Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: AZRedhawk44 on June 22, 2011, 01:40:00 PM
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Something is getting into my garden.
And it likes to dig holes just deep enough, from the surface, to expose the roots of my plants. I assume it then gnaws on the roots, but I was able to re-cover and hopefully salvage the couple of plants that were affected last night. It also gnaws the tops of my plants. I've had two pea plants get taken down to the soil after being about 6+ inches emerged.
I have 2-foot tall chicken wire all the way around my garden, but it has gaps that are probably big enough for field mice or similar rodents to get in. I don't think this is birds, but they can certainly get in as well.
My dog doesn't seem to be helping at all.
Solutions? Anyone else have this problem?
I'm thinking of augmenting the chicken wire with a finer-sized mesh, but I suspect that the critter is likely to just chew through it.
ETA: no prints in the soil at all. Whatever it is, it ain't my dog. Probably isn't cats, either, since they'd have to jump over a 2 foot fence without disturbing the soil. Gotta be tiny, and quiet. I considered that it might be the little geckos that climb around on my cinder block property wall, digging around for bugs in the soft soil... but that doesn't explain the eating of the plants.
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Squirrels.
Chris
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No squirrels.
Never seen a squirrel in Phoenix. Plenty up in the Payson area, but scarce-to-none down here.
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Ok. They do exactly what you describe around here. I filled in a couple small holes in my front flowerbed just this morning.
What other small rodents do you have in your area?
Chris
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Squirrels.
Never seen a squirrel in Phoenix.
Maybe they are Ninja squirrels
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Field mice. Ground squirrels (which I guess you could call squirrels, but they're really more of a tiny prairie dog, and lack a proper squirrel's tail).
But I don't have ground squirrels in my yard, because I don't have any dens. I guess they could be in some neighbor's yard and coming over or through the wall somehow.
I'm guessing that it's field mice.
I'll go get some spring traps tonight and see what I catch tomorrow.
Anyone have ideas on how to mouse-proof a garden?
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Democrats.
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chupacabra
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Hippies.
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Before we get too carried away, would all you folks please remember to include the appropriate caliber to use for your guesses.
Thank you.
stay safe.
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Hippies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s
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Before we get too carried away, would all you folks please remember to include the appropriate caliber to use for your guesses.
Thank you.
stay safe.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gswagner.com%2Fbigreloading%2Frefmaterial%2Fpoa2.jpg&hash=36601489ec2aee7c886995e4fd9c61c5cd36d095)
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Before we get too carried away, would all you folks please remember to include the appropriate caliber to use for your guesses.
Thank you.
stay safe.
Democrats.
For most since they are afraid of guns a small pellet gun will do. >:D
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The chipmunks have been hell on my plantings, and seeds this year
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Hippies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ftGUG7GRLE
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For most since they are afraid of guns the mere display of a small pellet gun will do. >:D
FIFY
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Depending on the size of the damage, could be chipmunks or jacks. Either way, I would dust off and nuke from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
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That 22 cal loudenboomer is way too much bullet for whatever small animal you have there. Really all you need is a little 17 cal/17gr bullet.
Mated to a 50BMG of course. Hopefully you only have one or three of the things eating your plants because I suspect barrel erosion will be a bear.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2F0603%2FBob8251%2FGuns%2520and%2520Stuff%2F17-50BMG.jpg&hash=60a318ec6f01b26ddfd875eb7cc582380c48494d)
bob
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That 22 cal loudenboomer is way too much bullet for whatever small animal you have there. Really all you need is a little 17 cal/17gr bullet.
Mated to a 50BMG of course. Hopefully you only have one or three of the things eating your plants because I suspect barrel erosion will be a bear.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2F0603%2FBob8251%2FGuns%2520and%2520Stuff%2F17-50BMG.jpg&hash=60a318ec6f01b26ddfd875eb7cc582380c48494d)
bob
What length barrel do you need to achieve full powder burn? >:D
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I'm thinking 9.5 inch barrel with no flash suppressor should do the trick. You do want a flame-thrower, right?
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I'm thinking 9.5 inch barrel with no flash suppressor should do the trick. You do want a flame-thrower, right?
With that case length, I'm thinking...custom Judge.
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Det Cord [popcorn]
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Hippies.
You could do like some of the local NewAgers used to do, and leave notes in the garden asking the mice not to eat your plants :lol:
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I put some mouse traps out in my garden, inside of small cardboard boxes just big enough for the trap lever to actuate. Baited with peanut butter.
Whatever is getting in my garden is small enough to get inside the hole cut in the cardboard box (2" x 2"), but large enough that the trap doesn't kill it. Because it went off last night around midnight ( I heard it, and so did my dog, because he went running out of the bedroom to investigate), but the trap is 2 feet away from its cardboard box now.
Looks like I need a live/container trap. And then a bucket of water.
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I put some mouse traps out in my garden, inside of small cardboard boxes just big enough for the trap lever to actuate. Baited with peanut butter.
Whatever is getting in my garden is small enough to get inside the hole cut in the cardboard box (2" x 2"), but large enough that the trap doesn't kill it. Because it went off last night around midnight ( I heard it, and so did my dog, because he went running out of the bedroom to investigate), but the trap is 2 feet away from its cardboard box now.
Looks like I need a live/container trap. And then a bucket of water.
Naw, just a rat trap. (I still think it's Ninja squirrels)
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Yeah, I'll step up to rat traps.
I'll also plant mint around the periphery of my garden, I think. It's supposedly good for repelling some mice species and some ants as well.
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Check out the invasive nature of mint. I talked with experienced gardener friends about getting mint going for bar tending, Thai, Greek, and Middle Eastern cooking. Caused quite an uproar. I was warned to plant only in containers that would not allow spreading. This in Oregon where we have square miles of the stuff growing for the extract and flavoring industry.
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chipies & squirrels are not active at night
unless you have zombie chipmunks
I'm thinking voles
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Check out the invasive nature of mint. I talked with experienced gardener friends about getting mint going for bar tending, Thai, Greek, and Middle Eastern cooking. Caused quite an uproar. I was warned to plant only in containers that would not allow spreading. This in Oregon where we have square miles of the stuff growing for the extract and flavoring industry.
Oh my dear and fluffy lord, yes! The people we bought our house from planted mint in a couple of outdoor garden beds. My wife and I both have black thumbs and little interest in spending time gardening. When I finally got around to working clearing out leaves and stuff from one of the beds a couple months ago, the mint was EVERY-FREAKING-WHERE.
Tempting to go at it with a flamethrower - and hey, the smoke would smell nice, too! =D
Think I've got it mostly under control now, but I swear, it's worse than grape hyacinths (our nemesis at our old townhouse).
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Try getting rid of Creeping Charlie sometime (Glechoma hederacea, for professor Tuttle). It runs along the ground and crowds out the grass and pretty much everything else, and it just laughs at 2,4-d.
Horseradish is another plant that you better make sure you really want before you plant it, cuz it will be there forever.
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it just laughs at 2,4-d
That's why they make glyphosate (active ingredient of Round Up).
Which happens to be my absolute favorite gardening tool.
=D
Burn it down with glyphosate, replant with what ever you want.
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You could do like some of the local NewAgers used to do, and leave notes in the garden asking the mice not to eat your plants :lol:
Yeah, but you better leave some children's spelling books and picture books also because they probably can't read.
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You could do like some of the local NewAgers used to do, and leave notes in the garden asking the mice not to eat your plants
Yeah, but you better leave some children's spelling books and picture books also because they probably can't read.
Just don't give him a cookie.
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Update:
Didn't plant mint, after being warned off due to its invasive nature... though I wonder if it would invade my garden. My raised bed is 8" above the rest of the yard ground level, and I was planning on planting it outside of the raised bed. It's just bare earth, and it would end up drinking whatever water made it from the garden's irrigation system into the ground around the garden. I wouldn't deliberately water it otherwise. Should keep it starved, and otherwise unable to climb back into the garden.
I got 1/4" hardware cloth. Put it around the perimeter. Seems to be doing the trick. I have new tomato seedlings coming up now, my peas are slowly coming back to life, and my corn has been left alone.
Never got the little bastage that started the trouble, unless he died from his struggles with the sprung mouse trap later on.
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Nope, just plotting his revenge with hundreds or thousands of his friends and family......