Critter Trials, part 2

Our critter trials continue. I first posted about them a few weeks ago which you can read here. To date we have tried different methods. I placed a small piece of chicken wire over a pot with tuberous begonias to keep them from digging the bulbs out. Last year they kept digging the bulbs out which caused them to not perform well. For about a week they attacked a different pot, and it was always the same pot. Concerned with the continued damage to the plants in that pot, I took another piece of chicken wire and placed it around the pot. I was successful in keeping them away from that pot, but within two hours they had dug in a planter box on the front porch that so far this year they have not tackled. 

Chicken wire around pot critters 
continually had dug in

My wife asked on McFarland Community what people do. We have tried many of the methods pepper flakes, hot pepper spray, blood meal, and a few other sprays. This past Friday evening Land Girl concocted a mix of peppermint oil, Dawn dish soap and something else. to spray on the edge of the planter or pots. Other suggestions have been human hair and insert plastic forks into the dirt, with the tine side up. Although someone says they often dig up the forks. Friday night I also applied blood meal, kind of a double effect. Saturday morning all looked good with the blood meal and the peppermint spray applied the prior evening. A hour or two later on Saturday morning after the first check, the critters got to the planter box, or rectangle, again. We decided to try the fork method, so I found some plastic forks and put several in the planter. 

As of early evening Saturday, after placing the plastic forks everything looked good.  However, by Sunday the critters had been at it once again. I added more forks.  When we got back from our camping trip Thursday afternoon, I saw damage, but not as much as expected. They had not dug out any plants, but had destroyed some of the foliage and flowers on the impatiens plant in the planter box.

Growing flowers and forks,
in front porch planter

       

After my next hair cut, which may be tonight, I will put some of my hair into the planter box. With my thinning head of hair, I don't produce the hair like I used to. Critter trials seem to be an ongoing way of life in suburbia. My problems could be worse.