Who knew when I built the flowerbeds in front and we were so excited about the possibility, that now we'd be battling "something". When we got to the farm yesterday we discovered that something had rooted around in them.
Whatever it was uprooted some of the new lantana I had planted just last weekend...
...and dug up the marigolds and salvia that had already been in the ground for a month or so. Ugh
We're not sure what this could be. Not wild hogs because they would have destroyed everything including the grass. We're thinking either armadillo or opossum? We asked 2nd Family and they've never had the problem, probably because they have dogs and cats roaming around that keep the other creatures away.
I replanted everything but dang if the same thing just might be waiting for us again next weekend.
Any suggestions/ideas?
p.s. Will catch up on comments tonight!
That totally Sucks.
ReplyDeleteCats love digging in fresh dirt to use as little box. Was thinking that it may be a Mole or groundhog.
Squirrels will also dig as well as skunks. Could be any sort of wild critter. I would suggest in setting some traps or get and Use Critter Ridder as a deterrent. Animals don't like the smell but it has to be reapplied after a rainfall, which can be expensive.
I would suggest to keep an eye on your newly planted fruit trees as some critters will dig around them and ruin the bark on the trees.
No cats most likely (no poop for sure), 2nd Family has only ever seen ONE squirrel in all the years out there (weird huh?). I will check into this. Thank you!!!
DeleteIt could even be mice as they like to dig in potted plants I know. Maybe a chipmunk. Whatever it may be; might be digging for worms.
ReplyDeleteOh, yikes mice, never thought about that.
DeleteYour poor flowerbeds! Looks like an armadillo found them. They are notorious diggers. Skunks and raccoons also like to dig. Possums just like to nibble on the low-lying fruit and vegetables. You could install a game camera to identify.
ReplyDeleteYou can trap the digger with a Havahart humane trap and re-locate him.
Some info on repellents:
http://www.havahart.com/how-to-get-rid-of-armadillos
We have a camera coming soon but I had plans to point it elsewhere, ha. We'll see. Thanks for the info I kind of think armadillo too.
DeleteMost likely an armadillo rooting in the ground for grubs/worms. We battle this down here in our gardens near San Antonio. Armadillo can dig a hole big enough to trip in!
ReplyDeleteThanks. some of the holes were big for sure. Thanks for this info!!! It is Texas after all, ha.
DeleteMy guess is a mole.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
There are mole mounds in the yard on occasion just never this close to the house.
DeleteWe have battled armadillos before and it looks like the type of damage they do. Our best defense was getting a huge dog who marks the territory and keeps them away.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I have told 2nd Family their dogs can be up there anytime, ha. Of course dogs chasing animals might do more damage in the flower beds than I could easily fix, ha.
DeleteHmmmmmm, My guess would be too a armadillo. We have opossums here, but I don't they burrow and tunnel under the dirt like that. They might. One must love when your hard work is uprooted right?
ReplyDeleteI hate it, Yep, seems like it just might be armadillos all of you are saying. Thank you much!!!
DeleteBlack pepper/hot pepper flakes/Habanero hot sauce sprinkled in/around the beds might work -- look in the bulk bins,it's cheaper that way
ReplyDeleteOooh, good idea, thanks!!!!
DeleteDoesn't look like mole, chipmunk or squirrel damage. I have plenty of experience battling those. They will generally leave some hole shaped indents in their damage because they are always thinking they've buried a nut somewhere. If it were in my area, I'd say raccoon. But sounds like you have an armadillo. At least that's one less critter we have to battle up north.
ReplyDeleteNot only do you have to be a good gardener, you also have to learning trapping skills. I have just entered the time of year where I trap at least one chipmunk a day in rat traps. Yuck. But the little bastards are impossible to fence out!
LOL gardener AND trapper? ha. Thanks. We don't have chipmunks here, thankfully but yep armadillos we DO have.
DeleteRaccoons leave a long mark as they claw. Squirrels leave short round marks, sort of like I see in the picture.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that looks like something digging for grubs. I have moles and ground squirrels that dig for grubs, but that does not look like the damage they do. I had bulbs and plants in pots that something, tree squirrels or ground squirrels dug up.
I don't think a cat did that unless you find the little mounds where they covered up their deed. I don't have armadillos here and rarely see possums.
Try putting red pepper around there. Or, grind up some very hot peppers and sprinkle about. Both are comparatively cheap. The red pepper has to be put out after every rain. The peppers will last longer. Nothing likes ground red pepper or ground hot peppers!
I feel your disappointment.
Great info about the marks. Thank you. I will try peppers for sure. That sounds organic and natural and won't hurt them permanently. Just 'deter' them, ha. Thank you much!!
DeleteMy guess is armadillos but who knows. They love digging for grubs and bugs. I've been putting hardware cloth everywhere. Might cover with chicken wire or plastic version. See my latest post.
ReplyDeleteHardware cloth? Great idea, I'm off to check your post. Thank you!!
DeleteSo interesting - you have very different critters to think about there! How about putting up a trail camera and getting some pictures? Fun to see what critters visit when you are not home or in the night.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that neat? I love hearing about creatures in other parts the country (and the world!). We're woking on the trail cam for sure. Now just which direction to point it, ha
DeleteI'd say you may have a mole...
ReplyDeleteWe have been dealing with them lately.
Sorry to see your flowers dug up.....naughty critter.
~Jo
There is a precedent for moles at the farm. Could very well be. I think it's between moles and 'dillos. :-)
DeleteSigh. I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteAnd hope that the visitor doesn't become a regular.
Definitely hope it's not a regular. Going to try pepper this weekend. We'll see. Stay tuned.
Deletewe have a squirrel problem. They dig all plants up and leave things like walnuts in their place. Ground hogs? they apparently also reduce a plant to the stem stripping the leaves they like off.
ReplyDeleteI have't found any nuts/acorns. Not sure if we have groundhogs out there, will have to check that out. Thank you!
DeleteHi there! Armadillos. We have them here at our place. They may get bored and move on but most likely you now have a friend for life. Or until they try to cross the road. Deb
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think it's a vote for armadillos!! They are a long way from the road, so they might be there for a while. Here's hoping they don't like pepper. Wait, do they eat mice? Cause maybe we could work out something.
DeleteI have three suggestions. One is a metal mesh laid right on top of the soil so they can't dig through. Small hole chicken wire works well and you can clip a hole in the wire and insert your plants. They start to dig and run into the wire and it deters them.
ReplyDeleteThe second suggestion is a scarecrow sprinkler. They're available through most mail order places, including Amazon. It's a sprinkler with a battery operated motion detector. It mounts on a spike and you attach the hose to it. When the detector sees motion, it turns on with a sudden squirt of water that's noisy and scares animals off. It operates on a random pattern so they can't get used to one spot and avoid it. It works well for deer, groundhogs and rabbits here in Northern Indiana. We don't have armadillos, so I can't speak to that threat.
One more suggestion is diatomaceous earth. You sprinkle it around your plants and the sharp edges of the dust deters anything that sniffs around the base of the plants. Use it with caution and don't inhale it yourself. Good luck!
Thank you for all this info. Great ideas. I like the metal mesh on the soil. And we can cover with mulch. I've hear of diatomaceous earth too, might have that as a last resort. Thank you much!!!
DeleteHow frustrating! You guys have totally different animals to us but I have used the wire method placed directly on the ground (and then covered with mulch so you don't see it) to great effect. Of course, this isn't going to help you with moles. We had lots of critters visiting our new garden beds but particularly lyrebirds. The rabbit wire put an end to the destruction.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
We have some odd critters but um, you are Australia you REALLY have different animals than us, ha. I like the wire mesh idea. Thank you!!
DeleteThe damage looks like my yard and it’s caused by Florida Speed-bumps (armadillos). This Havahart trap works well and lasts a lifetime.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/Havahart-1079-Professional-Style-One-Door-Groundhog/dp/B00004RAMT/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496275153&sr=8-2&keywords=have+a+heart+trap
I guess they would be Texas Speed-bumps here, HA!!!!!!! You know a trap is a good idea to just have in general. Thanks for this idea.
DeleteWe had the same issue this Spring here in Upstate South Carolina. I went the skunk/opossum/raccoon route too until I started seeing armadillo road kill. Been in SC 12 years, this is the 1st time I've seen Armadillo!
ReplyDelete