Re: Beginners need advice on watering & deterring animals

 Hi Mike, After expieriencing similar problems earlier this  year,I hit upon
a solution which helped me, now I don't know for sure if it was fox
,squirrel,raccoon or what but I highly suspect the squirrel since I'm
surrounded by woods.Well I use a combination of bone meal and bulb
fertalizer  when setting out my iris and I think the smell of the bone meal
attracts them, So I mixed up a strong solution of Malathion and  Funinex and
water and sprayed the ground and plant as I put them in .
Three weeks ago I just finished laying out and planting 90 cultivsars for
the 2005 spring regenal guest garden tour. Useing the smelly spray solution
on every one as I put them in.  No problems so far since I started  useing
it... For  what its worth..    Jim Rohrer  591 Riveroak Circle
Inman, SC  29349jrohrer31@earthlink.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Greenfield" <redear@infinet.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: [iris] Beginners need advice on watering & deterring animals


> This spring they ate the blooms off the black walnut tree in the corner of
> my yard. There is no nuts for them. We can not have bird feeders for them.
> They destroy them.They are starving because of over population. They have
> very few enemies here. A few are killed by cars.
> I cannot afford food for 100 squirrels. More if I start feeding them. Many
> cities are having squirrel, Canadian geese, opossums, and raccoon problems
> in town.
>
> I love wild life but in its place and it should be controlled where no
> natural enemies exist. The laws will not allow you to do it in town.
>
> I have watched the squirrels while they are eating the rhizomes. This year
> they are pulling a lot out of the ground. 25 or 30 so far. These are newly
> planted ones. I have seen them cut the fan off the older plantings and cut
> on the tops of uncovered rhizomes. I have not lost an iris yet from them
but
> I have lost quite a few seed pods, none this year.
>
> They cut the roots off two rhizomes of Miss Mauve three times last year.
> They dug it up 5 times. I saw no increases or bloom this year on it.
>
>
> Mike Greenfield
> redear@Infinet.com
> SW Ohio Zone 5b
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Autmirislvr@aol.com>
> To: <iris@hort.net>
> Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 8:40 AM
> Subject: Re: [iris] Beginners need advice on watering & deterring animals
>
>
> > In a message dated 9/10/2003 10:56:26 PM Central Standard Time,
> > redear@infinet.com writes:
> >
> > > Squirrels will eat part of the rhizome and sometimes just eat the
leaves
> > > off
> > > or the roots.
> >
> > If you determine that squirrels are the problem, one possibility would
be
> to
> > supply them with a preferred food.  Around here, they like corn &
> Sunflower
> > seed in addition to the nuts.  Squirrels don't bother my iris until time
> to bury
> > winter food.  Then, they bury things in my pots, managing to uncover the
> iris
> > in the process.  I've never seen where they try to eat the iris.  Not
> > disputing the fact, just wondering if the abundant food here makes a
> difference.
> >
> > Crickets are a problem again this year.  As I dig, I'm finding evidence
of
> > new involvement and I'm actually driving large (well fed) crickets from
> the
> > beds.  I'm hoping they don't invade the hundreds of bags that contain
the
> > rhizomes.
> >
> > Betty W. in South-central KY Zone 6
> >
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