Voles,moles & mice eaten Tulip bulbs.

jolj

12 years ago

What should I do.

Do I have to dig everything up & plant in containers or in underground wire boxes?

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Comments (7)

HU-17497
12 years ago
evertime the subject of Voles, moles & mice come up digging them up is the general consensus wire boxes or screens is about the only thing that will keep your bulbs save. good luck.
booberry85
12 years ago
If I mix the tulip bulbs with daffodil bulbs will the moles/ voles and other vermin still go after the tulip bulbs, or will the daffodils deter them?
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Voles will definitely eat dahlias. It is kind of a problem, because things even sold as "rodent proof" in the trade can be attacked if the vole is hungry enough, or if it just wants to dig through the area, it may not eat it, but just shred it up for nesting material. I found out the hard way when over 100 Allium 'Globemasters' didn't come up this spring. When I dug in there, the area was completely undermined with vole tunnels. Alliums are routinely advertised as being immune from rodent attack, unlike, say, tulips.
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There are a few of the (much tougher) species tulips you might like to try. Firstly, the tiny t.humilis, in various colours. Taller, but lovely with blooms which open flat like little flying saucers - tulipa clusiana, aka the lady tulip - pink and white or pale yellow and soft red. T,Tarda - small yellow and white, very easy and will increase T.batalini - my favourites (apart from sprengeri - more later) - lovely glaucous foliage and pale yellow or apricot blooms - very reliable T.praestans, t.hageri, t.vvedensky (sp?) - all reds and oranges - often multi-headed, larger fatter leaves T,urumiensis - a tiny bronze and pale yellow. T,albo-caerulea - expensive but unique blue and white blooms Finally, my favourite (and last to bloom) the lovely t.sprengeri. These use root droppers to dig themselves 14inches deep into the soil and have tiny bulbs - unlikely to be eaten and are the only tulips which will grow in some shade. A lovely woodland clearing specimen. I find that the species tulips, as long as they get good drainage and a dry baking in summer, are totally reliable, easy and are often less devoured by other rodents....as well as being more interesting and unusual than the garden tulips (although I grow many of both).
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DH got rid of raccoons in my parents' chimney with ammonia. My mother kept hearing crying sounds from the chimney and people thought she was losing it. It turned out to be a litter of raccoons. DH set up cinder blocks/bricks to a spot as close as possible to the inside entrance of the chimney. On top of that, he placed a pie plate full of ammonia. They changed the ammonia every other day to keep the smell very strong. Sure enough, Mamma Raccoon removed her babies one by one. Then my parents had a chimney cap put on or something to keep them from returning. Of course, outdoors is different. But placing shallow containers of ammonia among the hostas would be worth a try. And has anyone tried Liquid Fence? It has worked very well for me and a lot of friends for deer, on hostas and shrubs. Of course, that is applied to foliage, not the roots voles eat.
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It would help to know if you live in the Midwest, Northeast, etc. The little tunnels you see are most likely caused be Voles and, yes, they are active all winter and eat, eat, eat. They especially like starchy, tasty little morsels like lily bulbs. That's why if you live in the Midwest or Northeast you shouldn't mulch until the ground has frozen. Many put miniature Daffodils around the parameter of their gardens to keep voles away. Apparently, Daffodils contain a toxin that Voles can't stand. If you live in the Midwest or Northeast, give your Regales more time to come up. It's a late Spring in the Northland this year. Things are slow.
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denninmi
12 years ago
Well, a few years ago, I planted about 200 daffs and 100 tulips intermingled under a pear tree. The critters have left me ONE tulip now, but somehow it has managed to come back for the past few years and even bloom (it's a Red Emporer, one of the more reliable ones).

So, I'd say no, they're not safe if interplanted.
oleg9grower
11 years ago
The best way to protect the bulbs from rodents - soak them before planting in the tetra methyl thiuram disulfide. But alas, it was banned. Try soaking in a broth of the most hottest peppers.
freki
11 years ago
mothballs?

cat?
DarDar67
9 years ago
Victor M162S clean kill mousetrap, is absolutely amazing! Its just hitting the market. Its available at WALMART and AMAZON and some hardware stores. These traps are reusable or disposable, indoor or outside. Children and pet safe. No sight .. touch.. or chemicals involved.

Here is a link that might be useful: Victor Clean-Kill Mouse Trap Instructional Video
Eimer
9 years ago
Active cats do seem to help keeping rodents in check.

But sadly, I've given up on tulips for the most part. I'll try some species specimens here and there. Daffodils come in many versions, and are a joy to see year after year.

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Voles,moles & mice eaten Tulip bulbs.

Comments (7)

HU-17497

booberry85

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denninmi

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