My neighbor planted some spring onion sets in his garden last week and told me that something chewed the tops off of two rows. We live in town and have rabbits, squirrels and every once in awhile a possum passes through. I'm about to plant my own onion sets this coming week and this has me a bit concerned. Does anyone know of any animal that will bother onions???
Rich
---------------------------------------------------- When I was a boy and lived on a farm our cows would eat the tops off of the wild onion plants that grew in our pastures.
I imagine most animals that are herbivorous would enjoy them as an occasional snack
Freckles
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Onions were my only vegetable garden plant that deer did not eat but eating tops would indicate something like them. Groundhog is another possibility. For those that really want to know you buy a trail camera such as sold by Cabela's and other hunter suppliers.
Rabbits had the tops off mine
Don't overlook cutworms. They love tender onion shoots and they don't always leave cut pieces behind when they hit your onions.
Humans - I love onion tops :)
Mine don't have tops yet; I just planted them a couple of days ago, very shallowly with the tips of the bulbs sticking out of the ground. Something dug most of them up and scattered them about last night. (I bet it was a squirrel.)
Bob
Here in NY we plant bulbs in the fall, they begin to grow in spring as soon as the ground thaws. Until they become established newly planted bulbs should be covered with some sort of wire screen that can be removed once more mature growth is achieved. My neighbor covers his onions and garlic with a blanket of straw held down with a kind of plastic screening. In spring once the bulbs show significant growth then the screen and straw are removed. I've learned to do the same with flowering bulbs, I place straw and chicken wire over my newly planted daffodils. Even though critters won't eat daffodils some will pull them up just to be sure. Once daffodils develop their roots then they won't be pulled up to be checked, so it's only when first planted that they need the protection. Daffodils and onion are in the same family, alium.
I have raccoons who browse the mulch looking for worms. I've had no problems since laying down 2" X 4" wire mesh. I won't be taking it off because everything that I'm growing can grow throug a 2" X 4" wire mesh.
I checked on the onions today and a few of them were dug up again (grrr), but not the whole row this time. A robin flew away as I went out there; I bet he was pulling them up and I just thought it was a squirrel. And it might be a bird picking the tops off of EVP's onions.
I replanted them again and covered 'em with a layer of corn straw that had been used as chicken litter. The chickens pretty well shredded it, and it had a lot of dust and some feathers in it but not much poop so it shouldn't burn the plants.
Bob
I had the same thing happen in my garden yesterday. We too are within city limits and have the occasional raccoon & skunks and also some turkeys, but no deer or rabbits. We have dogs and cats that come into our yard, but that's it. Any ideas?
The only pests that have ever eaten onion tops in my garden are cutworms. A single cutworm can mow down several baby onions in one night. It will be buried in the soil at one end of its path of destruction.
^^^^^^^^
a long time ago...
limits and have the occasional raccoon & skunks and also some turkeys, but no deer or rabbits. We have dogs and cats that come into our yard, but that's it. Any ideas?
if it is a garden that you can rake, take i fine toothed rake and rake it until the soil is fluffy and smooth it out. next time an animal comes through it will leave tracks.
otherwise, it might be a dog or cat as they can eat greens from time to time (seems to make them barf, but perhaps that is what they do when they get an upset stomach).
good luck,
songbird
The pinoglasiun smoll pond eats them to
I dont know for sure, but my guess would be rabbits. I think they eat darn near any vegetation....
Chipmunk. I just watched one do it.
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