central MA : is there any hope of planting and growing lilies with rodents around - any tips
protecting new planted lilies from rodents
You can make a basket of wire fabric to hold the bulbs in when you plant them or even buy them I believe. Also plant something like daffodils that they do not like around the perimeter of the lily bulbs.
Don't use Bone meal when planting. Other sources of organic phosphorus include rock phosphates.
John
Here are a few things i've either read or learned for my self.
They don't like cayenne powder or black pepper....also do not eat allium, camassia, Crocus tommasinianus, fritillaria, galanthus, Spanish bluebells, hyacinths, leucojum, muscari, narcissus, ornithogalum, oxalis and scilla because the bulbs are bitter.
Cut a piece of chicken wire 1 inch larger on each side than the size of bulb bed. Bend the edges to create a shallow box top shape and set the chicken wire on top of the ground once the bulbs are planted. Push the 1 inch edges down into the soil to hold it in place. After the ground freezes you can remove the cages and cover the bed with a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch.
make sure to carefully clean up the area where I have planted bulbs. Anything left behind will provide the squirrels with a scent clue to help them find the bulbs. This means also picking up any of the papery jackets that have fallen off the bulbs during the planting process.
And it’s vitally important to clean up completely after you’re done planting. Leaving dried wrappers and other ‘bulb trash’ on the surface of the soil is like erecting a neon sign that says: “Hey kids, hungry for bulbs? Dig here!” For added insurance, spray some deer repellant or one of those castor oil products sold to repel moles, voles, and gophers over top when you’re done—or spread cayenne powder or crushed hot pepper flakes on top of the soil to thoroughly disguise the scent.
thanks to all - and I plan to plant narcissus in the same bed so that was helpful and surprising in that even proximity can help and yes i have used the repellents but thanks for reminding that it could be used on bulbs to