Help solve our garden mystery and win.....
.....our everlasting thanks.
(Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? Thanks. |
|
How about setting things up as best you can to get some footprints? Remove
the mulch from an area, flatten the soil with a board, and gently mist it. Compare the results (if any) with the tracks on a site like this: http://www.bear-tracker.com/ If it's a normal animal, maybe a Havahart trap is in order. If it's an abnormal creature, like someone's useless, stinking obnoxious little dog, then you know what to do, I assume. BAM! :-) |
Priscilla H. Ballou wrote:
In article . com, wrote: Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Skunks will come out at night and root for grubs. See/smelled any evidence of skunk? Priscilla So will Racoons. -- Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 5 |
|
My guess would be squirrels looking for nuts. We've seen both in
our yard, especially in spring when the plants are new and the nuts are few. Squirrels bury nuts all over then root them out when they're hungry. Cats trying to get moles will do this, too. I'd think a possum or raccoon would dig a larger/deeper spot. What to do? I don't know. I'd think you could make a million if you can figure it out. Raleighgirl |
I would tend to stay away from bloodmeal & bonemeal also. I think cottonseed
meal or something from plant sources will lesson the "wildlife" encounters. I know birdwatchers like to use moth balls to mast their sent when visiting nest trees. The animals we're talking about are curious by nature, especially of unusual scents. One fall about 20 years ago, I planted about 500 tulips in a client's garden. I was judicious with the bonemeal, careful that each bulb had its allotment in its perfect position. The next day I came by to do a little tidying up. To my amazement, every bulb had been dug up and lying close to its hole. A day's labor for naught. Further investigation revealed footprints matching the neighbor's Labrador retriever! -- Baine |
|
In triangle.gardens wrote:
Several people mentioned skunks, but skunks don't seem to be very common in NC. This reminds me of something I've wondered about for a while now. I live in the western part of Raleigh, not far from Crossroads. Older, wooded neighborhood with yards 0.5ac. In my front yard, I often smell something that smells very much like a skunk--this is to the south of a front deck, among some thick bushes. The smell is LIKE the smell of a frightened or road-squashed skunk, but not as pungent or offensive. But it's very similar. What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Anybody? I haven't seen any actual signs of inhabitation, just that smell most of the time I go in the bushes. TIA. _______________________________________________ Ken Kuzenski AC4RD ken . kuzenski at duke .edu _______________________________________________ All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001 |
On 2005-07-06, wrote:
....our everlasting thanks. (Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case Are you sure it is happening at night? You did not enter enough information. You leave in the dark and when you return the plants are uprooted. Did you check the plants when you left and are sure they are still in the ground? You say they are uprooted when you return but do you return before light or after? If you left and returned in the dark then something did uproot them at night. If you left in the dark, but did not check on the plants and returned when it was light then you don't know if the uprooting happened in the light or dark. If you left and returned in the dark then it is a possum, raccoon, or some other night creature. If you left in the dark but did not check and returned in the light then it is squirrels or a neighbors dog. Or one of your friends playing a practical joke. of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? No ground pepper cannot hurt plants, but red pepper would be better. Let us know if you do find out. Thanks. -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. is a garbage address. |
wrote:
In triangle.gardens wrote: Several people mentioned skunks, but skunks don't seem to be very common in NC. This reminds me of something I've wondered about for a while now. I live in the western part of Raleigh, not far from Crossroads. Older, wooded neighborhood with yards 0.5ac. In my front yard, I often smell something that smells very much like a skunk--this is to the south of a front deck, among some thick bushes. The smell is LIKE the smell of a frightened or road-squashed skunk, but not as pungent or offensive. But it's very similar. What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Anybody? I haven't seen any actual signs of inhabitation, just that smell most of the time I go in the bushes. TIA. Any young male domestic cats around? Craig |
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ... How about setting things up as best you can to get some footprints? Remove the mulch from an area, flatten the soil with a board, and gently mist it. Compare the results (if any) with the tracks on a site like this: http://www.bear-tracker.com/ If it's a normal animal, maybe a Havahart trap is in order. If it's an abnormal creature, like someone's useless, stinking obnoxious little dog, then you know what to do, I assume. BAM! :-) Or a neighbors stinking obnoxious little chickens. |
Squirrels don't dig at night.
I came out one morning early to find a raccoon digging in my garden. Just holes. Lucky me. He was not digging up my plants. I would have done more than chase him away. The local skunk has been caught in my squirrel trap at least four times and he doesn't dig up my plants either. He just likes peanut butter! I vote raccoons. -- Dana www3.sympatico.ca/lostmermaid wrote in message . .. On 2005-07-06, wrote: ....our everlasting thanks. (Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case Are you sure it is happening at night? You did not enter enough information. You leave in the dark and when you return the plants are uprooted. Did you check the plants when you left and are sure they are still in the ground? You say they are uprooted when you return but do you return before light or after? If you left and returned in the dark then something did uproot them at night. If you left in the dark, but did not check on the plants and returned when it was light then you don't know if the uprooting happened in the light or dark. If you left and returned in the dark then it is a possum, raccoon, or some other night creature. If you left in the dark but did not check and returned in the light then it is squirrels or a neighbors dog. Or one of your friends playing a practical joke. of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? No ground pepper cannot hurt plants, but red pepper would be better. Let us know if you do find out. Thanks. -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. is a garbage address. |
Craig Watts wrote:
What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Any young male domestic cats around? There are a couple of neighbors with outside cats down the road a bit. I've never had a male cat--is the urine really pungent enough to confuse with mild skunk smell? _______________________________________________ Ken Kuzenski AC4RD ken . kuzenski at duke .edu _______________________________________________ All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001 |
"Classon" wrote in message ... "Doug Kanter" wrote in message ... How about setting things up as best you can to get some footprints? Remove the mulch from an area, flatten the soil with a board, and gently mist it. Compare the results (if any) with the tracks on a site like this: http://www.bear-tracker.com/ If it's a normal animal, maybe a Havahart trap is in order. If it's an abnormal creature, like someone's useless, stinking obnoxious little dog, then you know what to do, I assume. BAM! :-) Or a neighbors stinking obnoxious little chickens. Do they die quietly? :-) |
On 2005-07-08, Dana Schultz wrote:
Squirrels don't dig at night. I still don't for sure know if it is happening at night. The poster said that but the scenario given did not confirm it. I came out one morning early to find a raccoon digging in my garden. Just holes. Lucky me. He was not digging up my plants. I would have done more than chase him away. The local skunk has been caught in my squirrel trap at least four times and he doesn't dig up my plants either. He just likes peanut butter! I vote raccoons. -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. is a garbage address. |
|
On 2005-07-08, zxcvbob wrote:
wrote: ....our everlasting thanks. (Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? Thanks. I think it's squirrels, and it's not really at night but very early in the morning. Bob They have dug in our potted plants. Hot pepper sprinkled around would make them go away, that is what is put in some bird seed. Permatill works but not 100%. I have used chicken wire but it is a pita to cut a hole for each plant. Then you cover it with just enough soil that it can't be seen. They get the hint and go find something easier to dig in. If it was a bigger animal you would see some footprints. I have seen crows pull up newly sprouted corn because they wanted the rest of the kernel and left the green plant. This means you have planted to shallow. planting deeper or pulling dirt around the plants generally helps. Crows are smart and if they pull up a few and the kernel does not come with it they go find an easier meal. -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. is a garbage address. |
On Fri, 8 Jul 2005 10:46:06 +0000 (UTC), wrote:
Craig Watts wrote: What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Any young male domestic cats around? There are a couple of neighbors with outside cats down the road a bit. I've never had a male cat--is the urine really pungent enough to confuse with mild skunk smell? I've smelled skunk quite a number of times in the woods where I live (and it is unmistakably different from the smell of male cat spray), but I have never seen one. I keep hoping my dog never locates him. Kira |
On 2005-07-08, Kira Dirlik !! wrote:
On Fri, 8 Jul 2005 10:46:06 +0000 (UTC), wrote: Craig Watts wrote: What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Any young male domestic cats around? There are a couple of neighbors with outside cats down the road a bit. I've never had a male cat--is the urine really pungent enough to confuse with mild skunk smell? I've smelled skunk quite a number of times in the woods where I live (and it is unmistakably different from the smell of male cat spray), but I have never seen one. I keep hoping my dog never locates him. Kira Skunk definitely does not smell like anything but skunk. I understand washing a dog in tomato juice knocks the smell (mostly) out. There were quite a few in Texas when I was at Ft. Hood. Every morning on the way to work I would get at least one whiff. One morning I was stopped at a light and the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. I almost thought the critter was in the back seat. Fortunately when the light changed and I drove off the fresh air told me it had been outside the car. I never saw one dead or alive near the intersection so I don't know where it was coming from. -- Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please. is a garbage address. |
|
I've caught raccoons in my yard at 2 and 3 am, digging through the compost
pile in my backyard... sounds like the same thing you are seeing. Just get a young puppy that needs to be walked in the middle of the night and you'll catch the culprits in no time! ;) wrote in message oups.com... wrote: Are you sure it is happening at night? You did not enter enough information. You leave in the dark and when you return the plants are uprooted. Did you check the plants when you left and are sure they are still in the ground? You say they are uprooted when you return but do you return before light or after? If you left and returned in the dark then something did uproot them at night. If you left in the dark, but did not check on the plants and returned when it was light then you don't know if the uprooting happened in the light or dark. Yes -- I'm sure it's happening at night. A few mornings as I left as it was just starting to get light, I checked and found the ground torn up and the plants uprooted. (While I usually dress fairly casually, day before yesterday, I was dressed for a meeting with some bigwigs and found myself kneeling on a piece of a cardboard box in a futile attempt to keep my knees clean while I replanted some things.) No ground pepper cannot hurt plants, but red pepper would be better. I'll give that a shot -- or a sprinkle -- next. Let us know if you do find out. Will do. Stayed up "past my bedtime" couple of nights ago but didn't spot anything. |
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in
: I would tend to stay away from bloodmeal & bonemeal also. I think cottonseed meal or something from plant sources will lesson the "wildlife" encounters. I know birdwatchers like to use moth balls to mast their sent when visiting nest trees. The animals we're talking about are curious by nature, especially of unusual scents. Respectfully, I don't know why you would say that. Bloodmeal is a very effective deterrent against all rodents, as well as deer, racoons, and opossum. They abhor the odor and shy away from any area where it is laid. -- David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) email: http://beyondgardening.com/Albums |
David
That's the difference between you and I. I speak from experience, you're showing your ignorance, especially when you included rodents in your claim. I recently visited the northeast VA/ DC area to quote a project. I usually visit the local garden shops. Several do carry bloodmeal, some with other ingredients. Seems like it hasn't done much for the rats in that area. -- Baine "David Bockman" wrote in message 9.11... "Baine Carruthers" wrote in : I would tend to stay away from bloodmeal & bonemeal also. I think cottonseed meal or something from plant sources will lesson the "wildlife" encounters. I know birdwatchers like to use moth balls to mast their sent when visiting nest trees. The animals we're talking about are curious by nature, especially of unusual scents. Respectfully, I don't know why you would say that. Bloodmeal is a very effective deterrent against all rodents, as well as deer, racoons, and opossum. They abhor the odor and shy away from any area where it is laid. -- David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) email: http://beyondgardening.com/Albums |
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in
: David That's the difference between you and I. I speak from experience, you're showing your ignorance, especially when you included rodents in your claim. I recently visited the northeast VA/ DC area to quote a project. I usually visit the local garden shops. Several do carry bloodmeal, some with other ingredients. Seems like it hasn't done much for the rats in that area. What a pleasant thing to say. Good day to you. -- David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) email: http://beyondgardening.com/Albums |
It can be that an animal crawled back there and died. When I worked in landscaping way back when I was in school, it wasn't unusual to start removing bushes or brush in a grownup area and smell that smell you described and run across the skeletal remains of some animal that died long ago. I'm now an insurance claims adjuster and run into that scenario all the time when I am inspecting accident scenes and come across roadkill that looks a year or more old in ditches. It smells bad, really musky, but not anywhere as bad a newly rotting and maggot infested meat cooking in the sun. Sorry for the visual. On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 14:44:53 +0000 (UTC), wrote: In my front yard, I often smell something that smells very much like a skunk--this is to the south of a front deck, among some thick bushes. The smell is LIKE the smell of a frightened or road-squashed skunk, but not as pungent or offensive. But it's very similar. What in the world might be living in my bushes or under my deck that makes a smell like that? Anybody? I haven't seen any actual signs of inhabitation, just that smell most of the time I go in the bushes. TIA. |
As an insurance adjuster I have heard of a claim in eastern NC where
some kids drove back into some Weyerhauser owned property to four wheel their ATVs. A girl managed to get her coupe back to their staging area and ended up riding with them. She left the door to her car open and a skunk climbed in. Needless to say when they returned, the skunk reacted when she and her boyfriend got into the car. You could detail that interior and get it all perfumy and have it done professionally but when the sun's heat built up inside it, the smell returned with a vengance. Some of the interior was eventually replaced. The smell still returned. The vehicle was eventually totaled out. On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 19:59:33 GMT, wrote: There were quite a few in Texas when I was at Ft. Hood. Every morning on the way to work I would get at least one whiff. One morning I was stopped at a light and the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. I almost thought the critter was in the back seat. Fortunately when the light changed and I drove off the fresh air told me it had been outside the car. I never saw one dead or alive near the intersection so I don't know where it was coming from. |
My guess would be squirrels, either trying to bury nuts or trying to find
nuts previously buried. It might be the *mulch* that is desirable -- you might try raking away the mulch from a section of the bed and see what effect that has, if any. Another possibility is a cat, but I would think if it were using the mulch as a litterbox, you would have found some evidence. Anne Lurie NE Raleigh wrote in message ups.com... ....our everlasting thanks. (Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? Thanks. |
My guess is it may be an opposum. They like to eat grubs and would be
likely to be a nighttime visitor with results like you describe. Probably once they eat all the grubs they will move on to someplace else. Anne Lurie wrote: My guess would be squirrels, either trying to bury nuts or trying to find nuts previously buried. It might be the *mulch* that is desirable -- you might try raking away the mulch from a section of the bed and see what effect that has, if any. Another possibility is a cat, but I would think if it were using the mulch as a litterbox, you would have found some evidence. Anne Lurie NE Raleigh wrote in message ups.com... ....our everlasting thanks. (Sorry about that but I really wanted to get your attention) Something is rooting around in our mulch and digging in our beds and, in the process, uprooting new plantings and those with shallow roots and we *really* want to stop it. Here are the clues/observations: It happens at night. If we leave before it gets light, we return home and notice plants laying on their sides. Sometimes, the mulch/dirt is just pulled away from one side of the roots. Sometimes, as in the case of a couple of nice Selaginella we planted this season, it's not even noticeable that it's now sitting *on* the ground rather than with its roots in a hole *in* the ground until you get down and check. Whatever is doing this isn't interested in the plants. The roots and leaves aren't touched. The plants are just the collateral damage of a hunt for something in the mulch / dirt. It's not deers. We live in a wooded lot in North Carolina and we have had more experience with deers than we want to remember. We've had deers pull a "deer resistant" plant out of its hole only to remember, "Hey! I don't like this!" and drop it back on the ground. But there's always a sign they've tasted it. And one of the beds -- with a lot of hostas in it -- is completely enclosed with a deer netting that is secured to posts and staked into the ground. On a couple of occasions when a branch has fallen on the netting and ripped it from the post and deer have been able to get a head in, they've munched nearby leaves but not done this kind of disruption to the mulch. And the mulch *is* disrupted -- it looks like something is rooting around in it for something. It's something in the mulch. This has nothing to do with the plant -- it's happened with hostas, a rosemary plant, summer snapdragons, etc., etc., etc. Only the established plants are safe. Since this looking for something in the mulch is happening at night, I assume whatever it is has a powerful sense of smell that it relies on. So, after replanting a couple of plants and cursing this critter, I thought, "I got something for your powerful sense of smell!" I bought the cheapest big tin of ground black pepper I could find and sprinkled a mess of it around the edges of some of the most frequently uprooted plants -- can black pepper hurt plants? -- and along the edge of that bed with the netting. So, any thoughts? More importantly, any suggestions on deterring it? Thanks. |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:32 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter