A little nervous

I just received my mail-order tulip bulbs yesterday. I'm so apprehensive to plant. Last year the voles (field mice) got all but 9 of the ones I planted. I caught 2 voles in the spring with rat traps (chubby, of course, after eating 75 bulbs), but I haven't caught any since. I see the holes, so I know they're there. Is it worth me wrapping every tulip bulb in chicken wire? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks!

I've wrapped very special lily bulbs (martagons) loosely in steel wool. Seems to work for me. Of course I cover with wire under the mulch too - against squirrels. Have to cover my entire hosta garden with wire after killing frost to keep squirrels off too. Think they can smell hosta roots. Leaves cover the wire and then snow as well, so doesn't look too unsightly for too long.
inanda

Could you get steel wool at the grocery store? That d*** squirrel has been haunting my every move today, and several times I found him at my newly planted rhizomes.

Does Liquid Fence work against squirrels? The bottle says deer and rabbits. I've sprayed everything in hot pepper wax and buried everything with crushed oyster shells. What about human hair and/or cat hair? I've heard of it being used, but does it WORK?

Inanda,
Would steel wool rust and rot before the winter is over?

Sandy, My son brought me tulip bulbs from Holland (business trip but kindly remembered mom). I really tried to protect my treasure (no, not my son, thankfully He can protect himself). I went the steel wool route with absolutely no results. My gardens remain "tulipless". Darn, darn, darn.

So frustrating!! I read that hostas and tulip bulbs are the voles' favorites. You still have time before you have to plant. Maybe try some mouse traps with peanut butter near the biggest holes. But don't forget to cover the trap and hole with an upside down bucket with a brick on top. You don't want to catch any squirrels or cats!! In spring I caught 2 voles on 2 consecutive nights. Got hubby to dispose of, of course

Does cayenne pepper work for voles?

I have successfully used cayenne pepper on many seedlings to keep them from being palatable to rabbits and chipmunks. (I buy cayenne pepper in the huge generic containers to deter alot of critters.)

Perhaps a heavy dusting of cayenne pepper on the bulbs and in the ground around the bulbs would deter critters from eating them? I am just thinking out loud.

I've had excellent luck deterring critters from eating bulbs of all kinds by dipping them in Ropel for a minute or so before planting them. It's a non-toxic taste repellent, and must taste just atrocious since it works so well!

I'm going to have to try to remember that Ropel.

Somewhere I read that crushed oyster shells mixed in with the soil repells most burrowing critters because the sharp edges are painful to dig around. (Probably rough on the gardener's hands, too.) I thought is sounded plausible, but despite the fact that I live by the ocean, I've never had the opportunity to try it out. I just don't care for oysters in any form. If you can find a source, you might try it. The calcium and other minerals from the shells would probably also provid beneficial nutrients as a secondary gain.

I've also read that you can deter them by planting the bulbs in wire cages, but I'm not sure where you're supposed to get those cages.

They sell crushed oyster shells at gardening supply places online. That's where I got mine.

When I planted my last batch of rhizomes, I used crushed oyster shells, hot pepper wax (sprayed directly on the rhizome as well as the fan), red pepper flakes, and then liquid fence. I went and checked on them tonight. There is a hole dug in two of the beds, but the rhizomes were left alone.

Maybe the squirrel tried it, didn't like the taste or smell, gave up and tried a different bed, decided that was noxious, too.

One can hope.

Had to move my martagons this summer as people were picking them. Now they are in back yard. I moved them with huge clumps of soil so didn't actually see state of the steel wool. New marties that I planted last week are encased in metal pot scrubbers (not steel wool). Don't know what kind of stuff it is but have hopes the squirrels wont dig them up.

Inanda.

Inanda: Do you put down screening over your hostas just for the winter, and then lift it up in the spring? Do you find the squirrels are only a problem in the winter?

Just saw something on TV today that mice/voles really hate peppermint, so this guy was saying soak a cotton pad in oil of peppermint, then place it around your bulb. Where in the world does one buy "oil of peppermint"?

You can probably get it at any health food store, or some place that sells supplies for candle or bath salts....

I googled it and found lots of sources online. Among the more well known sites, Amazon.com and drugstore.com have it. You can also get it from places like Garden Botanika (online or local), also places that sell potpourri (major dept stores and even, sometimes, grocery stores, WalMart, etc) often sell refresher oils for the potpourri.

On another thread we discussed the use of peppermint oil to deter mice/rats from inhabiting various spaces. Someone there mentioned using Dr Bonner's Peppermint Oil Soap (it's a super concentrated liquid that can be used for everything from bathing to house cleaning) which has a fairly high content of peppermint oil (and smells wonderful). Since I have this on hand (love it for occaisional shampoo, very tingly), I've been using cotton balls soaked in this stuff for a deterent. I get it from drugstore. com.

Thanks!

Sandy, I made my "cages" from simple wide mesh screening material from the BB. Just cut a rectangle fold up the sides to make a box, with one side longer than the other place bulb in. Fold longer side over, drop in ground . If you like the work, you can make individual cages or a big cage. If underplanting bulbs in a big cage, place the cage in the ground, then put in larger bulbs, cover with soil till you're at the next planting depth, plant next bulbs, then cover with soil, etc when done with last layer you can fold over the longer side. If not long enough, don't fret add additional cut screen to overlap then cover the remainder with soil. Use plant markers to identify the bulbs perimeter and draw a cage on the marker as a reminder to yourself in the future. Hope that makes sense. If not, will clarify as needed.Hope that helps some. ;0)

If I make individual cages with screen, do I leave the top open, so it can grow?

Sandy, the individual cages will have one side longer and you fold it close like a box top. Really by the time you finish it won't look like a geometric box, but will enclose the bulb and the mesh is the wide opening mesh and is easy to cut. After doing your first few, you will find the pattern that's easier for you. and to your liking. The roots and the leaves will grow through the opening of the mesh, the screen will prevent the voles form enjoying the tasty treat. Believe it or not , it was a Home Depot staff who showed me how to do it a few years back. Since moving to KS, I have not had to make the little cages, but if I need to I will. It's very inexpensive to do it yourself. Let us know how it works for you! ;0)

I'll be sure to give it a try. Thanks!

Sandy~ Leaflady states she buys her individual bulb cages from Lowes or Sutherlands. They have 2-3 different sizes with the small one costing around $1.50. to give you an idea.

I'll have to look into that. But I would hope that, for $1.50, you'd get more than one bulb cage, or that would be quite a costly endeavor!

Sandy~ I 'm grateful to the employee who showed me how to make 'em. Today I saw a cage that would fit multiple bulbs for 19.99 online and with shipping.....well, I would rather make them so I can buy more bulbs! LOL ;0)