Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Pleione and Orchidaceae => Topic started by: mark smyth on July 15, 2012, 06:43:39 PM

Title: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: mark smyth on July 15, 2012, 06:43:39 PM
A bloody cat has been digging where I put some of my removed Dactylorhiza tubers. Thanks fully only one was totally exposed.This has resulted in the 'fingers' withering but the main tuber and nose are OK.

My guess it the roots that are produced now are anchor roots but feeding roots emerge from below the nose.

Will the tuber be OK?

If I catch the cat i'll be removing its orchis - if its a male ;D
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: Neil on July 15, 2012, 06:56:58 PM
Mark bury chicken wire just below the surface, the shoots wire grow through it and the tubers will be protected.
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: ronm on July 15, 2012, 06:58:14 PM
It wasn't us .....honest  ;D ;D ;D[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: Martinr on July 15, 2012, 07:01:17 PM
Buy chicken wire....nah, just exterminate cats >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: John Aipassa on July 15, 2012, 07:20:37 PM
Was it really a cat or was it a rabbit? The latter is notorious for digging everything up when the soil is disturbed time after time. Your soil was freshly disturbed if you removed your Dactylorhizas just recently. My neighbours have many cats which patrol my garden constantly, but I have never caught one digging. But when it comes to rabbits....I am fed up with the vigilance. I am planning to buy a gun and stock my freezer for X-Mas already  ;D
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: ronm on July 15, 2012, 08:00:22 PM
Buy chicken wire....nah, just exterminate cats >:( >:( >:(

Maybe ......... Maybe Not!!! ;D ;D

animal fighting women 2011 then throws her in wheelie bin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjUKUKUbkP0#ws)
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: Martinr on July 15, 2012, 08:04:00 PM
10/10, although I had some sympathy with the orginal sinner
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: mark smyth on July 15, 2012, 08:39:29 PM
The cat had dug the hole to have a poop.
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: John Aipassa on July 15, 2012, 09:37:14 PM
The cat had dug the hole to have a poop.

Well maybe he wanted to help you with fertilizing  ;D
or he wanted to pull of a prank. 8)   ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: brianw on July 15, 2012, 11:30:38 PM
The Hedgehogs living outside my backdoor have been raiding a patch of Dactylorhizas for bedding material. Fortunately we were watching it grabbing mouthfuls of vegetation and saw what was going on. At least 2 Dacs were pulled up, and one is now being slept on by the sow and 3 young ones. She got a severe talking to and stayed under the conifer then. I have had to try fencing them off, but my wife watched the sow going behind the screen earlier today, but I don't think she took anything this time.

If I can work out how to do it I will post some videos on Youtube of the family. The sow carrying the youngsters in her mouth is something to watch.
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: gote on July 16, 2012, 08:35:38 AM
My rabbits or the cat we sometimes babysit do not dig up anything but mice do. I use metal net with 5-6mm mesh width (Not mesh number) and put it 1-2 cm below the surface or just above the bulbs. All small plants like Corydalis, Crocus and Dactylorhiza get through the openings easily as long as the net is not exposed above the surface.  For single, or very few plants, I bend a 5cm edge down to form a cage. This is very useful for retrieving single rare bulbs since they tend to stay in the little "basket" thus formed.
Meow
Göte
PS
The rabbits eat all the nuts from the hazels before they are ripe - I do not care I do not like hazel nuts. ;)
 
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: Stephen Vella on July 16, 2012, 12:18:40 PM
try using electrical tape around the nursery with a rechargeable battery  :o they wont come back  ;D
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: johnw on July 17, 2012, 03:58:10 PM
Tom - Kokuho Rose, brown or basmati?   8)

They have shredded the nerine leaves in the front bed and have now started on the styro insulation in the barn, tearing it to shreds and leaving a helluva mess every night.

johnw
Title: Re: Cat dug up a Dactylorhiza tuber
Post by: Peter Maguire on July 18, 2012, 05:29:25 PM
I've used the high frequency sound products and they seem effective. The only problem is they run off batteries and unless you remember to turn the device off when you are working in the garden, the batteries soon run down.
I usually forget.... :-\
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