Has anyone else had this problem? I had Iris reticulata, crocus and Narcissus blooming yesterday. Today, all the flowers but two are gone. Some of the bulbs have been pulled out of the ground. Any suggestions for preventing a recurrence?
Bulbs eaten
Since I just saw the first deer today that would be my first guess, second guess would be the EVIL squirrelllllllllsssssss LOL.... I plant bulbs as close to the house as I can and I have had good luck. Hope that helps
Squirrels do that to me all the time, its a constant battle but I realize it's their yard too and after all they're so cute! I put some cayenne pepper around the bulbs sometimes and it does help, the regulars are conditioned so that when they see the red cayenne they know already and don't even bother to investigate. That brings me to the drawback... the red cayenne color of the pepper around the tulips. ☺
You really think it's squirrels? We have deer here year round. If it's squirrels, will deer net make a difference. I was thinking about stretching deer netting over the bulbs at night. Of course squirrels would'nt be night time feeders.
Yes you could try the netting, you could also try feeding the squirrel's away from your bulbs. They LOVE LOVE peanut butter, so you can try to put out some bread with peanut butter on it for them. I have found you just cant win with squirrels so you might as well join them and feed them to keep them happy.
Yep, I have a peanut box away from my plants so that they can get their goodies. Last year I planted 1/2 dozen tulips in a bare spot I noticed and 2 days later I found each and every one neatly lying next to the hole with the bulbs nibbled on. They investigate everything I plant, I'm beginning to think they are tracking my scent on the new plants I put in and associating it with my scent on the peanuts I give them.
- I don't know about deer, thank goodness I don't have any close by.
Sometimes I think the squirrels are watching my every move!
I'm sure it's just my imagination... ☺
I think the squirrels are eating just fine at my bird feeders already. I can't afford to offer them buffet!
Wouldn't the peanut butter just attract MORE squirrels? When I planted my bulbs I put chicken wire over them, so far so good.
I bought SUMMIT CHEMICAL 11591 "SQUIRREL AWAY" REPELLENT and sprinkled it around newly planted iris rhizomes last fall --- its advertised as additive to bird food that doesn't bother birds but squirrels hate --- all it is a capscium, (ie. cayenne pepper), but it was less expensive and easy to apply.....I bought 2 bags at the feed store and only used 1/2 a bag!
The squirrels had dug up all the iris the first night I planted....the next night after application of this, no more digging....
Yes, I've used the capscium before. It works in the summer to keep them away from the bird feeders. In the winter they'll suffer through it.
squirrels are being a nuisance this spring! - it seems they are very hungry for a spring salad..especially of my crocuses. They are very sloppy eaters. The hot pepper sprinkling is working, but then i have pepper on my crocuses.
Try planting Daffs and crown imperials nearby them, rodents do not like them!
I have never lost and Daffs or Jonkas to deer. There are a gazillion of them to choose from. Some of the old doubles please me. I found a mother load along the railroad. I stopped hunting mushroons and played squirrel to theive a dozen starters one day last spring. They nearly all have buds on them and will open in a week or so. I was not anywhere near private property. They have become my railroad daffs. How they got there could be anyone's guess.