Bulb Thieves

Hi all,

I've planted some bulbs before winter, and guessed what. The thieves took them all! Wanna know who? Our neighboring SQUIRELLS!!! What can I do to stop them dine on my bulbs?

Linda

Have you tried making little chicken wire baskets or bowls yet? I have not tried those but I heard that they do work.

on gardening by the yard, HGTV, Paul James said to sprinkle a good amount of cayenne pepper on each bulb, before covering with potting soil.

Also, gardeners' supply has had a bulb fertilizer mixed with crushed shell pieces (to deter the monsters). Applying 1 tbsp before planting bulb, then 1 tbsp on top and bulb, then cover with soil. I didn't have a problem. I ran out and haven't bought any more. I have a lot of pecan and oak trees so I have a lot of squirrels. However, (knocking on computer plastic) their digging has not been a problem. Could be because I have a squirrel chasing dog--great deterrent.

I'm anoyed by the pesky kritters, cute my foot! lol

I have had the exact same problem creadman, both in my pots and in the ground.
I spent an entire weekend this past fall planting bulbs in the ground and in pots
and I'm talking a couple hundred bulbs. (not sure how many I have left now) Most
of the ones in my pots have been destroyed by those not so cute creatures. I did
take some chicken wire (this was the plastic coated green stuff) and made like a
top for most of my pots that have bulbs still left in them. I bent the ends of the
circles and slid them down into the pots and they can't get to them. As for the
ones in the ground, I haven't come up with anything for those. I'm so tired of
out witting them.

Good luck,
Angela

We had this discussion on another thread just a few days ago. Think I can remember where?!? Maybe Lilies. Someone mentioned wrapping bulbs in "hardware cloth". Does anyone know what that is?

My experience has been the pepper stuff only works so long.

My squirrels know how to remove the lid to the galvenized trash can I use for bird seed. I would think they would also learn how to remove the chicken wire from pots. Crafty little devils!

Hardware cloth is another name for fine masked chickenwire (usually stiffer, too).

Ok I am quoting myself here....can't remember where I put it before so I dug it up....this worked well for me the last 2 years...
Hopefully this will be helpful....(probably more than a bit longwinded)
The cages were cut from 1/4" hardware cloth either a row of connected squares and folded into a box, or one long strip wired to itself at theshort end to make a tube... (all were 12" deep) I used craft wire doubled to 'sew' the edges together at each seam. (I dug a hole about 12" deep and wide enough to hold the cage. Then the cage was placed in the botton of the hole...the edges were filled in outside the wire mesh with the dirt removed from the hole to fill any gaps...inside the box the bulbs were placed at the depth desired on top of soil or in some cases 2" of vole bloc if there was no 'bottom' to the cage. They were covered to the usual depth and then 'mulched' with 2" of volebloc. The edges of the cage stuck up out of the ground a bit...I figure once the lilies are up and doing their thing I will mulch this too so it will disappear.I have been holding my breath and so far most have started sprouting....still waiting on some of the others.
See if this picture helps...
Good luck!

Sorry, my bad.

Squirrels are my number one enemy! Cute my butt! I have massive infestations of them all over my yard. Every neighbor around me has huge old southern oaks, with squirrel nests galore. They dig up my yard, take all of my peaches, plums, and nectarines (yes, they carry them whole) The also strip every leaf off of my banana trees to make nests out of. Last year, they took all of the stuffing out of my lawn chair cushions.

Did I say cute my butt yet??

MerryMary

bloodmeal has always worked for me in repelling squirrels. Just sprinkle a thin line of it around the area where you planted (they do not cross the line). There are a couple of problems with this method (1) rain will wash it away (2) it smells bad after a warm day. This method worked for me back in oct-nov to protect tulips.

Tell us what you really think, Merry Mary (LOL).

I made the hardward cloth cages for my lily bulbs, but I worry that the openings are too small for lily stems to grow through... oh, well.

Also sprinkled around 'Deer Scram' once (which supposedly works for little critters, too) and have seen nary a squirrel or chipmunk all winter (as compared to last year when there were hundreds, it seemed.) And only a few deer--as compared to a regular parade through here last year.

So, no varmint trouble yet this winter. But,I'm holding my breath 'til June.

Oh, and I don't plant tulips because they are just too tempting.

Good luck everybody! t.

tabasco....I found a couple of stems trying to wander out the side of the cage, unsuccessfully, so I don't think a complete box is possible. I did some with an open top box and some with a tube and relied on the sharp gravel to keep the varmints away....so far so good. I haven't had to worry about deer or rabbits....

beaker.....I kid you NOT, they have tried to drag my papayas off, and these are the solo papayas, that are the size of a football! They don't even fear you ( I have both cats and dogs) and they will stand there screaming at you and challenge you! If you want to know what dealing with my squirrels is like, rent ChristmasVacation with Chevy Chase, and watch the squirrel in the Christmas tree part , over and over and over.....

I've used moth balls, dog fur in bags, every single "squirrel remedy" someone has come up with......uhg, nothing works!

My caladium bulbs I put in large pots last year, trying to protect them a bit, and guess who thinks they are put there so they don't have to walk as far?

One year we had a lot of red squirrels up at our place up north and they can be very destructive. They will eat right through the roof of your house. Anyway, we finally started trapping them, one by one, and driving them about five miles away and dropping them off. It took us all summer, but I haven't seen a red squirrel around in many years.

Sorry, I'm laughing, but I have my own squirrel wars every year. I keep telling myself I'm smarter than they are, but they are about the plumpest critters in the neighborhood. Luckily for me, they also have all my neighbor's gardens to get into.

feed the cute little critters and they leave your bulbs alone, they love peanuts, also they usually don't like daffodils. My squirrels plant other peoples bulbs and plants in my garden, so far I have squirrel hycianths
squirrel yucca and grape hycianths. their nest is in one of my trees, so they bury their stash here. Also get outta rockford, too cold there, I was born there and ran as soon as I could

I agree with Veeja3....if they are not hungry they have no reason to dig up your bulbs.
I never have a problem with them....love them actually :-)

I've asked my garden nursery about this nasty critter's habits, and they said to use crushed clam shells and put them around the bulb. They said it's sharp for their little paws and they won't bother with them. Something I will try and do next time I plant, no point to figure out which one they took.

Yes, MerryMary, you've said "Did I say cute my butt yet??" LOL

Linda

So, where do you get crushed clam shells and do you plant it with the bulbs or on top?

I'm such a calm happy person, but watching them run back and forth across the top of my privacy fence, with another peice of fruit in their mouths really wants me to get a bad of potatoes and a spud gun and thump those little boogers into the neighbors yard.
The "feeding" them theory hasn't worked, it only made them happy to call in their relatives and breed like crazy. It only left peanut plants sprouting all over in my yard.
I think you can get clam shells at the farm supply companies, I know they use Oyster shell to feed to chickens, so the calcium will make the shells on their eggs hard...maybe give that a try.
Has anyone had any luck with "squirrel proof" plants or bulbs? I know they have some that deer don't like, but here in my subdivision yard, deer aren't a problem.

Yes, I was very surpised to find out peanut plants would grow in Minnesota.

My garden shop sells the clam shells, but you might want to visit your seafood restaurants and see if they'll give them to you for free. Tell them it's for your garden, I'm sure they'll be willing to provide you a bucket full. For those lucky individuals, may get them from their oceans. LOL

Peanut shells are good for your composed, since it retains moisture. Mix it with your soil.

How do you grow a peanut tree? Use raw peanuts and plant them?

Linda

Peanuts are legumes, they grow underground, like potatoes....so yes, just stick a fresh peanut (uncooked, unboiled, unroasted) an inch under the soil, and it will sprout up.....the roots run along and make more peanuts...
The squirrels here just drop them in the grass and then tend to sprout "as is". I yank them up all day long....

I use Irish spring soap in my back yard during the summer - just cut little shavings with a knife and they stay away from my plants. I just replanted a bunch of bulbs back there this year, a little worried they would dig them all up, but they haven't touched them.

In my front yard they ate everything- lilies, crocus, etc. This year has been especially bad because the ground never froze, so I have holes all over the place!

Try Irish Spring soap shavings. It's cheap and it can't hurt..

Try a cat or small dog bred for vermin hunting (terrier). Squirrles almost always escape but are scared out of the yard. Bell the cat (two bells). Dont overfeed - follow directions on chow package. Not every cat or dog has good hunting skills however. You may have to audition.

I'm trying for the Irish Spring tip....I have 2 cats and 2 dogs...the squirrels are hostile and the pets no longer attempt to chase them. They will sit on the tree 3 feet away from you and scream at you to leave. I'm always afraid they'll go for a jugular assault so I back off and then hose them up the tree again.

Soap sounds safer.....

:D

MerryMary - I want to know how that works!

Barksy - What do you mean, "don't overfeed"? Are you purposing the savage rending of flesh? Let's hope the soap works.

No savage rendering occurs. They usually cant catch the squirrel. I've seen only one squirrel and one gopher go down in 40 or so years. The reason not to over feed is that a fat dog/cat in my experience loses interest in anything but sleep. Also, if you leave a bowl of chow out constantly you may get other creatures coming to eat ie racoons etc that may make even more critter problems in your garden!

Does the soap really work??? The squirrels are so use to digging in my pots for
bulbs that I have planted that now they are beginning to dig in the pots were I
have planted my seeds. The pots are too heavy for me to move and my hands
are just so tired from making all the chicken wire covers that I have already
made.

Arggghhhh so frustrated

Angela

Ivy1 says it does. I'm waiting for MM to give it a try.

I'm going to try it, trust me! I'm so ready to give anything a try. If I only end up with cleaner antibacterialed squirrels, I'm going to be really frustrated.

LOL I agree MerryMary

I was just wondering if you could just throw entire bars of soap in the garden and then I remembered about when some friends moved up north to live on a lake and had problems with critters (maybe rabbits?) in their garden. Someone told them to throw an old shoe in there and it would keep them out. Being that they just moved into a place that was one quarter of what they use to have, they didn't have any old shoes, so they asked a few neighbors if they had any. Being a small town, word spread and I remember driving by their place one day and seeing nothing but shoes in their front garden; no plants, just shoes. Must have been hundreds of them. Next time I saw them I asked how their shoe garden was and they said that people were still driving by day and night to throw away their old shoes.

lol

Ewwwww, I think I'll stick with Irish Spring instead of Irish insoles....

I love animals as much as, prolly more than, the next person. I am one that thinks squirrels are cute! However, they have never destroyed my garden...chipmunks did once devour an entire bed of lilies, but I forgave them.

If you [bold] really [/bold] want to get rid of them, there is a product out there called "D-con". The only thing is it doesn't discriminate between squirrels and say, kitty cats, so use it cautiously. But it WILL put an end to all squirrel, rodent and varmint problems.

Now, all those who think I'm a horrible person for suggesting such a thing, please forgive me! I would never go to such an extreme, unless the squirrels where keeping me out of my own backyard...as in MMs case...or eating my roof.

I don't know about squirrels, but I know feeding chipmunks doesn't work. They only store extra food that they find. So feeding them does only encourage them to come back and bring friends and have babies. If given too much food, they'll actually store and hide it and forget where they've put it...so it's all a waste in the end anyway.

Reminds me of that commercial with the squirrel and the Post-It Notes. I always got a kick from that one.

Extreme measures could include live trapping and, if you have kids, a good summertime project.

Please understand I'm telling everyone to go kill the squirrel in their yard because they ate something out of their garden! But if they were getting that aggressive in my neighborhood I would consider it, if animal control (or whoever) wouldn't step in. I would trap them if I could. But the ones in MM's case sound like they'd chew thru the cage and gnaw your arm off!!! (then drag it off and forget where they hid it)


ps...sorry about my bold not working, I always forget how to do that, lol

I can see it now on a marqee "Attack of the Killer Squirrels".

You'll probably see that Marquee in my front yard soon!