Grrrrrr.... Varmints!!! Help please-

[KDdid]

So I’ve been sticking a 100 or so Norway Spruce plugs in daily since 500 arrived this week, and now I’m about half done. Today as I got started, I found about 80 of the first days planting’s had been dug up, and left beside the hole. I’m guessing squirrels, or maybe a nighttime visit from a skunk. The trees themselves appear undamaged, except for whatever drying out they experienced. I replanted them and gave them a drink. Question: is there anything I can put around them to prevent this? I’m thinking about a mothball, or maybe ground hot pepper dust. I’m hoping that after a rain when the fresh dirt isn’t so appealing they might be safe. This is my first rodeo with forestry plugs, I’ve always planted bareroots in the past.



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[4wanderingeyes]

I have had deer pluck them out of the ground before.

 

[KDdid]

I have had deer pluck them out of the ground before.

Yah, I thought of that, but not seeing any fresh tracks near them.


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[jsasker007]

If you could figure out what is doing it----then you would have a much better idea as to what you can use to keep them away. Without knowing for sure you almost have to fence everything. If it were me, I'd put a trail cam out and check it atleast once a day to try to catch the culprit. Years ago something kept pulling up everything I tried planting and I had trees laying on top of the ground with roots completely dried out! It wound up being my dog. Don't know if he was a landscaper in a former life or what but after replanting everything twice he left them alone----maybe he knew one more time and he would be someone elses dog.

 

[Davewp]

Dad had same problem last year in NY. Planted and caged (lightly) some persimmin trees. Something kept uprooting trees, but not eating trees. trail camera revealed that it was deer, but the deer were more interested in the amended soil than the plant. Go figure. replaced trees, more sturdy fencing, problem solved.

 

[144]

I’ve been dealing with the same thing this past week. Planted some pear rootstock and came back to a mound of dirt with the rootstock laying on top. Thankfully it was still living, replanted, and came back a few days later to the same thing. Incredibly frustrating...

It was really my bad for not putting protection around them, should have done it from the start. I put some tubes around each a couple of days ago and will go see tomorrow if it took care of it...


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[Bill]

Yep I've had deer pluck out Norway spruce like that.

 

[John-W-WI]

If it's deer, this will end it:
https://www.plantskydd.com

-John

 

[Catscratch]

I think armadillos have done this to a few of my trees. They like to dig for grubs and insects, I think fresh dirt is appealing to them. When this happens to me there is no damage to the tree other than it's not in the ground anymore... no bight marks.

 

[bueller]

There was a thread a while back where skunks were determined to be the culprit.
http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/itasca-greenhouse-plug-planting-tool.8529/#post-158638

 

[sandbur]

There was a thread a while back where skunks were determined to be the culprit.
http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/itasca-greenhouse-plug-planting-tool.8529/#post-158638

Skunks sometimes dig up my fruit tree spikes. Could there be fertilizer with the roots of the plugs to attract them?


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[H20fwler]

I had a deer dig up a couple 3' white pines day after we planted last spring. I could see right where it was pawed up and the deer tracks in it..replanted them and it left them alone.
I put out some 18" chestnuts last spring screened without cages and deer pulled screen off and nipped them down in one day, learned my lesson on those. The deer and rabbits go after my white pines in fall/winter and it's just not practical for me to cage them all (300+) so I have just been replanting what I need to for now.

 

[H20fwler]

If it's deer, this will end it:
https://www.plantskydd.com

-John

I'm going to try that stuff out!
Thanks for the tip and link.

 

[KDdid]

There was a thread a while back where skunks were determined to be the culprit.
http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/itasca-greenhouse-plug-planting-tool.8529/#post-158638

This!!!^^^^^^^^
Only seven were dug up last night, but we had a nice rain after 10pm. I planted another 300 today using an old railroad pry bar and tamped them carefully afterwards. We’ll see what happens tonight, but I bought 3 boxes of mothballs to place around the affected areas tomorrow if I have trouble. We used to use mothballs to get rid of skunks in an old barn foundation.


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[Wild Thing]

There was a thread a while back where skunks were determined to be the culprit.
http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/itasca-greenhouse-plug-planting-tool.8529/#post-158638

Yep - Skunks would be my first suspects....

 

[John-W-WI]

I'm going to try that stuff out!
Thanks for the tip and link.

You are welcome. It should deter any "prey" as it is a blood born deterrent.

I'm not sure if a skunk thinks he is prey. Probably thinks he is a predator

 

[KDdid]

Well, it seems things have calmed down. I only had a few dug up after Saturday morning’s rainfall, and none were disturbed after that. I also gave up using the auger, and switched to using a bar for a dibble, which was faster and easier, and left less fresh dirt for attraction. Don’t know if I’ll use plugs again, but I would definitely dibble them in next time.


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