Crocus December 2009

[Janis Ruksans]

Arthur you need to make sure the cat doesnt catch and eat mice that have been poisoned.

Mark, modern rodent poisons are not seriously dangerous to cats and other animals, I think no one cat can eat hundreds of mouse to accumulate sufficient ammount of active ingredient to become dangerous. May be kittens... But regardless of 4 cats living free in my nursery (never allowed to step inside home) and huge ammounts of poisons fed to rodents (this autumn at present more than 20 kg) no one cat disappear. More dangerous to my cats are foxes, living in neighbour forest. 20 years ago I lost several cats for rodent poison because at that time poisons still were not so selective.
Janis

[art600]

Janis

Thank you for reassuring me about modern poisons.  I have not used any yet, but will put some in the greenhouse when it arrives.

I am surprised at your remark about foxes being more of a danger.  I thought this until I heard a radio programme that said foxes are cowards and a cat would normally see a fox off.  This was certainly the case with Gemma, when we had a fox take residence in a pile off wood chippings at the bottom of the garden. 

Grey squirrels on the other hand are very dangerous - their bite is generally fatal.

[Janis Ruksans]

Arthur
We haven't grey squirrels here (fortunately), red squirrels are dangerous only to small bird nests. Cat can escape from fox on tree, but on my property are large meadows around and trees are near house and forest bordering property. Cats are going to catch mice on meadows where comes foxes, too (in my forest is fox-mount, really it is named bedgers mount, as both are living in it). Mice are the main food for foxes, but one cat is of weight at least 100 mice so at period of fox child they are very happy meating cat on field without trees...
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Today went to greenhouse. Weather is very cloudy, some snow is in air and promissed sun didn't came in last days. I maid few pictures. On first you can see rodent poison tab which I'm buying directly from factory. There are used paraffin which makes tab moisture resistant. I'm putting tabs between pots in middle of bed where are some free space. Tabs which I placed on Friday mostly are picked up on surface of pots where my "friends" had nice meal. Pictured tab is only slightly tasted, from others left only some small bits. On way back to home I brought a pair of Crocus pots inside to force them open flowers for pollination and few pictures as I lost hope that some Crocus will open flowers this season in greenhouse. After 15th December are offered even minus 20 C.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

As I wrote in previous entry I brought inside a pair of pots. One was with Crocus longiflorus from Basilicata in Italy. First two pictures are made inside by flashlight, the third I made in greenhouse, when brought pot back.
Another pot with Crocus cancellatus mazziaricus started to open, but I think it will be possible to picture it only tomorrow as flowers still are only half-opened.
Janis.

[mark smyth]

Janis what are the rodents that eat your bulbs? Only voles?

[mark smyth]

Here is my first winter flowering Crocus - chrysanthus 'Sunspot'. The tube is also black. I think it was my first last year also

[mark smyth]

Sunspot is exactly 4 weeks 2 days early. The first flower was photographed on January 8th 2009 and December 31st in 2007

[Michael J Campbell]

More dangerous to my cats are foxes

Must get myself a fox.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis what are the rodents that eat your bulbs? Only voles?

Generally they are mice (my computer vocabulary shows that vole is common word for mice and rat). In my previous garden I had problems with rats, too. Once I found almost dead huge rat just in box with crocus corms. There I had two cows (It was Soviet time) and bulbs were kept on attic of cattle. Later, when I took out stable manure, I found large deposit with topsize Crocus chrysanthus corms side by side with dead rat (poisons!).
On open field there are mice and most dangerous are water-rats (water-voles). Water-voles are very cautious to new food and they very rarely eat poisons if there are another food. Usually there are moles which makes initial holes followed by mice (all species) and water-rats. But there are mice which digs out corms from top (field-mouse - or vole), too, but such damage I rarely found. Regular replacing of poisons helps to keep mice under control. There are no real remedy against moles (only traps, sometimes works - this autumn I killed some 20 moles) and almost nothing against water-rats - only cutting of grass around garden and pools which helps to owls and hawks to catch rodents. Some are killed by my dog, some by cats.
I had no losses at present from pots, but some damage had in bulb shed when I forgot to put in poisons before started harvesting. Some boxes I found empty when started packing of orders. Fortunately I usually have some reserve stock unharvested and it is possible to fulfill received orders. More unpleasant is that mice brings crocus corms around and sometimes leave them halfway in wrong box. But after some painfull lessons, now I'm very carefull with replacing of poisons regardless of their costs.
Janis

[art600]

More dangerous to my cats are foxes

Must get myself a fox.

   They make more mess than a cat   and they are not known mousers  

[Janis Ruksans]

More dangerous to my cats are foxes

Must get myself a fox.

   They make more mess than a cat   and they are not known mousers  

Here the mice is main food for fox (city-foxes here are almost unknown yet; rubbish-deposit foxes here are, but they have very limited living area). So our foxes are good my friends and although I allowed to local hunter group to arrange hunting on my property (mostly for wild bores, sometimes elks, dears, ducks etc.), hunting of foxes on my place is hardly forbidden.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Just checked another pot brought inside several hours ago - flowers opened but as outside is night, I pictured this one using flash-light. On picture Crocus cancellatus mazziaricus R2CV-018.
Janis

[mark smyth]

You definitely dont want boar among your bulbs.

In Scotland one person uses pigs to clear ivy off the ground where snowdrops grow. The pigs eat everything except snowdrops, Leucojums and Eranthis

[Janis Ruksans]

Sunspot is exactly 4 weeks 2 days early. The first flower was photographed on January 8th 2009 and December 31st in 2007

It isn't honest, Mark. Twice in one year!
Janis