He is a mole and he's living in my pumpkin hole

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Anton

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He is a mole and he's living in my pumpkin hole
« on: July 18, 2009, 09:16 »
Dear Fellow Gardeners,

As an experiment I very roughly dug (that is superficially) a piece of land not normally used on the allotment. I then planted about six pumpkins in holes I filled with compost. The thought was they would be kept moist during the dry period and the compost would keep down the weeds. I would just have to go around the holes with my hoe from time to time (not laziness but shortage of time). The pumpkins were thriving but yesterday I discovered a molehill in one of the holes and the pumpkin looking poorly and another hill but this was next to the plant, which appears to be unexpected. Any ideas what to do please?

Anton

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Yorkie

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Re: He is a mole and he's living in my pumpkin hole
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2009, 16:17 »
I'm guessing that Mr Moley has damaged the roots of the pumpkin(s) by tunnelling near or through them - causing actual physical damage or for the roots to dry out by having an air pocket next to them.

I also guess that remedying the damage will depend on the extent of the root damage.  I don't know much about moles but unless you can get rid of them from that particular area, I wonder how persistent they will be in those runs and therefore will continue to cause the damage?

I would therefore think that one option, albeit impractical and may cause too much root damage / disturbance in itself, is to replant them somewhere else or in a pot.

Would be interested in others' thoughts and suggestions though.
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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tode

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Re: He is a mole and he's living in my pumpkin hole
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2009, 17:55 »
You'll have to trap the dear little fellow. See how in the post "(*!*!*! Moles!!!!" which is on page 23 (about).

When we had a lot of moles, I used to fill them in with a hose-pipe: squirt a jet onto the fresh mole-hill, and the slurry runs back down the tunnel (has the advantage that it must annoy the moles, getting their paws covered in mud  :)
You can also follow the tunnel, chopping down with a spade, to fill it in. Then a good watering.
I once tried flooding the tunnels, but it can take an enormous quantity of water to fill them completely, and only ever caught one that way, but it may work if the mole has only just arrived.
Good luck

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jb

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Re: He is a mole and he's living in my pumpkin hole
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2009, 19:13 »
A relative swears by sprinkling used cat litter around which acts as a deterrant. This was a last resort as all other approaches (bar poisoning which he didn't want to do) had failed and having seen his garden now it appears to have worked really well. However whether it will deter quick enough to allow good growth in your patch is another matter and so Yorkie's suggestion probably offers the best way of saving your pumpkins.


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