the only good antler rat...
Jul. 12th, 2023 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twoeleven...is venison.
the damned things have been doing a number on my gardens this year. not only have they been eating the buds and flowers off the glads and lilies (why?? are the pretty colors tasty?), they've eaten all the plants in one bed to the ground. that's definitely new this year.
so, i've taken action. i bought some antler rat repellant. it didn't seem to work the first time, but we've gotten a lot of rain recently and it may have washed away or simply not set up enough in the first place. i've reapplied it; we'll see.
i've put netting over some stands of tall plants. that will help, but i don't have nearly enough netting to cover everything.
due to last year's busy, hot summer, i let yard work in the back yard go. we developed a thicket along the tree line – a mass of shrubs, saplings, tall weeds, and several kinds of viney things, including some with thorns – along with just a lot of random brush in the trees. monday was cool and dry enough that i ripped a lot of it out.
the antler rats have a lot less cover in the back yard now. that should keep them away from my gardens for a few days until they decide that it's safe. and if we get the promised cooler temperatures during a break in the rain friday, i'm going to tear more of it out. ideally, the antler rats will be sufficiently spooked by the changes and increased exposure to stay away for a while. failing that, i'll think about further escalation.
if nothing else, the glads and lilies are lasting long enough for me to bring some in as cut flowers. so for the moment, the house looks like we have taste or something.
= • =
and speaking of taste, my blueberries taste better this year. i seemed to have fixed the pH problem. solution: lots of sulfur and leaving big piles of leaves on the bed.
three bushes bloomed, but only one is bearing fruit. sadly, it's the one i have only for itsprecious bodily fluids pollen. it's a variety called jersey, which is the same as what's in the stores, and is generally tasteless. at least some of my berries taste like blueberries, but it's a bit hit or miss.
the two bushes that didn't bloom seem to have lost branches, probably due to last fall's drought, and my lack of prompt response to it. it's wetter this year, and i'm watering more aggressively, so hopefully they'll regrow. i'll have to check the bud set in late fall to see.
the damned things have been doing a number on my gardens this year. not only have they been eating the buds and flowers off the glads and lilies (why?? are the pretty colors tasty?), they've eaten all the plants in one bed to the ground. that's definitely new this year.
so, i've taken action. i bought some antler rat repellant. it didn't seem to work the first time, but we've gotten a lot of rain recently and it may have washed away or simply not set up enough in the first place. i've reapplied it; we'll see.
i've put netting over some stands of tall plants. that will help, but i don't have nearly enough netting to cover everything.
due to last year's busy, hot summer, i let yard work in the back yard go. we developed a thicket along the tree line – a mass of shrubs, saplings, tall weeds, and several kinds of viney things, including some with thorns – along with just a lot of random brush in the trees. monday was cool and dry enough that i ripped a lot of it out.
the antler rats have a lot less cover in the back yard now. that should keep them away from my gardens for a few days until they decide that it's safe. and if we get the promised cooler temperatures during a break in the rain friday, i'm going to tear more of it out. ideally, the antler rats will be sufficiently spooked by the changes and increased exposure to stay away for a while. failing that, i'll think about further escalation.
if nothing else, the glads and lilies are lasting long enough for me to bring some in as cut flowers. so for the moment, the house looks like we have taste or something.
= • =
and speaking of taste, my blueberries taste better this year. i seemed to have fixed the pH problem. solution: lots of sulfur and leaving big piles of leaves on the bed.
three bushes bloomed, but only one is bearing fruit. sadly, it's the one i have only for its
the two bushes that didn't bloom seem to have lost branches, probably due to last fall's drought, and my lack of prompt response to it. it's wetter this year, and i'm watering more aggressively, so hopefully they'll regrow. i'll have to check the bud set in late fall to see.