Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 10/7/2004

Question
I have heard there is a product in which you dip your bulbs in prior to planting that prevents critters from digging up and eating them.  What is the product, or is there a household remedy for this?  I am ready to plant.

Thank you!

Answer
Some people use a product called ROPEL (basically coyotee urine). Other people will dust the planting hole with bone meal. The effectiveness of both are questionable, but some people have reported good results. The problem is you never know if your bulbs would have been dug up in the first place. Both products should be available from garden centers, or home improvement centers. I bought ropel at the supermarket. (normally ropel is listed for rabbits and deer)

The best way to protect bulbs against burrowing rodents is to enclose the bulbs in a wire cage. The bulbs will grow through the wire mesh, but the bulbs are protected from rodent attack. This is an expensive and cumbersome procedure if you plant many bulbs, though.