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Old 23-04-2010, 03:59 AM posted to rec.gardens
brooklyn1 brooklyn1 is offline
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Default What Animal Will Eat The Tops Off Onion Plants?

On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:30:45 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

EVP MAN wrote:
My neighbor planted some spring onion sets in his garden last week and
told me that something chewed the tops off of two rows. We live in town
and have rabbits, squirrels and every once in awhile a possum passes
through. I'm about to plant my own onion sets this coming week and this
has me a bit concerned. Does anyone know of any animal that will bother
onions???

Rich



Mine don't have tops yet; I just planted them a couple of days ago,
very shallowly with the tips of the bulbs sticking out of the
ground. Something dug most of them up and scattered them about last
night. (I bet it was a squirrel.)


Here in NY we plant bulbs in the fall, they begin to grow in spring as
soon as the ground thaws. Until they become established newly planted
bulbs should be covered with some sort of wire screen that can be
removed once more mature growth is achieved. My neighbor covers his
onions and garlic with a blanket of straw held down with a kind of
plastic screening. In spring once the bulbs show significant growth
then the screen and straw are removed. I've learned to do the same
with flowering bulbs, I place straw and chicken wire over my newly
planted daffodils. Even though critters won't eat daffodils some will
pull them up just to be sure. Once daffodils develop their roots then
they won't be pulled up to be checked, so it's only when first planted
that they need the protection. Daffodils and onion are in the same
family, alium.