How to keep animals from stealing my ferts?

[Crimsontide1970]

A member of the local club uses Starbucks stoppers through the tea bags.. worked well on my plants and they are reusable

 

[Forsoothe!]

Soak a rag in white vinegar and hang it in the area, preferably in the path a critter would travel. You can protect it from being diluted by rain, etc., by hanging it like a bell clapper under a plastic jug that you cut the bottom out of and suspend that in the path. Critters make their living with their noses and cheap vinegar stinks to them, and more importantly dominates the air which will screw up their ability to detect ordinary aromas. Like Chickenshit, fish offal, and whatever else you organic freaks use. Bone appetite! (Vinegar is a herbicide, so be aware)

 

[Potawatomi13]

Try chemical fertilizer. Many, perhaps the majority of us use it. Easy, no muss no fuss, no stink, works great.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Miracle grow works great but I get large internode length and foliage size. I mostly stick to organics now and just stick to brands that have worked for me.

Ever hear of moderating how much you use?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Ever hear of moderating how much you use?

And when you use it matters, too. Do not use it in spring before the tree leafs out; use it after the leaves and internodes have finished expanding to feed follow-on bud growth and replenish the roots. The tree will use whatever resources it has at the times of high growth, so ferts in spring make bigger leaves and internodes. While you don't want to starve a tree, less is better than more.