Protect bulbs when planting | Protect bulbs from animals: Gardening

Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener

If you’ve got bulbs in your garden, there’s probably an animal lurking around that’s secretly (or not so secretly) nibbling on them. The fact is, once mammals develop a taste for bulbs, getting rid of them can require persistence, effort and ingenuity. Whether its mice, moles, voles, opossums, raccoons, woodchucks, birds, deer or the family cat or dog, your bulbs can end up eaten, uprooted or trampled. And that can ruin any bloom show that you so carefully planned and planted.

If you’ve got bulbs, you might also have some animals trying to get to them. Whether it’s the family dog or pesky rodents, you can protect your flower show with a few handy gardening tricks and some protective bulb cages.

But there are several things you can do to keep those pests out of your garden. First, avoid enticing unwanted animals by skipping applications of strong-scented fertilizers like fish emulsion and bonemeal. Instead, use unscented organic fertilizers like composted or other well-rotted manure, organic compost or natural mineral phosphate.

Another deterrent is to plant bulbs that animal pests typically don’t like to eat. Daffodil, hyacinth, narcissus and ornamental onion are some good spring-blooming bulb selections that animals tend to avoid. When it comes to summer bloomers, think anemone, begonia, calla lily, canna, dahlia and meadow saffron.

Of course, creating barriers above and below the ground around your garden’s perimeter is another way to keep the pests at bay – but you have to be sure to block both tunneling and jumping animals. Mature deer regularly leap fences as tall as 8 feet, though two lower fences spaced about 4 feet apart (especially if electrified) seem to deter them. Gophers, moles, voles and woodchucks will dig burrows and tunnels as deep as 2 feet, so a wire fabric of at least a half-inch buried no less than 2 feet should help secure your garden.

Of course, that’s a lot of work if it’s just mostly bulbs that you’re trying to protect. If that’s the case, the best bulb-protecting defense is to build and bury wire-mesh cages for your bulbs. The plants will simply grow through the cage’s wire cells, remaining protected until they divide beyond the boundaries of the cage.

These wire cages aren’t difficult to make. Simply gather a few supplies – an old box to use as a pattern, wire cutters, some chicken wire (or wire cloth that’s a half-inch gauge), a straight-edged board and a measuring tape – and you’ll be on your way. Just follow the easy steps shown in the pictures and described in their captions to build and install a cage to protect your bulb plantings for a beautiful display that’s sure to keep the pests at bay!

Protecting Bulbs

Protecting Bulbs - Step 1

To make your own wire-mesh box, find a cardboard box about the size of the cage you’d like to “plant.” (It should be about 8 inches tall.) Unfold the box, and use it as a pattern. Using a wire cutter, make three parallel cuts (8 inches deep) into each side of the wire fabric to create four flaps. Then use a straight-edged board to crease the wire to create the “sides” of the box.

Protecting Bulbs - Step 2

Fold the flaps in and the sides up to form your cage. Crease and fold the top of the cage to form a lid. Then dig a hole in your garden bed to accommodate the box – as well as an appropriate planting depth for the bulbs.

Protecting Bulbs - Step 3

Fertilize, then fill the bottom of the box with 2-3 inches of soil. Arrange your bulbs in the soil, pointy side up.

Protecting Bulbs - Step 4

Fill the box with soil, close the lid and wire it to the sides. Then cover the box with soil. The bulbs will sprout through the mesh that protects them.

Warnings

Many bulbs are toxic because they naturally concentrate arsenic and other strong toxins in their roots. Keep unplanted bulbs stored in a safe location away from children or pets, and be aware if any of your planted bulbs have been dug up and tossed about the yard.

Facts

There are lots of products on the market that claim to make plants and bulbs less interesting to animal pests. They include decoys, noisemakers, devices that vibrate, products that move in the wind and topical ointments made of urine from wolves and dogs. Some of these products appear to work for a time. But most seem to lose effectiveness as pests become accustomed to them.

Tips

If it’s mainly burrowing pests that get at your bulbs, open-topped wire cages may be the answer (found at most garden centers). Just “plant” them as you would wire cages.
Fertilizers with bonemeal and fish emulsion can attract animal pests with keen noses. Instead of using these products when amending your soil, select well-rotted manure and allow it to decay before planting your bulbs, or use granular synthetic fertilizers. Always read the product label before use and follow all application instructions carefully.

Faqs

Q: Won’t the wire cage prevent the bulbs from blooming?
A: As long as you don’t use a tightly woven wire mesh, the bulbs won’t have any problem growing up through the cage’s openings. Consider using something like chicken coop wire for your bulb cages.

Next Steps

Turning on the Bulbs – How and When to Plant
Bulbs are magical plants – hibernating quietly underground for months until they’re ready to make their colorful debut. Learn the secret behind their magic – by knowing when, as well as how, to plant these bloomin’ beauties.
Oh Dear, It’s Deer!
Do you have trouble identifying deer damage in your landscape? If you know what signs to look for (and do a little investigative work), it’s easy to tell whether this four-legged foe is responsible for decimating your precious plants.
Moles, Voles and Odd-Looking Holes
Got moles? Got voles? What do you do to control these common landscape pests? You need a different strategy to manage them, so the first step is figuring out exactly which critter has invaded your garden.

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Protecting Bulbs: A Feast for the Garden – not for the Animals