dried corn, but am planning to. They also like the sunflower seed bird mixture.

Rather than stress over them I decided to invite them to the buffet so to speak.

Brenda, I buy (or did buy) cracked corn in 50 pound bags from the feed stores.

Living in suburbia I often don't think of the feed store. I'm on the edge of the farming community and it's but a short drive to my sister's or brother's place where there are plenty of farmers. We do have a Tractor & Farm supply store here in town, but not sure if they carry feed. I'll check them out soon though.

I don't have a squirrel problem,
but I do have a gopher problem.

I've bought onions. I have Daffodils,
& lots of different alliums. I'm planning
on planting some of everything around
that area & I'm moving another Social
Garlic there also.

I think it was the cat that killed 1
awhile ago, but some of my favorite
plants have dissapeared since then.

I have metal rods in 2 that are still there,
so I think that worked. I plan on putting
rods in all the new plants I get. Need to
buy them in bulk, I guess. Any ideas
where I can.

In other words I'm going to try most of
what I've read here; except what might
wash away, or hurt the cat.

If push comes to shove, I may hang
garlic & crosses in a ring around that
garden area. LOL.

Pdkrones, could you please share the details of using medicated baby powder as a mole/vole deterrent? I'm at wit's end!

We also had to shoot as many as my husband could. Some people do eat them. My husband cleaned them and gave them to somone. It is legal in Ga. to do this, but they are breeding now. We are leaving them be. They were destroying potted plants and screens. We built a big walk in garden that is all enclosed to keep the critters out. Our Vet said yes they are cute but destroy things and called them ( Tree Rats )! They carry fleas too.

Hi alteredstate - I imagine that the rodents in your garden could confer your state of consciousness! But I would hope that it derives more from beautiful growing things........

Unfortunately, I am not the one who claims the baby powder remedy. I imagine that it is the scent that repels them; so it would take re-applications after rain or wind. Can't recall who enterred that suggestion.

You know, this has been an amazing, long-lived thread. i just went back and read a lot of it. I bet there are 15 or more remedites! I am just convincing myself, over and over, that the world is full of beautiful things, so why not make believe that daffodils, alliums, hyacinths, fritillaria and a couple of others are the only bulbs?

I sure had fun transplanting a multiplied bed of sprouted daffys today. Just leave them alone, and you have 100's!.

Peter

This message was edited Jan 16, 2005 7:43 PM

Sorrry! My query was meant for mbutcher!

I've soaked my bulbs in Ro-Pel, sprayed the garden area with Mole-Stop, and today I sprinkled Mole Something -or-other (another castor-oil based deterrent; but the name escapes me right now) on my flower beds. But tonight they will probably strike again - riddling my poor garden with holes and tunnels.

I don't want to kill the moles, voles or squirrels. We put up 4 squirrel feeders and we fill them with only the finest squirrel grub. And we live in the woods --- it's not like they don't have a variety of acorns and cool woodland stuff to eat.

I'm ready to try medicated baby powder. It sounds better than my next choice, predator urine.

Hello everyone:
I have not been at the DG site for over a week and just saw this thread. We have had to reinstall our computer software because we had alot of trouble with a software vender (McAfee) whose antivirus software nearly lost us our system! Instead of clearing out an old password from a trial version, they had me deleting all kinds of files. After they discovered that didn't help, then they cleared out the password. By then we got another software from Staples (Panda) and we are happy. It is easy to understand and use. Well, we are back on track after reloading and updating our security over our slooooow dial-up pigernet.

Ok, I'm the culprit that suggested the medicated powder, Alteredstate. I really believe it works. I also have several daffodils and fritterlaria planted near the crocus and tulips. So far, so good, but I also put on chicken wire over the tulips. The trick is to get a large enough wire to let the greens come through. I got this suggestion from a Jerry Baker book. I am more worried about the racoons when the ground thaws here in WI than I am about the squirrellies. I only have about a dozen after relocating about 50 to public lands.
I feed them every day a good diet of sunflower seeds, and they watch for me by the window to see if I am near the "no-no" feeder. LoL.
Good luck with the voles/moles. My mother had so much trouble this past year, I bought her a gadget that vibrates in the soil, and supposedly chases the moles/voles away. Well, we'll see if this fancy Jerry Baker recommended thing works this summer for her. You could see long humps all over her yard. She tried a lot of potions that did not work. They just moved over and made more burrows!

Mary

Alteredstate:
Did you see Darius' post ~ November 2004 regarding hardware cloth to line the beds? Her work was an act of luv! That is one option for the moles/gophers/chipmunks. I know there is more in the Jerry Baker book about this issue. I am will look it up and post when I find it later tonight. I'm babysitting for my daughter today in Madison. He's 7 months today. Time flys.....I can remember when my four kids were babies....eek.

Thank you! The hardware cloth is a great idea for new beds, and I'm going to try it when we dig up my new mixed bed area. But I'm worried about my existing beds. I've planted lots of daffodils and other mole/vole/squirrel deterring bulbs, but I still find holes in my gardens every morning. Sometimes they dig up the bulbs I've sprayed with Ro-Pel, and leave them strewn about. I've planted big pots of tulips, ringed with daffodils, and I put chicken wire across the top. Hope it works! Of course at some point, I'll have to remove the chicken wire.




This message was edited Jan 19, 2005 7:47 AM

Not!, They should grow right through the chicken wire if it's buried with the tulips and daffs.

Sugarweed is right. I read this entire forum and back in November 10 '04 bachdew wrote that the squirrels their way were pretty aggressive and would dig through the chicken wire. But it seems to be working against the critters my my. I don't see any holes dug by the wire. It is worth a try. There is also an earlier thread in this forum that an individual used lizard dung to thwart pests. That is a novel idea! Lol

Mary

The first ones I planted, I used the chicken wire, too. But since then, I just always planted the tulips with daffodils. I'd never spend so much money on tulips if I couldn't find ones that come back each year. You can bet on the Darwin's and the species tulips to return.
Daydream tulip actually multiplies. It starts our yellow and turns orange. I bought some from bleek and can't wait to see how they do.
Single Late, Triumph, Parrot, Rembrandt and lily-flowered tulips generally don't return. It's a shame, I'd love to have all of those.

wood, I bet your yard is going to knock our socks off when those come in. I planted a few star gazers and a very stubborn Amarillis on the SW side of the house. I do hope they show for me at least once.

Thanks for the tip on the Darwin's woospiriit.

P.

I put a handfull of crushed oyster shell mixed in with the cover soil on all of my bulbs. The squirrels seem to not like the sharp edges of the oyster shell and stop digging (mostly) once it's encountered by them...I do lose a few though.

Hello All:
I found some of my notes on what I did before planting my bulbs both outside and the ones that I forced inside.

To ward off both root aphids, fungus, and prevent the moles/voles/chipmunks from chewing and digging up the bulbs , I used a mixture of Bon Ami and medicated foot powder. Any four footed creature that gets a taste of this won't be bothering many more bulbs in the area. The indoor bulbs are doing fine. I tried this last year on the tulips outdoors and this worked, so I am hoping that this continues this next spring.

This spring I'll use a potion that contains tobasco sauce to chase the critters away from the tender tips.
What a lot of work, but it is worth it if we enjoy gardening.

On my way home tonight I'm stopping at the store to pick up medicated foot powder and Bon Ami! Thank you!

Hi Alteredstate:

If you don't find any, let me know. I'll pick up a can and ship you some.

M

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Bon Ami for a while - but I might have missed it. Thanks for the offer!

mbutcher,

Does it have to be Bon Ami or could I use comet?

Hi KE6KAD:
The "recipie" that I followed is a combination of recommendations from a Jerry Baker book. He did state Bon Ami in a section on voles. I looked up the web site for Bon Ami, and they did not list the active ingredient. They did state that it contains no bleach, deoderant, perfume, or dye. Actually, there was a generic product called Bar Keeper's Friend that lists the main ingredient as oxalic acid, and no phosphates. If you can wait until next week Monday, I'll have the opportunity to access a different database to see the MSDS information (Materials Safety Data Sheets) to see what these products contain. I might be cautious about using Comet because of the bleach. I think these other products may not be poisonous or harmful to the critters; it's just the taste that deters them.
For the medicated powder that I used for the root aphids was just a generic product that contained an antifungul agent, something that I had on hand. I'll have to look that up too.
Here is an additional potion that I used to soak the bulbs in for a couple of hours before I planted them.
2 tsp. baby shampoo
1 tsp antiseptic mouthwash
1/4 tsp. of instant tea granules
2 gal. of hot water (120 F)
Mix in a bucket or a sink. Soak for 2-3 hours.
Leave papery skins on, which are a defense against pests.
Air dry the bulbs for severy days before storing or planting- otherwise we are looking at rot.

Anyone interested the book that I really subscribe to is "Bug Off" by Jerry Baker. It is worth its weight in gold. It really saved alot of plants for me.
One tip that I did not see in the book though is that if you are spraying indoor plants with these potions, be sure to rinse it off after a day or so. Some plants react to the concoctions as if they were a barrier to the air. So they can't breathe. I lost a Norfolk Island Pine by spraying it with Palm Oil and not rinsing it off soon enough. I also had the bright idea to carry Cannas over the winter to finish out my blooming season. I used garlic and ammonia spray on them and did not wash it off soon enough, thus losing some leaves.

Mary



P.S. I did find MSDS info by entering MSDS in google. Bon Ami is potassium aluminum silicate (feldspar), which I believe is basic rock material ground up.
The infor on Bar Keepers Friend stated that it is harmful by being corrosive and toxic to humans and that would include the pests too. I know that Comet is in the corrosive category as well. Look for the true generic of Bon Ami. I hope this helps.

Mary

This message was edited Jan 27, 2005 11:56 PM

Sugarweed:
I miss being in Florida at this time of year. Lucky you, being able to grow amaryllis outside! Better cover them up. I see it is cold down your way.

Mary

Thanks for the info. I'll make note of it for next year.

Would it do any good, do you think, to just work some
into the soil around any new plants I plant, or even the
old ones?

You know, that is something that I might try. If if works, great. Maybe the scent of the chemical will be enough of a deterrent. Good luck and let me know how things go.
Mary

Will do.