How to Protect Seedlings
How to Protect Seedlings
You will need to protect seedlings from birds and other pests while they reach maturity. In the last blog, we talked about How to Transplant Seedlings, which was a great accomplishment. However, those seedlings still need your watchful eye.
Wildlife
Depending on where you live, you might deal with all kinds of wildlife wreaking havoc on your garden. This might include deer, elk, rabbits, gophers, squirrels, etc. I am lucky enough that my worst enemy is birds. There is a pair that nests in my neighbors gutters. Looking for material to build their nest, they decided my peppers were perfect. They plucked my pepper seedlings straight from my garden 2 years in a row.
Birds
Bird netting is a possible solution but not one of my personal favorites. The reason being that birds can actually get caught in the net. While I do not appreciate them eating my garden, I am not trying to make them suffer either. I resorted to placing baskets over my seedlings that allow light to pass through just until they were big enough not to be bothered. An owl statue may be an addition to my garden this Spring to see if that helps deter them as well.
Deer
Some of you will have trouble with deer. While I have not tested this myself, I have seen several people have success with placing a perimeter of fishing line around their garden. I’ve been told that because the deer cannot see the fishing line, they don’t attempt to jump over it. Rather, they walk into it and the gentle pressure of the line spooks them and makes them turn away.
There are also many deer resistant plants that you could border around your property. Some include sage, saliva, lambs ear, coreopsis, onions, thyme, etc.
Ground Diggers
Ground squirrels and groundhogs plague many gardeners. Covering the tops of their beds is only half a solution, because these creatures will dig up from under the ground and into the bed for food. A possible application for this might be placing galvanized mesh at the bottom of garden beds before filling with soil. This would also be where raised beds that are set up off the ground and have a solid bottom could be of great use.
Rabbits and Squirrels
I have both rabbits and squirrels that wander my property but am lucky enough that they have never bothered my garden. If the opposite is true for you, you might need to consider building a mesh enclosure for your garden. Always remember when building any type of protection for your garden, that you are sure pollinators can still reach your plants.
It could also be beneficial to have a sacrificial garden, one that you plant specifically to draw wildlife away from your own personal garden.
Insects
There typically is not a lot of pest pressure at the beginning of the season where insects are concerned. However, this is something you should still be keeping an eye out for. Aphids, for example, might not kill a fully mature plant, but they could certainly take out your seedlings.
Before you transplant your seedlings out, I do recommend pre-spraying your garden space with Pyrethrin (be sure it is specifically the organic substance, and not the synthetic version which is not safe for food). This should take care of the first round of potential insects.
Later, when seedlings have grown a bit out in the garden, a repeat application every few weeks or when you see any pests can keep the worst at bay. When applying to your plants, remember to never spray in the morning. Always spray as the sun is going down so the product has time to dry. Otherwise, you can cause your plants to burn.
Final Thoughts on Protecting Seedlings
Seedling is the most vulnerable stage for a plant, however, as you may have gathered from this post, wildlife and pests can be an ongoing issue throughout the garden season. Don’t ever let that stop you from gardening. There are many clever solutions out there and many done on a budget. Turn to your fellow gardeners who live in the same area as you or who deal with the same type of garden pests, you will surely find solutions that help your garden thrive.
Author
liv@livlifeoutdoors.com
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