squirrels eating bulbs

18 years ago

My crocuses have broke ground with the warm January weather we've had in Boston. Unfortunately the squirrels have been digging them up to eat the bulbs. I tried sprinkinlg hot pepper around them. Anyone have any successful deterents?

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Comments (4)

jeannied
18 years ago
When you discover that, the gardening firms will beat a path to your door.........or is that a mouse trap development. In any case, there is no real way to discourage any vermin who are hungry and knows where the dinner is located.

You can put your bulbs under more soil...put 'em deeper...but squirrels can dig there. Put daffodils amongst your bulbs. Daffs have a toxicity which when bitten into, the squirrel goes elsewhere. I suppose that is true also for any mice or vole.

Wire cages over the bulbs might discourage a squirrel to dig in a particular place. The foliage would come up through the cage.

As the foliage comes up you might take measures to make the eating of the foliage untasty. Rub a smear of petroleum jelly over the tips, spread blood meal around the bulbs, put human hair in the vicinity.

Dog poo put in the area doesn't work...besides fouling the ground. Blood meal, when discovered by my two dogs, they just rolled around in it, flattening the tulips.
Just like a dead animal, dogs will want to bring home the smell.

Good luck.
johnva
18 years ago
I have found squirrels don't like to dig in gravel. That is how I got them to leave alone some bulbs I have in one gallon pots. It's about one inch deep on top and hasn't affected any of the bulbs blooming.

John
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great thread! I just moved to a new house with 24 large oaks on a .33 acre... Did you say SQUIRREL problem?? YEEE-HAWWW! It's a squirrel party at my house! They've eaten grill covers, pots, plants, the deck, the house, the camper, the boat cover, etc. And what really ticks me off is they aren't EATING it at all - it's as if they're just bored and 'ho hum, let's chew this lovely plastic children's toy!" Once I saw one struggling down my driveway with a jar of Jiffy Peanutbutter in his mouth! Now that you folks are saying the 'disturbed' ground is something I have found as well. Although right now they seem busier or maybe full of acorns or something than they are in the spring. I've planted 500 daffs and 100+ tulips (I know I'm chancing it with tulips) with very little 'digging up'... but in the spring - they're digging and pulling things up. The worst were my large planters - I have many of them around the yard and I had to replace the flowers in them at least 5 times each. They roll around in them, tossing my precious beauties (and the potting soil) on the ground completely ruined. But... chicken wire - check, bloodmeal - check, rocks, check (I'm taking notes)! Wish me luck with my 100 tulips. Tom-
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Squirrel garden forays depend on the availability of other food. Every now and then there are years that the oak trees don't produce many acorns, and then the squirrels have to go to "plan B". Our neighborhood is LOADED with squirrels and I've never had them get my garden lilies. Bulbs planted close to the surface are another story. They dug up lily bulbets I had in pots (shallowly planted in nice soft potting soil). They also got hardy cyclamen I planted. They bloom in the late Fall and in Winter (depending on variety) and are said to spread. I thought it would be a nice way to get some color when nothing else is up. However, they need to be planted with the top of their bulb at the soil surface. Very shortly after planting, I found some of my bulbs laying around the yard with nibbles out of them. The rest were missing. The ones I replanted (in the vain hope that the squirrels had lost their taste for them) also disappeared. I also had Iris (surface planted) that were long established plants that one spring were ENTIRELY missing. I couldn't find the tiniest shred of them. But, I've planted more Iris in a bed close to my house that so far, have been untouched. Some years tulips have been a squirrel casualty if they get hungry enough to dig some. Though with our heavy clay, most years established tulips are usually pretty safe. So, it depends; on your soil (heavy or light), planting depth, local critter population, and degree of critter motivation (availability of other food sources), and critter risk tolerance (an agressive cat can do wonders to keep them at bay). Also freshly dug earth attracts them. Plant deep and mulch, and you should have no problems. -Helen
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cynthianovak
18 years ago
try blood meal, they don't like the smell. In fact, they don't dig where I sprinkled blood meal in the past. Dogs, well that's another story!

I have done an experiment. I left tulip and crocus bulbs out in the middle of my yard for a week. We have lots of squirrels, they didn't taste them, not even a nibble. I have bird feeders so they aren't hungry. Might be worth a try. I have found s few crocus dug up, they were obviously digging for something they liked better, I just replant.

cynthia
johnva
18 years ago
Good thing you don't have chipmonks cause they ate every tulip in my yard, and I had a lot of them :(

John

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squirrels eating bulbs

Comments (4)

jeannied

johnva

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