Crocus damage...frost or pest?

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by Ian Wallace, Jan 6, 2009.

  1. Ian Wallace

    Ian Wallace Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi,
    The heads of my crocus bulbs seem to be cut off and scattered flat on the soil, or is this frost damage? Are they not planted deep enough? They were planted a year or too ago, and this has happened all over the garden not just in this isolated spot. I first noticed it before Christmas. Over in Northern Ireland here we had a sharp spell or too of frost then.
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Not sure but I would suspect it might be bird damage - as a rule of thumb bulbs should be planted to two or three times their own height - so crocus should be about 2 inches down to the tip - if there is anything showing above ground they are far too shallow. Hope that helps.
     
  3. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    I agree with John-I saw them doing it to a few of my daff bulbs. They give it a yank in the hope that a juicy eatable comes up with it-when it doesn`t they move on to the next and then the next.
     
  4. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Don't you just love them sometimes - they pull up my onion sets which have to be planted very shallow. Blackbirds are the worst culprits - whenever I put mulch around trees/shrubs they love to get in it and throw it all over the lawn.
     
  5. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    Cheeky blighters they`re nowt else!

    I caught them doing it to the shallots too, I had to use my wire fencing and netting to keep them out.
     
  6. Ian Wallace

    Ian Wallace Apprentice Gardener

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    ...Wee ******s.
    Thanks everybody i hear black birds taste nice so that's two excuses to carry out a small scale cull.
     
  7. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    We have several pairs of them in the garden and they trashed the lawn last autumn. I bet that's why I have very few crocus bulbs appearing now :mad::mad:
     
  8. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    It`s worse this year but I have been feeding them so enticing them in, plus some conifers have been disposed of so they are more visible to any fly-by bulb thieving
     
  9. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    Well I've just been out now the ground has defrosted and there are precious few bulbs appearing.

    I'm worried about my alliums as well, as I spent a lot of money on them. When should they start to appear?
     
  10. strongylodon

    strongylodon Old Member

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    Even if they leave the bulbs alone they often strip the flowers, sparrows in particular.:(
     
  11. elliegreenwellie

    elliegreenwellie Gardener

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    Blooming eck, this is what is happening to my daffs then - not a single daff in my back garden but I have seen the first inch or so that has come through broken off on the ground - I didn't know who was the culprit and thought it was slugs. The blighters have had every single one - they have left the tulips though - Grr, have a mind to get rid of that bird table, the cheeky blighters I feed them enough as it is!!
    Funny though they have left my crocus - until they flower that is!!
     
  12. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Cheeky little perishers ellie! Put them on half rations till they learn their lesson!

    Reminds me when I moved house, it was spring and we could see all the daff bulbs and waited and waited for them to flower, but they never did. On close examination all the flowers had been snipped off - the previous owners had gone around the garden on the day they moved out taking every single one of them :(
     
  13. lollipop

    lollipop Gardener

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    What utter miseries John, take the lightbulbs with them aswell??


    Consider yourself lucky with the tulips Ellie-the squirrels raided mine-I have a heck of a lot less coming up than I planted.
     
  14. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    They didn't take ALL the light bulbs Claire, but they had a leaving party and just walked out of the house leaving it in a right mess for us the next day when we moved in - grrrr.
     
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