Knowledgebase
Hello. I planted vadalia... #180866
Asked May 12, 2014, 10:05 AM EDT
Hello. I planted vadalia onion sets and a couple of days later went on a trip. We were gone for 6 days and when we got home all of my onions were gone. We think that birds took them for nests. How do I replant and not have this happen again?
Gentry County Missouri
Expert Response
It is a good a idea to try and identify what may have caused the problem. Was there any tracks or signs of anything in the garden? Birds can cause damage to plants and could pull small plants out of the ground. So they may the culprit. If you replant you could protect the plants by covering them with a row cover or sheet for protection until they have time to get rooted so they won't be as tempting to wildlife or other damage. Floating row covers are a good product for vegetable gardeners and can be found at most stores that have garden supplies. They can protect plants from pests, temperatures extremes etc.If you are not familiar with row covers here is link to some information from Colorado State Extension- http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/VegFruit/rowcover.htm If you identify your problem is caused by wildlife there is information in the Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage publication-http://www.icwdm.org/handbook/index.asp#bird
