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Post by brownrexx on Sept 9, 2020 11:44:27 GMT -5
Last week I discovered that a lot of my sweet potato leaves had been eaten and when I looked around further I discovered a ground hog hole right in my garden and hidden by the volunteer cherry tomato vines.
If you know me, you know that with the exception of small rodents, I will not kill an animal that is bothering my garden. I will find non lethal means to protect my garden.
My sweet potatoes were ready to be harvested anyway so I did that and composted the vines. I read online that ammonia makes a woodchuck hole unappealing to the animal and they will leave. They apparently can not stand the smell (who can?)
I mixed up 1/2 gallon of ammonia with water in a 5 gallon bucket and poured it into the hole. Success! The groundhog left and I have not seen him since.
I did not want him hibernating under my garden so he had to go. Now I can fill in the hole.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 9, 2020 14:48:28 GMT -5
That hole was more than likely not its den. They will dig what is called a "bolt hole" near a food supply. If there is danger they will bolt into it rather than try to reach the main den.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by brownrexx on Sept 9, 2020 17:00:30 GMT -5
I don't know if it's a bolt hole or not but that thing is deep. You should see the size of the rocks he brought up.
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Post by september on Sept 9, 2020 22:03:09 GMT -5
They are great excavators! One time I had a tunnel that started on one side of a 8x4' raised bed and went diagonally lengthwise to the other side. Mounds of dirt at either end. They seem to go for the green bean bushes first here, especially in the spring. Did not have any come by this summer, which is odd. Our fox population is high right now, have not seen any rabbits either, and chipmunks are way down.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Sept 10, 2020 4:51:56 GMT -5
We have a woodchuck living under our shed making a HUGE mess! I will mention the ammonia thing to DH.
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Post by brownrexx on Sept 10, 2020 7:08:39 GMT -5
ladymarmalade, I'll bet that pouring ammonia on a rag and putting it just inside the entrance would work.
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Post by Hensaplenty on Sept 13, 2020 7:29:15 GMT -5
Just had to post this:
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 13, 2020 11:15:56 GMT -5
Chunk is cute. But he is going to be overrun with groundhogs by giving them such a paradise.
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