Bulb Protection
Have you ever planted a lot of potentially beautiful and
somewhat expensive spring-flowering bulbs only to have them eaten by burrowing
gophers in search of a free lunch? When it comes to the battle of the bulbs,
protecting your plants is tricky at best; after all, you don't even know
they've been eaten until spring rolls around and they don't come up. So what's
a gardener to do? Master gardener Paul James offers a few tips for protecting
your bulbs.
"They say the best offense is a good defense, and I've
found two products to help protect your garden from pests like gophers," says James. The
first product is a bulb cage made from heavy-gauge steel wire. Not only will the cage protect
your bulbs from gophers, but it defends your precious plants from voles, mice and
squirrels, too. To install a bulb cage, dig a hole 12 inches square and to the required
planting depth of whatever bulbs are being planted.
Set the cage in the bottom of the hole, and let the top of
the cage lie open. Add soil along the bottom of the cage if necessary to make planting
depth adjustments within the cage. Position the bulbs in the cage, and cover with soil,
tamping down gently as you work. Close the cage lid, and cover the entire box with
soil. If you need additional protection or if the cages aren't
your style, consider using a mixture of crushed oyster shells.
Mixed with soil, the
shells form a rough-edged, irritating barrier that rodents are reluctant to cross.
Simply combine two to three tablespoons of shells into the planting hole. Add another
tablespoon or two with the soil used to fill the hole. "In addition, oyster shells
are an excellent source of calcium and are loaded with other nutrients from vegetable
protein meal and peanut meal, " says James, "plus they have some potassium and a
teeny pinch of magnesium." So the shells not only protect your bulbs, they also feed them.
Why not get rid of the pests in the first place? James says
catching rodents isn't as easy as it seems. Preventative methods like the bulb cage
and oyster shells allow you to spend your time doing what you like instead of chasing
after pesky pests.