Corn sporuts and rats!!!

silkiechicken

Deeply Rooted
Moderator
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
543
Reaction score
1
Points
109
Location
Everett WA, Corvallis OR
Maybe this is just half a rant more so than anything else. Some danged rat or mouse is systematically going down the rows and diging up each corn sprout to eat the seed!!! However... there are a few where the heads were just snapped off and seed still there, unlike the ones dug up with the seed and sometimes sprout eaten up.

So the question is. Are rats the only thing that will do this? Or is there another suspect animal that needs some deterrent/picking off.
 

Tutter

Deeply Rooted
Joined
May 12, 2008
Messages
865
Reaction score
4
Points
104
Location
N. California
My first suspects:

Seed gone, rodent du jour.

Top gone, bird (double scissor mark from beak.), or rabbit.

Top off but still there, worms.

Is there disturbance topside? If not, it could have been done from underground, such as a vole.

I'm so sorry you have hungry visitors! Ack! :smack
 

freshfood

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
96
Reaction score
0
Points
29
Location
Ballston Spa, NY
You have my sympathy - last year we lost our entire corn crop in two days to the crows, almost as soon as it sprouted.

We ordered some "flash tape" and replanted. Didn't lose one single seedling that time!!!

This year, we started three flats indoors in deep cell trays. Transplanted them, direct seeded the rest of the crop, put up the flash tape, we have happy corn! The transplants are knee high, the direct seed stuff 4 -6 inches.

We walk the dogs around the garden regularly, whether that has any impact or not I don't know, but we have very little damage from warm-blooded critters. Especially considering the garden is not fenced.

Good luck! :/
 
Top