Remedies For Winter "nibbles"

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In winter, many forest animals lack food and are ready to cross the borders of human possessions in search of food. This fact is especially troubling for summer residents, whose winter lands can be visited by agile rodents who adore the bark of trees. And it is so offensive, at times, to find in the spring a half-dead and bitten seedling, nurtured throughout the summer. That is why it is important to provide garden trees with protection from gluttonous "nibbles" in advance

Ground is more dangerous than underground

Most of all, field mice and hares are able to harm trees, since they reproduce quickly and can feast on both the bark and the underground part of the plants. Land and water rats and beavers are much less interested in tree crops. And underground inhabitants - moles and shrews, which we fear throughout the entire summer season, become absolutely harmless in winter, as they feed mainly on worms and insects. Unless they can overdo it with digging the root system of some shrubs, which will not be a mortal threat to plants.

We need a reliable and safe "armor"

There are many tips and tricks for protecting barrels. Each gardener chooses his own product. It is important that it reliably protects the base of the tree trunk without crushing it too much or harming it. To do this, many experienced gardeners advise making layers of burlap between the bark and the material that does not allow air to pass through, otherwise the seedling may become resistant. Here are some examples of materials that are most often used as "armor" from rodents.

Ruberoid roll

If you are using roofing felt or roofing felt, wrap the tree trunk with several layers of breathable fabric, such as burlap. Also note that the dark color of these materials can heat up in the sun, which can cause bark burns.

Roofing material and roofing felt must be applied tightly, burying them in the ground, and then tied with twine. The gap that appears between the trunk and the roofing felt should be plugged with a cloth or covered with clay so that the water that gets there during rains does not freeze in frost and does not form an ice crust around the trunk. During severe cold weather, cover tree trunks with snow above the binding point to preserve the bark.

Spruce "paws"

When tying with spruce branches, juniper, raspberry, hawthorn, reed or sunflower, the tree will not freeze, and rodents will not reach its trunk. During the thaw period, the breathable layer of the branches will not damage the bark. It is necessary to tie the plants with this material before the onset of severe frosts. Scrape off the soil from the neck of the tree, place a harness around the trunk slightly below the soil level, and then scoop up the ground. Tie the paddle down with needles.

Metal barrels

Hide young trees in metal cylinders, which are sold in special stores. Or make them yourself from tin or metal mesh. Then dig them into the ground. Do not forget about a 5 cm gap between the cover and the trunk.

Pantyhose stockings

You can wrap young seedlings with several layers of nylon, since mice do not feed on nylon. Dig in the nylon at the base of the tree so that not only hares, but also mice do not gnaw on its bark. For these purposes, old nylon tights are quite suitable.

Plastic nets

Rodents will also not be able to get carried away with a plastic mesh with cells of 6x8 mm - it will be too tough for them. The net is also good in that it does not interfere with the respiration of the plant: light passes through it perfectly.

Protective drifts

During a snowy winter, try to bury the trunks with snow and compact them by stomping well. This will prevent the mice from punching minks in the snowdrift, and will also prevent it from melting quickly in the spring. It is also a good idea to scatter mineral fertilizers on the frozen ground in the spring, which, after the snow melts, will fall into the very roots of the plants.

Paint over

Many summer residents prefer to protect the trunks from rodents with whitewashing, since animals do not like chemical odors. To prepare the mixture, take equal parts of clay and mullein, adding a spoonful of carbolic acid or turpentine to them. To make the trees breathe better, you can prepare another composition: 5 g of creolin or carbolic acid, diluted in a liter of water and soaked in sawdust, which then need to be spread out near the trunks.

Add spices

Coriander fruits scare off hares and mice well. To do this, sow cilantro seeds under the trees in the spring and let them bloom. Then the twigs and bunches of this plant must be laid out under young trees or other cultivated plants. Rodents are not poisoned by the smell of this spice, and they try not to approach trees with "spices".

Film and straw are not an option

Every gardener should be aware that polyethylene should not be used in tree binding. Not only do modern mice consider it a delicacy, under the cellophane the bark of the tree reads and even gets burns in some cases. Do not tie straw around the trunk of trees: rodents especially like to hide and frolic in it. So for them you will arrange a double pleasure - both housing and food.

Don't forget to free

Usually, in central Russia, there are no stable frosts already in mid-April, so strapping is usually not needed. It is best to free the plants from tying in the evening and on a cloudy day, because if the weather is sunny, the bark can get burned, and the young shoots of roses dry out. Try to remove the harness carefully and gradually. First, loosen it for a few days, and then remove it, but leave it leaning against the trunk on the south side. After the plant has undergone full adaptation after a while, the strapping material can be completely removed.