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Even for animal lovers, it’s hard not to resent critters
who snack on your freshly planted bulbs or graze upon new
spring blossoms. Check out these tips for decreasing the odds
of losing bulbs to local wildlife.
Plant bulbs that are naturally animal-resistant. Many
bulbs are slightly toxic to animals and/or have repellent
tastes or smells. These bulbs are animal-resistant, Minnesota-hardy,
and beautiful.(1) Ornamental Onions (Alliums); Trout Lily
(Erythronium pagoda); Fritillary (Fritillaria); Pinkbells
(Scilla campanulata); Summer Snowflake (Leujocum); Grape Hyacinth
(Muscari); Daffodils (Narcissus); Squill (Scilla)
Use repellents that drive critters away. Both commercial
and home remedies are available. Look for non-toxic repellents
that will not harm wildlife, humans, pets or the environment.
Bitter solutions: Coat bulbs before planting and spray
spring shoots and blooms with a commercial or homemade solution.
Tree Guard™ is safe, effective and a Minnesota product.
It contains latex to help the solution remain on bulbs and
plants, even after rain or snow.(3, 4)
Smelly solutions: Many products are found at garden
centers, from sprays to garlic clips, but making your own
is usually less expensive. For a general repellent, chop up
one onion and one jalapeño pepper. Mix together with
a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and two tablespoons of dish
detergent. Add mixture to two quarts water and boil for 20
minutes. Cool, then pour through cheese cloth. Spray on plants
needing protection. (4)
Castor Oil: Repels moles, squirrels, chipmunks and
more. Commercial castor oil products are available; making
your own is easy and inexpensive. In a blender, mix 1/2 cup
castor oil and two tablespoons liquid detergent until thick,
like shaving cream. Add six tablespoons water and blend again.
Add two tablespoons of the oil mixture to two gallons of water
in a watering can. Stir and sprinkle the liquid on the soil
over newly planted bulbs or newly emerged plants. For best
results, apply after a rain or a thorough watering.(5, 6)
Bloodmeal: Sprinkle liberally in areas of newly planted
bulbs and emerging plants. It can be effective in preventing
rodents from digging up bulbs and deer from grazing on new
blooms, but could encourage dogs to dig.(3,4)
Plant animal-repellent plants next to those susceptible to
critter-crunching. Ornamental onions, fritillary, Russian
Sage and more are beneficial companion plants for preventing
spring-time grazing.
Avoid using bone meal. While once highly touted as
the perfect fertilizer for bulbs, it’s no longer recommended.
Bone meal processing has evolved over the years, and it no
longer offers adequate nutrients. Additionally, many gardeners
have discovered that bone meal attracts animals and may increase
bulb damage.(8)
Create physical barriers. For smallish plantings,
consider “bulb cages” made of wire mesh that will
prevent rodents from reaching newly planted bulbs. For larger
areas, lay hardware cloth or boards on top of the entire planting
area. You’ll need to be diligent about removing them
in the early spring before plants emerge.(2)
—Sara Payne
Notes
1 “Depending on how hungry and what other food sources
are easily available, the following flower bulbs are not usually
eaten by deer: Allium, Chionodoxa, Corydalis solida, Crocus,
Dutch Iris, Eranthis hyemalis, Erythronium pagoda, Fritillaria,
Galanthus, Hyacinthoides hispanica, hyacinthoides non-scripta,
Hyacinth, Muscari, Narcissi, Oxalis adenophylla, Puschkinia
libanotica and Scilla. (Just to give you a full list, perennial
plant material that deer normally don’t eat includes:
asters, astilbe, monarda, dicentra, colchicum, digitalis,
liatris, echinops, stachys byzantina, tagetes, echinacea,
antirrhinum, veronica and spurge. Neither do they normally
eat forsythia, lilacs, potentilla or spirea.)” From the
van Engelen website, Special Collections, Collection W, The
Deer- Proof Collection. Also, Rutgers University Cooperative
Extension, “Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance.”
2 “You may have to try a combination of tricks to outwit
the squirrels. If you are planting a large bed that doesn’t
have any obstacles to work around, you can cover the area
with chicken wire as a barrier to prevent digging. For smaller
areas, try placing a big saucer or a board over the newly
planted spot. Surface barriers need to stay in place until
the ground freezes and be removed before the bulbs sprout
in spring.” Bachman’s website tipsheet, “Protecting
Bulbs from Critters, www.bachmans.com.
3 “Some gardeners have had success with repellents such
as mothballs or blood meal. Another trick is to dip the bulbs
in Ropel or TreeGuard before planting them.” Bachman’s
website; see previous note.
4 “Deer tend to be repelled by things that smell and
taste bad. Some of the most effective smelly repellents are
blood meal, strongly scented bar soaps, Milorganite fertilizer
and human hair. Some of the worst tasting repellents are Ropel,
Hinder, DeerAway, TreeGuard and hot pepper.” Bachman’s
website; see previous note.
5 “Castor oil is an effective repellent for many ground
dwellers, especially moles. There is a commercial castor oil
product for spraying large areas. For smaller areas, use a
mixture of 1 tablespoon castor oil, 1 tablespoon liquid soap
and 1 gallon of water. Mix the ingredients in a watering can
and pour it over the area. You may need to reapply after several
rains. Products like TreeGuard and Ropel can be used on the
bulbs as you plant them to make them taste nasty to the critters.”
Bachman’s website; see previous note.
6 A Google search on “castor oil repellent” result
in many recipes, some with slight variations. Example websites:
http://exemplaryoils.safeshopper.com/8/cat8.htm?310; http://www.recipegoldmine.com/garden/garden7.html;
http://acreage.unl.edu/news/Moles.htm
7 “Coping with Deer in the Landscape,” University
of Minnesota Extension Service Yard and Garden Brief:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h462deer-coping.html
8 “Experts no longer believe it’s necessary to
add bonemeal to the soil. Modern bonemeal processing has reduced
its usefulness. Worse yet, the scent of bonemeal may attract
squirrels, moles, dogs, and other animals that will dig in
the area, trying to unearth non-existent bones. Instead, work
bulb fertilizer into the soil surface next spring, after flowers
fade but before foliage yellows.” University of Minnesota
Extension Service, October 1, 2002, “Yard and Garden
Line News.” Deborah Brown; http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/YGLNews/YGLN-Oct0102.html#bulbs
Also: “Back in the old days, bonemeal was used for bulbs
and all kinds of flowers and vegetables, and it did a good
job. Today, bonemeal isn’t what it used to be. Old-style
bonemeal was made from bones, cartilage, and other tissue
scraps and was a good source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and
many micronutrients. Nowadays, bonemeal is made from bones
that have been steamed to remove the nitrogen-rich marrow.
What remains is mostly phosphorus. Steamed bonemeal is not
a balanced fertilizer, but it will contribute phosphorus if
worked into the root zone when planting bulbs.” The Gardener’s
Almanac, “Gardening Myths and Why They’re Wrong.”:
http://www.almanac.com/garden/gardenmyths.html
Other references:
http://www.mydeergarden.com/
http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/gardening_problems/CritterCommon.cfm
http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/birds_and_wildlife/DealingwithDeer.cfm
http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/birds_and_wildlife/RepellentsTrapsBarriers.cfm
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