The hard work is done, the flower bulbs are all planted. But the surprise awaits the next day: They have been dug up again as if by magic. They lie undamaged by the hole or scattered across the bed. Who was at work there?
Squirrels also dig in the garden for food
birds
When planting flower bulbs, the soil is loosened. As a result, more earthworms come to the surface of the earth. These in turn are part of the diet of some bird species. If you have seen blackbirds, thrushes and the like circling over this freshly planted area, they are probably to blame for dug up flower bulbs.
The animals are not interested in the bulbs themselves, only in the worms. If you then rummage through the earth with your beak, the flower bulbs will be "unintentionally" dug up.
tips
If possible, stretch netting over the planted area to keep the bulbs out of reach of birds. You can remove the nets just before they sprout.
squirrel
Squirrels have often been observed digging up planted flower bulbs. Since these animals are now also native to the outskirts of the cities, they definitely belong to the group of suspects.
Maybe squirrels are just looking for nuts they buried in the garden at some point. In the future, if you plant the bulbs earlier in the fall, they can still root well on mild days and thus gain more support. This will help them survive future digging campaigns better.
other rodents
Other rodents, such as martens, can also sometimes dig up flower bulbs. However, since the onions are not eaten, the reason for the "excavation work" must be found elsewhere. Some gardeners have a guess:
- Horn shavings (€32.93) are often placed in the planting hole
- they act like a lure
- Rodents like horn shavings
- digging afterwards reveals the bulb
- look out for telltale footprints
tips
Water the planted bed after
Planting the flower bulbs. Because many animals do not like digging in damp soil. Moisture also encourages bulbs to root, making them harder to dig up.
voles
Voles are rodents too. But they are working their way beneath the surface of the earth. They also hardly leave any of the flower bulbs. With the exception of a few varieties that voles don't like, all flower bulbs are on their menu.