Ideas Wanted for Improvised Mesh Bulb Guard

[Alan_b]

I have a fanciful thought that if one could enclose a bulb in a (wire) mesh guard then that might protect it from rodents and accidental damage, also allow it to be easily located but still allow the roots and shoot to grow out from the bulb.  So what I need is any cheap common-or-garden object that could be adapted to this purpose. Something like a tea infuser (ball) but with a much coarser mesh.  Any ideas anyone?   

[Olive Mason]

Hello Alan

What about a wire balloon gutter guard?  Available at Amazon

Olive

[Maggi Young]

A light-weight weld-mesh is ideal for this, Alan.  One with a size of 0.5 mm to 1cm  would be best.
Twiweld/welded mesh is available from various places - including the bigger petshops! (Outside the UK  I think this stuff is called  Hardware cloth )

 Easy to cut and shape, in a similar fashion to the way we make  "rain-hats "/covers for plants with a heavier-weight weld mesh - as illustrated here :  http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Aug041280927654BULB_LOG__31comp.pdf

We use all mesh versions of these to protect some little plants or to cover mouse traps too.

[Maggi Young]

Hello Alan

What about a wire balloon gutter guard?  Available at Amazon

Olive

The ones we have of those have elongated gaps which would allow mousey access..... 

[Alan_b]

I think Maggi is probably right, Olive, although that gutter-guard is roughly the right shape.  I'll certainly look at Triweld mesh but if I could find something that was round in the first place that would be easier. 

[Maggi Young]

The problem is something that is round and bulb shaped -and - your comments seem to  suggest  to me - sized for  one bulb - would be that the bulb would have very little chance to grow and multiply. You'd have to be digging it up regularly to be sure it wasn't getting squashed by the protective casing.   Advantage of a little square cage is the chance to give the bulbs room to expand for a while without needing too much interference.

[brianw]

I was thinking the same as Maggie. What about expansion.
Your answer would seem to be a lid for a flower pot, maybe wired on, but porous enough for the main and side shoots to emerge, and all the roots to come out of the drainage holes. You would in effect be using your garden as a plunge bed.

[Alan_b]

I have a chipped snowdrop bulb that is very precious to me.  It is growing very slowly in its plant pot and has only produced a single leaf for the past three years, although this leaf is a bit larger each year.  I'm thinking that it might need the mycorrhizal fungi present in my garden soil amongst the other snowdrops to grow well.  But I don't want to lose it to a rodent or just lose it because the bulb is still very small.  That would be my first application for my mesh bulb guard. 

In general terms, I had it in mind that the mesh container would be two or three times the diameter of the bulb (and that the bulb would be small, no larger than 2cm [0.8"] in diameter).  I appreciate that all-being-well the container would be outgrown after a few years but that is fine.  I already 'use my garden as a plunge bed', growing spring bulbs and tubers in the small lattice pots intended for pond use.  I do this mainly so I can be sure of finding them but also feel that the lattice pot may offer some protection against predators.

[tremont]

What size wire mesh is the gutter guard?  Is it like a 14 x 14 or 14 wires per inch type of mesh? (Measuring guide can be seen here - www.bwire.com ).

I would worry about too many wires per inch when it comes to the gutter guard - something too restricting will not allow as much nutrients to the actual bulb and also will restrict roots.  Also - unless just about every square centimeter of the bulb is covered, can't these rodents get through the mesh is they really want to?  While it may make things a little bit harder on them - I think it will also make the growing process a little bit more difficult when it comes to roots, nutrients with the bulb itself?  It is certainly worth a shot though - very interesting idea please keep us posted on how this works out.