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This could mean one of two things...either they are invited or
they are not! By planting certain types of flowerbulbs,
bushes, shrubs and trees, you can invite all sorts of animals
into your garden. If you knew you would attract wildlife,
then you succeeded. If you did not know, then this is an
added benefit.
But, what about the ones that were not invited but
came anyway? These are known as "pests" and how
do we go about uninviting them? One way to do this is to
plant things that they do not like. Another way is to
protect the plants from these ravaging creatures. If you
can say "I have the following roaming wild animals in my
garden", here's what you do:
ANTS: Ants are actually a good thing for the
garden as they aerate the soil, allowing air and water to reach
the roots of the plants. They are also responsible for
moving seeds from place to place. Plant violets in a
garden and see how quickly they spread.
SLUGS: These are soft-bodied creatures which are
the scourge of gardeners enjoying the lovely, shady, cool, damp beds and
appealing green plants like Hostas. Try pulling away
around 3-4 inches of mulch back from the crown of the
plant. Or, place some saucers with the cheapest beer you
can find in the ground so the lip of the saucer is even with the
ground. Slugs will be attracted by the yeast and drown
themselves. Finally, since slugs generally feed at night,
attack them with the 'night patrol', knocking them into a
waiting pail of soapy water.
JAPANESE BEETLES: These pretty looking creatures
spend their winters as a larvae on your lawn, chewing on grass
roots. As adults, they feast on leaves and flowers, with
roses being their favorite delicacy. You can purchase
beneficial nematodes which burrow into the beetles, releasing
bacteria that kills the grubs. You can also pick them off
and put them into a pail of soapy water.
CUTWORMS: They like to feast on young, tender
stems and make the plants look like they have fallen over.
To protect these young seedlings, place a collar cut from
cardboard around the base of the stem.
APHIDS: These pesky little bugs suck the juice
from plants, leaving them shriveled and stressed. To get
rid of them, knock them off the plants with a strong spray of
water from your hose. Keep this up for several days and
you should disperse the aphid population.
EARWIGS: These pre-historic looking beetles with
horns on their head are found under the mulch in your planting
beds. They eat decaying plant material, so in order to
keep them away from the plants, keep dead leaves out of the
garden and pull mulch 3-4 inches away from the plants.
NEMATODES: They are microscopic parasite worms
which are present in the soil and feed on plants. The good
ones burrow themselves inside the grubs of some insects in order
to reproduce, causing the host insect to die. They do not
bother beneficial insects and earthworms in the process.
Bad nematodes can weaken the plants. Combat these by
topdressing plants with compost. This attracts organisms
that will in turn attack the nematodes. Fish emulsion also
repels or kills nematodes.
DEER: There are several organic and chemical
repellants on the market that claim to repel deer by changing
the odor or taste of plants or by making them think there are
other predators like coyotes or foxes around. The best,
secure way is to build a 10 ft tall fence around the garden.
GOPHERS: They like root crops such as carrots,
potatoes, garlic, etc. and work underground, digging a network
of tunnels and then pulling down the roots. The best
deterrent is a buried fence. Above ground, it only needs
to be about a foot high, but dig down about 18 inches and bend
your barrier outward from the garden to foil their digging
attempts.
MOLES: They create havoc by tunneling under your
lawn and garden. They actually eat Japanese beetles and
other grubs. If you get rid of your grub problem, you may
well get rid of your moles.
RABBITS: The best way to keep rabbits out of
your garden is to erect a chicken-wire fence around it.
Make sure the mesh is tightly woven to keep them from prying
their way in.
RACCOONS: To keep raccoons out of your garden,
you would need to install an electric fence. Be sure to
use fiberglass poles since they can scale a wooden post.
SKUNKS: If skunks eat on the plants, erect the
chicken-wire fence. Like moles, however, they also love to
munch on the grubs. Apply beneficial nematodes if
feasible. Once the grubs are gone, the skunks will be too.
SQUIRRELS: Spray a repellant directly on the
bulbs or place screening over the bulbs before covering them
with soil.
VOLES: They look similar to a mouse and are
active all year long. They will eat anything green and
will also attack the base of trees. Try wrapping the base
of young trees in the winter to discourage them.
CATS: Half fill an empty clear plastic bottle
with water and lay it on its side in the area you want to keep
'cat-free'. Cats dislike the changing reflections it makes
in the sunlight.
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