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Protecting
Your Crop
Plump,
juicy berries and the tender roots, canes and branches
of the plants they grow on can be plagued by all sorts
of pests. From chipmunks and gophers to skunks and
raccoons, unprepared gardeners can be in for a rude
awakening at any time of year. Never fear, methods
for controlling nibbling creatures abound. Read on
and learn how to protect your yields.
The title of number one berry thief goes to the birds.
Year after year, berry growers watch in horror as
their berry patches are stripped bare by these villains,
who seem to strike the day before the harvest and
leave behind scarcely enough to make a jar of preserves.
The good news is that generations of berry growers
have toiled over solutions. Pie tins hung from string,
foil ribbons that crackle in the breeze, plastic owls,
rubber snakes and even transistor radios tuned to
all talk stations are all good deterrents. But the
most popular seems to be bird netting. Found at most
garden stores, this netting can be purchased with
different sized openings and covers your fruit, while
permitting air and sunshine to continue to ripen your
crop. Fastened securely into the ground or around
the base of your plants, this option can be almost
fool proof. It does need to be monitored regularly
for signs of stress and ware.
Other pests like rabbits can destroy unprotected berry
crops. Rabbits are famous for chewing the bark from
the base of woody berry plants, girdling and killing
the shrub during its most vulnerable time - winter.
When the weather heats up and your plants produce
the fruits of your labor, this cuddly creature returns
to nibble the ripening berries. Keeping up with rabbits
can be exhausting. Fortunately, there are several
tools at your disposal.
The most obvious solution is fencing, but the fence
must be high enough to prevent hurdling and run deep
enough underground to prevent tunneling. Given that
this is not the most aesthetically pleasing option,
gardeners often choose other avenues.
Predator urine products, like bobcat urine - available
at most garden centers - trick the rabbit into thinking
a ferocious beast is prowling the area. Other, less
offensive options might include sprinkling cayenne
pepper or garlic oil around your plants. The rabbit’s
delicate mucus membranes are irritated by these spicy
herbs, so it won’t stick around long enough
to order dinner. Blood meal, an organically produced
fertilizer, is another ingredient that causes rabbits
to turn tail and run. All of these natural solutions
need to be replied frequently to maintain their potency.
Better safe than sorry. In the winter months, wrap
hardware cloth around the base of your berry bushes
to prevent bark chewing. Deer will feast on bark,
too, when their typical sources of food become scarce.
Many of the same rules for rabbits apply here, though
fencing would need to be significantly higher. Deer
will be deterred by anything that smells or tastes
really bad. Aside from commercially available products
made from rotten eggs or strong soaps, regular household
ammonia seems to help.
Small containers filled with ammonia-soaked rags and
punctured for ventilation work well when placed near
the base of your plant and refilled often.
Digging, scavenging animals like skunks, opossums
and raccoons can also have a field day in a ripe berry
patch. Many of the methods used to control rabbits
and deer can also work for these critters.
Chipmunks and gophers, also famous diggers, like sandy
soils (the kind your berries do well in) and can dig
shallow tunnels that disrupt your plant’s subterranean
environment. Chipmunks are mostly seed eaters who
may often be found picking through the compost beneath
your plants, but they are not above grabbing a few
tasty berries while they’re at it. Gophers are
seldom seen above ground and are known to nibble away
at whatever succulent roots they come across.
It’s nearly impossible to keep chipmunks and
gophers out of your berry patch completely, but a
wary cat or dog or a flashy whirligig can often keep
their numbers under control.
Keeping a patch of berries free from thieving critters
can turn into a full-time job. Woodland creatures
relish the taste of sun-ripened berries just as much
as the rest of us. We’ve got to be willing to
work for our share. The benefits, after the harvest,
couldn’t be sweeter - higher yields of fruits
you can sit back and enjoy.
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