What is digging in my plant pots?

[Sebo]

About 2 weeks ago I put some plants in pots in the garden to brighten it up a bit. Some Lavender, Rhodedendrum (sp?).

Last two mornings, have gone outside to find soil has been flicked out of the pots and some holes are in the soil.

I'll get a picture up tomorrow but any ideas what could be causing this?

There is a squirrel that comes around our garden and there are a few cats but it seems a bit odd!

Any ideas?

[porka944s]

Ive seen squirrles do it before, i say buy an bb gun and blow him away!

[sherman]

If the soil is nice and dry it could be birds having dust baths. If there is enough of them they will leave craters.

[BoRED S2upid]

Squirrels, no doubt about it, they hide nuts everywhere I have two in my garden digging up everything and anything.

[si2085]

I had a similar problem last week and found it to be a blackbird flicking soil with its beak, presumably looking for grubs.

[HiRich]

A little flicking will be a blackbird. Proper digging is bd squirrels. Four options:

• Chicken wire cut to cover the pot (plants can grow through). Turn up sharp edges to to scratch their paws.
• Rat poison, although this is dangerous for pets so follow the instructions closely.
• Cayenne pepper: The hippy option, sprinkled over the plant and soil. Like most hippy solutions it doesn't really work. Although if you get a clip of a squirrel sneezing and send it to Harry Hill you may get £250.
• Rohypnol: If you want to br it.

[Sebo]

HiRich said:

A little flicking will be a blackbird. Proper digging is bd squirrels. Four options:

• Chicken wire cut to cover the pot (plants can grow through). Turn up sharp edges to to scratch their paws.
• Rat poison, although this is dangerous for pets so follow the instructions closely.
• Cayenne pepper: The hippy option, sprinkled over the plant and soil. Like most hippy solutions it doesn't really work. Although if you get a clip of a squirrel sneezing and send it to Harry Hill you may get £250.
• Rohypnol: If you want to br it.

Thanks for the advice..

I'll keep an eye on Mr Nuts and the Blackbirds too. Soil should be moist as it's watered daily at the moment

[Granville]

Most likely Blackbirds, we've got some digging and flicking soil everywhere in the borders at the moment.

Last house I lived, I came home to find all my plants and salads pulled up and gnawed on. Would appear the village donkey had taken a wander on its own and helped itself

[Shaolin]

I get this a lot, I use pieces of slate on the soil of pots which stops anything from digging and looks decorative too.

[Mobile Chicane]

Could be anything from blackbirds to rabbits. Spiky twigs / holly branches set around the plants 'should' deter them.

[FreddyTheBigot]

HiRich said:

A little flicking will be a blackbird. Proper digging is bd squirrels. Four options:

• Chicken wire cut to cover the pot (plants can grow through). Turn up sharp edges to to scratch their paws.
• Rat poison, although this is dangerous for pets so follow the instructions closely.

You're nice.

Why not include some razor blades and broken glass as well?

There is no excuse for putting rat poison around your garden in the hope it will deter an unidentified animal from digging.

This is not good advice.

[Granville]

The birds are only looking for bugs, snails etc. Please remember they will have babies to feed round about now so putting down poison isn't a very nice option to deter them or very clever

[Sebo]

Shaolin said:

I get this a lot, I use pieces of slate on the soil of pots which stops anything from digging and looks decorative too.

I have lots of small pebbles / decorative gravel. I presume that would have the same effect?

[HiRich]

The birds cause few problems. Damage to seedlings is easily controlled, and there is ample garden space for them to find food away from the handful of pots I have to protect from squirrels. No problem with them, and they also get watered and fed, and nesting sites are protected.

But grey squirrels are an invasive, verminous species. They'll damage your garden, property, deter birds and steal their food. Since the primary gray nearby was removed, the bird population has exploded - particularly small birds like wrens and wagtails. Range and numbers are remarkable for an urban garden, and the change has been most apparent since the squirrels moved out.

Grey squirrels are rats in fur coats. I suspect you'd be less caring about rats around your house. Getting rid of them has benefitted me and the wildlife. I have no sympathy for them.

Oh, and OP, slate and pebbles will help, but the buggers will occasionally try to dig through them. If it doesn't work, I've given you tougher measures to impose. Go with what you feel comfortable with.

[Sebo]

A colleague reckons it could be urban foxes digging for worms / slugs etc. Anyone experienced this?

[Sheets Tabuer]

Sebo said:

Shaolin said:

I get this a lot, I use pieces of slate on the soil of pots which stops anything from digging and looks decorative too.

I have lots of small pebbles / decorative gravel. I presume that would have the same effect?

I am currently at war with a magpie who keeps flying down and taking the little blue slate chippings under my bay, the little bd is taking about five a day, feck knows what he is doing with them.

[Shaolin]

Sebo said:

Shaolin said:

I get this a lot, I use pieces of slate on the soil of pots which stops anything from digging and looks decorative too.

I have lots of small pebbles / decorative gravel. I presume that would have the same effect?

They need to be quite big, sometimes called "paddle stones". Mine are min of 2" in width and max of 6", they're up to 1/2" thick and heavy for a bird/squirrel to move. It also makes it easier when you come to re-pot as you can pick them and move them easily.

This sort of thing:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1R...

They work very well.