I would guess deer but you should be able to see tracks in that soil pretty easy.
i couldnt resist. sorry, lol. remember you could always live trap and have jd release. our gnats worked themselves out once outside. nature will take care of it. good luck.
Thought you'd like to see my gnat-free LSU Scott's Black in it's new home. We chose a spot on the north side of a big boulder. As it grows tall, it will be in full sun, but it is in a gopher basket to protect it while it's young. It can get it's roots under all the boulders. We plan to mulch it tomorrow. It looks small but I wanted you to see it's real home.
Hi Desertdance,
For your potted tree, put it in a "windy" spot. It seems to me that you have it in a protected area and that could be your problem.
If you can provide more sun to the pot it will cook the gnats as well .
For your tree in ground, time for a chicken wire cage made of wire and 4 posts ... Don't wait, do it before it is too late. Critters don't leave an area ounce they
found a source of food.
jdsfrance, don't worry. We moved it far from where it was. Gnats are gone! Pot is gone.
It's now in ground and this entire hill is windy. We are going to put a chicken wire cage around it for sure. It has a lot of roots, so it will be doing a lot of growing this year.
Suzi
Well, yep we do have snakes. Rattlesnakes are the worst, but this man moved in to the neighborhood, and he is a snake saver. We haven't seen a snake since he moved in. He captures them and takes them to higher ground? First critter I ever encountered here was a big fat coiled rattlesnake. It shook it's rattles, and I ran!
This is a private road with some houses along it. Everyone has 2-5 acres. Most of that is wilderness. The neighbors are close. We share a gated private road, but we have no control over the wilderness that connects us.
Suzi
Possum, Racoon, deer, squirrels, dogs, and anything else that has fur, or wings, or feet.
Just an update. LSU Scott's black hasn't missed a beat. It's in ground in a chicken wire cage for protection in it's youth. Seems very happy. And here is a photo of the unknown fig that got pruned by the critter. Been a couple weeks, and it's bursting with new growth inside it's chicken wire cage. It's been shot with Tabasco too!
I'm now happy with the critter pruning job. I like all the new shoots popping out everywhere. Should be some figs soon for ID!
Suzi
Your critter just did you a favor, it seems. Roof rats (the black ones) do plenty of damage to fruit trees, as do squirrels and deer. Possums look like rats, so maybe they do, too. I have plenty of raccoons, but I've only seen them peel the oranges and eat them (leaving the peel hanging on the tree).
Yes. the critter did me a favor. That fig is exploding. Cant wait for figs for ID. I think it's Vernino AKA Pasqual, but not sure. Lost the tag in the move.
Suzi
