Those diggers!
1. Raccoons/ possums/ skunks - digging for grubs uprooting the plants. That is where straw or wood chips can help get them less interested. Also, net where possible and repellent spray.
2. Something that will eat whole peppers right off the plant. Does anyone know? Nothing chewed is left, the whole plant is gone...
3. Squirrels - They live up in the palm trees in the dead stuff along with who knows what else. They do significant damage to a garden along with rats. The squirrels are eating avocados like no tomorrow and bite into the best ripened fruit. If fruit tree is too big to net, I have to pick just before ripe. They don't go for apples or citrus.
4. Birds - They do some damage to fruit like apricots. If the crop is decent size, they don't make too big an impact.
5. White flies/ beetles/ mites/ coddling moth - Every other week use organic spinocad spray. They will damage leaves.
6. Ants - Not normally troublesome. They might make nests in wood planter boxes. If there seem to be too many and bothersome, they can be controlled. They can cultivate aphids. A ring of sticky stuff can be put around the base of tree trunks to keep them off.
7. Aphids/ mites - They will damage the flower buds and tender new leaves.
8. Moles and Gophers - They will do a number and fast. Boxes with screen on the bottom will keep them out. Otherwise, traps and poison http://www.pestproducts.com/
Brush Cherry; Drought Tolerant Screen Plant Profile
14 years ago
What about moles and gophers? I watched entire broccoli plants get sucked down under ground in one second! Poison was the only thing that stopped the attacks!
ReplyDeleteAnd gophers and moles too! They killed my broccoli!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJust like in a cartoon. Moles live deep in the ground when it is hot. It is easiest to get them in the Spring and Fall when they are shallow underground. They run in straight lines, usually along a border type thing like a planter wall.
ReplyDeleteEradication is a personal preference. Poison in an active tunnel is one permanent solution.
Regarding Gopher and Mole control, your readers may be interested in the products found at CrittergetterOnline.Com which have been proven (both through customer feedback and testing performed by the University of Nebraska) to be 90% effective for gopher control. The Crittergetter uses an abatement technique that folks have employed successfully for decades.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.crittergetteronline.com/
Link to University of Nebraska report: http://www.crittergetteronline.com/PDF/gophers.pdf