cat ate heliconias..n more advice?

16 years ago

OK i thought I had my cat under control with my heliconias, but once again he has decided to dig. 2 nights in a row he dug up my strawberry n creams.. he dug straight down the pot right in the middle..took the dirt completely out of one side..I dont know how he made such a straight dig. He got 2 tubers? I dont know what they're called. Chewed em up a bit. I put the soil and the tubers back in..any chance they will make it? He also chewed a baby that was poppin up..I think thats def a goner. This cat is really pushing his limits here. I have decided to cover the top of the pot with bug screening, with holes where the plants are coming up to keep him from digging. Going to secure it with a large rubber band around outside of pot. Only thing left for me to do! This is the only plant he messes with, I dont get it.

When a heliconia flower is done blooming do you cut the stalk? Do you cut the whole thing down? Precise instructions on that would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Daniella

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Comments (11)

wanna_run_faster
16 years ago
Hi Daniella,

I periodically cut all my heliconias down to the ground to "refresh" them...usually after a long hot summer when it's too hot to go outside and they get "away" from me. They do come back so I wouldn't give up on your S & C!

Ideally, if I keep up with it on a regular basis, I cut the dead leaves and flower stalk off only when completely brown and dried out. Not sure if they can "leech" nutrients back from the dying plant but palm trees do so I have just gotten into that habit. Good luck! Let us know what happens.
gaza
16 years ago
hi,it should re shoot in spring.
once a stem blooms,it dies,so just cut all stems when done blooming.
as it has no leaves,i would just barely keep it moist
gary
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daniellalell
Original Author
16 years ago
So cut down the whole stalk, leaves and all to soil level? Or just the stem the flower was on? I did cut some down all the way to soil level, leaves and all on the Strawberries n Cream..I feel like I killed them..I dont see anything happening. Right now I have an andromeda bloom thats done, but I wanted to be sure what I did to the S&C's was correct before I did it to ANdromeda also. Are heliconias just slow to have more babies pop up? You think it will perk up and produce faster come spring?
Thank you,
Daniella
nyssaman
16 years ago
Get rid of the cat..lol
steiconi
16 years ago
Gee, I thought you were worried about your cat! My cats used to nibble my orchid leaves. I got "bitter apple" from the pet food store, sprayed it on, and the cats left the plants alone. Doesn't hurt plants, either.

Cats supposedly don't like orange oil, either, so you might put a few peels in the pot to discourage the cat from digging.

And the litter box is clean, right? That's not why he's excavating?

good luck!
Lee
katkin_gw
16 years ago
Get or purchase some 2" rocks and put that on the soil of the pot and spray them with the bitter apple, that should keep the cat away from it. You can buy the rocks at HD or Lowes.
robcorreia
16 years ago
solution....kill the cat! lol
treefrog_fl
16 years ago
I like Katkin's idea better!
But then again, how much do you love your heliconia?
I cut 'em back to ground level after the bloom dries up and they get thicker every year.
tirto
13 years ago
hi,
is your cat sick? have you taken it to the vet? my neighbour cat has invaded my garden for sometime and left some poops (or even a dead headless bird). A friend of mine suggested me with toy snake. they played with it and thought it was alive then ran away. they've never come back ever since.
otherwise, try pepper or chilli powder
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
13 years ago
Ha when I first read this post I was thinking 'cat' as in caterpillar lol. That crazy cat :P
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
13 years ago
I was thinking you could get some welded wire fencing and place it over the heliconias bed when you plant the tubers and they could probably grow right up through them and it might deter the cat from digging.

cat ate heliconias..n more advice?

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wanna_run_faster

gaza

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cat ate heliconias..n more advice?

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