North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Sounds like a raccoon or bird  looking for worms or insects.  If there was
fruit on the plants, a raccoon probably would have eaten that, though.  A
pheasant might scratch that way.
----------
>From: Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
>To: nafex@egroups.com
>Subject: [nafex] Nocturnal Diggers?
>Date: Thu, Jul 20, 2000, 7:00 AM
>

>
>Hello All,
> 
>I do have a question for you, but doubt whether it has to do with ribes
>directly.
> 
>I put in ribes this spring, filling the holes with 50% rotted silage, and
>mulched them in with 3" of clean straw, and then capped that with some
>cedar mulch (some only got cedar mulch).
> 
>With all the rain this season they have done very well.
> 
>The problem is that some animal is now pawing through the mulch 2 1/2
>months later, pulling it away from the plants during the night.  As the
>plants are starting to sucker, I do not want the suckers destroyed.  The
>pawing looks like very delicate work, and not something as clumsy as a
>dog's digging.
> 
>I am in a sub division, but close enough to fields, wooded areas, and a
>river to hit them with a good stones toss.  So this could be varmit
>trouble, or could it be a cat?
> 
>Any ideas on animals that like to paw through mulch?  What would they be
>looking for?  It does not disturb the soil, just moves the mulch away from
>the plant.
>
>Moth balls are not an effective detterent.
> 
>I have noted that those only mulched with cedar are not pawed, but those
>with a straw mulch covered with cedar are.  I have alos noted it is
>primarily the black currants which get pawed.
> 
>Since I have a dog, this varmit/pest is not bothered by the scent of a dog
>in the area, and gets through our casual fencing that keeps the dog in
>the yard.
> 
>Any ideas?  
> 
>Small planting of;
>    Crandall - black currant
>    Red Lake - red currant
>    Pixwell - gooseberry
>    Un-named Red Currant
>    Un-named Jostaberry
> 
>Regards, (and thanks in advance)
>Tom
>--
>Thomas Olenio
>Ontario, Hardiness Zone 6a
>
>
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