Topic: Sweet corn pulled up and eaten

[gwynnethmary]

Was it a rabbit?  We do have invading rabbits- is this something they would do?  I also found fox excrement.  Would a fox eat sweet corn ?(only the young leaves as yet!)

[Jeannine]

My bet would be the pigeons. XX Jeannine

[davyw1]

Was anything else touched or was it fenced off i think it rather strange that a rabbit only touched your sweetcorn iff other veg was available normally its the leek tops and brassica first

[gwynnethmary]

The corn was in the same bed as sprouts, which weren't touched, but in the next bed the caulis and cabbages that went out just last week were decimated.  I was talking to another plotholder who told me the pigeons had been at his, so that's probably what happened- I guess it's going to have to be netting!

[PurpleHeather]

It is definitely pigeons. Cover them.  Nets are the easiest answer, at least until the plants are a bit bigger.

No need to totally cover, just make it so that the birds do not feel comfortable to take off and fly away if a predator is around.

It can be a bit fiddly to put in place and will take up time better spent on something else unfortunately.

 

[gwynnethmary]

Do I just roll out the netting and put pots underneath to support it? And weigh the edges down of course!

[Tee Gee]

This my way;



OK my supports were not made for this bed but my other supports are in use but this is sufficient for the time being.

When the plants are about 9"-12" high I will take it off!

[gwynnethmary]

That looks good, but I'm not sure where to get the blue stuff from?  I aready have netting.

[Baccy Man]

The blue pipe is standard 25mm mdpe normally used for waterpipes, it's available from any builders merchants or agricultural merchants.

This is the stuff but shop around & you should find it for about half the price.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/MDPE-Pipe/invt/425072?source=123_4

[telboy]

I was advising on an earlier thread that I would try strong black cotton along rows using 'split canes'.
The flying rats didn't touch a plant until I wasn't there for two days.
They stripped the brassicas in that time. Spent today netting the plants which should recover & shot 5 of the barstewards!
 >:( >:(
The plants below the trees they 'shag in' were the worst affected. Lesson in there somewhere?

[Sally A]

Badgers are a nuisance around here, they may have been scruffling (Is that a word??? who knows...I like the sound of it  ;D) around newly planted crops looking for worms etc.

[gwynnethmary]

Well, I put in some more sweet corn ,gave them a cane each, and ran some netting around loosely- three days later they're still there. :D