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Chicken wire & squirrels

rolanda.woorolanda.woo Posts: 94
in Problem solving
Can someone give some advice on using chicken wire to keep squirrels away from planted bulbs?

First of all, is 25mm size hole enough small to keep them out or I have to get 13mm size mesh?

Secondly, I'm indecisive on the way to set up the wire.

I saw some videos online suggesting bury a section of cut wire straight on top of the bulbs. They suggest the bulbs could sprout through the holes of the wire while being protected from squirrels. So no need to remove the wire. I'm a bit doubtful though. Certainly it's inconvenient if you want to plant something else in the same area after the bulbs grow into plants. 

Or I'm thinking to use some bamboo poles to set up a cage in the whole area with the chicken wire and zip ties. That way, as long as I bury deeper than 15cm, it could protect the whole area and if I need, the structure could be uplifted to allow new planting take place?

Would appreciate any input. Thank you.
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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Use the wire mesh with the smaller holes.  Make a hollow 'bowl' of the wire mesh and put the bulbs in it and wire the edges together.  Dig a hole and plant the whole bowl and cover with soil.  That'll keep them out and if you mark the spot you can find and remove them again easily.  Just laying mesh over the top doesn't work ... they'll tunnel underneath it or remove it. 

    Good luck  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • rolanda.woorolanda.woo Posts: 94
    Dovefromabove said:
    Use the wire mesh with the smaller holes.  Make a hollow 'bowl' of the wire mesh and put the bulbs in it and wire the edges together.  Dig a hole and plant the whole bowl and cover with soil.  That'll keep them out and if you mark the spot you can find and remove them again easily.  Just laying mesh over the top doesn't work ... they'll tunnel underneath it or remove it. 

    Good luck  :)
    Thanks, @d@Dovefromabove. I did see this in some videos. Do bulbs really grow through the mesh holes? Did you find you need to remove the mesh bowl at any point of time?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes they'll grow through the mesh.  I only had to do it in one garden at a workplace where the squirrels were a complete PITA ... I've moved on since and someone else now takes care of such things.  They knew about the tulips in wire mesh ... they were the smaller botanical tulips by the way.  If using the large decorative tulip bulbs a bigger mesh would probably be fine. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I often do it for small bulbs in pots [crocus, species tulips etc] because they aren't planted deep enough to stop the little sods. Bigger bulbs are usually too deep for them to get in at. Or they should be if correctly planted  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Fairygirl said:
    ... Bigger bulbs are usually too deep for them to get in at. Or they should be if correctly planted  ;)
    Hmmm ... the ones where I worked came equipped with picks and shovels ...

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • rolanda.woorolanda.woo Posts: 94
    Dovefromabove said:
    Yes they'll grow through the mesh.  I only had to do it in one garden at a workplace where the squirrels were a complete PITA ... I've moved on since and someone else now takes care of such things.  They knew about the tulips in wire mesh ... they were the smaller botanical tulips by the way.  If using the large decorative tulip bulbs a bigger mesh would probably be fine. 
    Thank you, @Dovefromabove. I will give it a try and pray for the best...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's funny @Dovefromabove - I've never lost bigger bulbs, apart from the ones to wet ground. IT's only the smaller ones they seem to get here. Maybe they're too well fed elsewhere and are too fat and lazy to dig deeper  ;) 

    Another way of planting bulbs is to use the baskets for pond plants @rolanda.woo, [still with chicken wire on top ] but chicken wire is probably much cheaper. The baskets have very small holes over the entire surface area  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The soil in that garden was very light @Fairygirl … former heathland. 

    The pond baskets are a good idea … wish I’d thought of that … i suppose those old fashioned wire hanging baskets could be used in the same way 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I have a couple of hanging baskets @Dovefromabove , which I bought to wire together to try and keep them off bird feeders [didn't work!] but I sometimes stick them over larger pots if they have loads of bulbs in them. That seems to work well enough.
    Heavier ground here, so perhaps they only try the top layers of borders and then give up.  

    Maybe they're also  too busy trying to get inside my bird feeder cages to attempt mining the depths of the pots  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Can’t see them digging down into clay @Fairygirl 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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