How do stop ground hogs from eating tulips?
By Regina
Monmouth County/NJ, United States
Every year the ground hogs chew off the flower part of my tulips and spit them out. You wait all year for them to come up and the big fat ground hog chews the tops off!
Help!
- 31 Mar, 2009
Answers
The cheeky answere is to say 'move to Europe' but I don't suppose that this would be helpful.
I have heard of people using fine wire mesh to protect bulbs from mice and voles - but I don't know what the teeth of ground hogs are like. I suppose that they would quickly chew through plastic pond baskets?
31 Mar, 2009
You might try growing a castor plant nearby...it keeps things like moles away from plants, so maybe it could help here
Another suggestion is to find the holes from their lairs or runs and drop a few seeds of the Castor plant in, the seeds emit something that scares away underground pests
6 May, 2010
I will answer this as delicately as possible: Be careful to take good aim! Otherwise, if you are of the same mind as I am, take satisfaction in watching the ground hog enjoy his meal. Believe me, the latter suggestion is the only practical solution to this problem. Best Regards!
20 Sep, 2011
I have never actually heard of this before but then we can't grow tulips here, too warm. However I have heard of people having trouble with beaver in the gardens and the only thing I know of to keep them out is chicken wire fencing, sunk down into the dirt about 12 inches and then 18-24 inches above the soil.
I don't know if this is the solution for you. Do ground hogs tunnel like moles?
I have a univ near me that has a agriculture/horticulture program and they are a font of info for local problems. Maybe you could contact the closest one to you and ask for info.
31 Mar, 2009