My ongoing war with the V.C. rages on.

[wireme]

I thought I had it under control.
I thought wrong but yeah I've come to expect it.

Sorry to hear.

My deciduous trees get buried right over the trunk, branches and all in coarse pumice. When it’s watered and frozen no v.c. getting into that! Pea gravel would work fine I bet. It wouldn’t work in warmer climates than ours but in a place where winter means frozen all the time it’s good. I’m sure there are better and less laborious strategies but it does work.

 

[just.wing.it]

What a shame.
Kill em all!

 

[barrosinc]

No. But I'm going to try everything.
I'll look them up.

Double checked.... a scam

 

[Tieball]

Spearmint oil in small open containers will keep them all away. Boat owners have been using this trick for years to keep critters out of boats in storage for the winter.

That’s interesting. Haven’t heard of this before. I think the 1/4” wire cage on six sides would be better where I am located though. I gave up garaging trees several years ago....everything stays out doors now....but outdoors does not eliminate potential rodent damage.

 

[barrosinc]

spearmint might work

 

[M. Frary]

Double checked.... a scam

Thanks Max.
I bo know the liquid fence works and so does molemax.
The problem though is warmer weather where it thaws or sometimes rains and it dilutes the strength.
That happened this year.
But I reapplied right after it rained.
These two products contain castor oil as the main deterrent with garlic and mint too maybe. It smells up the whole yard.
I believe when the voles are under extreme conditions like 20 degrees below zero for a long period they find the best place they can and weather it out. The trees having mulch,especially the straw I've used in the past. Make a near perfect enviornment with food to boot. They eat it anyway even though it makes their eyes water. The warmth is too good to pass up.
This year,since I cant get pumice by the truckload like wireme I'm trying wood chips.

 

[Carol 83]

Bad enough to lose trees due to your own wrongdoing. But to lose them after taking such precautions, that sucks. Sorry.

 

[sorce]

My deciduous trees get buried right over the trunk, branches and all in coarse pumice. When it’s watered and frozen no v.c. getting into that

I like that!

Sorce

 

[TN_Jim]

what about luring them away..?
create the perfect habitat away from your trees...and let the crows go to work

? thinking your trees are not the ideal chill/feast/prey spot when they come out hungry maybe but what’s available

that said the old bartender I used to work with got his hands on a flame thrower

 

[TN_Jim]

Calvin Armstrong NFD

 

[LanceMac10]

See they got the Hawthorn as well......what a friggen' bj!!!!! Sorry, bro!!

 

[M. Frary]

See they got the Hawthorn as well......what a friggen' bj!!!!! Sorry, bro!!

Yeah. It made it through the last onslaught and was coming along nicely.
I went out and got a couple more stumps so I can start over.

 

[M. Frary]

So I've had something eating my trees lately.
I thought it was deer because they're up on the benches.
Nope.
Rabbits!
My wife called this morning and said there were 3 up on the benches eating away.
They're jumping up on the benches.
They're getting high speed lead poisoning starting tonight.

DAMN ALL V.C. TO HELL!

 

[Soldano666]

So I've had something eating my trees lately.
I thought it was deer because they're up on the benches.
Nope.
Rabbits!
My wife called this morning and said there were 3 up on the benches eating away.
They're jumping up on the benches.
They're getting high speed lead poisoning starting tonight.

DAMN ALL V.C. TO HELL!

Damn man. Tiger pits? A moat? I hate these persistent fucks. I lucked out last year, but I'm considering the fact I get hit every other year it seems. I'll be upping protection this year with more hardware cloth cages. Trees go to jail for the winter now

 

[Anthony]

Googerah,

got a big freezer ?

Roasted Rabbit is yummy !!
I will send some seagrape for smoking.
Juist soak in red or white wine and Italian seasoning.

You eat my trees, I eat you - only fair.
Best.
Mottie

 

[_#1_]

How about something more humane? They won't enjoy themselves sitting on top of these. Spike the entire bench top and lay the trees on top. Great drainage too.

Amazon.com : WeyTy 1 Roosting and More Animals. Plastic Deterrent Anti Thef, Black : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : WeyTy 1 Roosting and More Animals. Plastic Deterrent Anti Thef, Black : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

 

[M. Frary]

Too late for more humane measures.
1 down at least 3 to go.
Anthony, you know I would rather eat people.
Less fur to get caught between my teeth.

 

[wireme]

Thanks Max.
I bo know the liquid fence works and so does molemax.
The problem though is warmer weather where it thaws or sometimes rains and it dilutes the strength.
That happened this year.
But I reapplied right after it rained.
These two products contain castor oil as the main deterrent with garlic and mint too maybe. It smells up the whole yard.
I believe when the voles are under extreme conditions like 20 degrees below zero for a long period they find the best place they can and weather it out. The trees having mulch,especially the straw I've used in the past. Make a near perfect enviornment with food to boot. They eat it anyway even though it makes their eyes water. The warmth is too good to pass up.
This year,since I cant get pumice by the truckload like wireme I'm trying wood chips.

Actually the only reason I have pumice by the truckload is that I cannot get any at all here, so I brought a truckload from the coast direct from a mine. Anyways if I didn’t have it and wanted to bury trees completely for the winter I would go with gravel over wood chips, I think trunks and branches would be happier in gravel. Conifers don’t like to be fully covered over but the deciduous have done fine.

 

[JudyB]

I had a raccoon this summer, so I've gone back to electric sheep fence around the tree area. Fortunately I only lost one pot to the bastard, he did leave me a nice pile outside the fence after it went up...

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I was driving the ATV around the farm the other day, rounded a corner and startled a ground hog (aka wood chuck, overgrown fat wood rat) that was 6 feet off the ground in a young cotton wood tree, chewing buds off young branch tips. I had never seen them climb trees, who knew. I'm going to have to redouble VC protection this winter. I've been casual about it.