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Briarheart
- Full Member
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:29 am
- Location: Southern Ontario, Zone 5
Animals digging up tulip bulbs...
This is a problem we've had consistently, year after year, and it's really making my Mom sad because she really like tulips. We try to plant them, and then they end up growing all weird, growing in the wrong spot, or not growing at all because animals keep digging them up! It's super, super frustrating, and we've tried everything from planting them deeper, to sprinkling garlic and mothballs around, and nothing works. Please, please, can anyone offer any other remedies for this problem?
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sweetiepie
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:18 pm
- Location: York, ND (Zone 3b)
I too would suspect a squirrel and the squirrels here are pretty sneaky. Just today I say one take a look at the sleeping dog and run away with his dog food. Of course I did not have the gun on me. I got one, one time in a trap and he must of screamed and told all his family not to get caught because I haven't got one since. So far the dog bringing them to our attention is the best way.
You may try those small electric fences sold at Zebra for pets. I have one around my strawberry bed, triple stranded, about 18inches tall to keep the cats out (they use it as a litter box). I put a netting on the top so birds can't get to it. But all that isn't very pretty for a flower bed. Sorry
You may try those small electric fences sold at Zebra for pets. I have one around my strawberry bed, triple stranded, about 18inches tall to keep the cats out (they use it as a litter box). I put a netting on the top so birds can't get to it. But all that isn't very pretty for a flower bed. Sorry
I have a cat, plus there are several stray cats in my neighborhood. That seems to keep them away from the exposure of our yard. They hide in the treeline instead where I don't plant blubs.
You could try a feeder somewhere. If they have access to easy food elsewhere they may not bother to dig up the bulbs.
You could try a feeder somewhere. If they have access to easy food elsewhere they may not bother to dig up the bulbs.
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GardeningCook
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 787
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
- Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a
I too have heard many folks claiming great success with the chicken wire solution.
Since tulips are normally planted in beds rather than singly, completely dig out your tulip bed area to the proper bulb-planting depth, put in your bulbs, cover with a couple of inches of soil, then place a layer of 2" chicken wire over the area (you want the wire holes large enough for the tulips to be able to grow through), & cover with the rest of the soil, & mulch, etc., etc. Apparently critters don't like dealing with the wire & will give up rather than risk getting cut.
I've never tried it with tulips myself, since as much as I love them, the deer & rabbits around here love them even more. However, I DID bury some - folded with the bottom half folded outward - around the perimeter of my chicken run, & it did stop nighttime digging creatures in their tracks.
Since tulips are normally planted in beds rather than singly, completely dig out your tulip bed area to the proper bulb-planting depth, put in your bulbs, cover with a couple of inches of soil, then place a layer of 2" chicken wire over the area (you want the wire holes large enough for the tulips to be able to grow through), & cover with the rest of the soil, & mulch, etc., etc. Apparently critters don't like dealing with the wire & will give up rather than risk getting cut.
I've never tried it with tulips myself, since as much as I love them, the deer & rabbits around here love them even more. However, I DID bury some - folded with the bottom half folded outward - around the perimeter of my chicken run, & it did stop nighttime digging creatures in their tracks.