Bloody Cats!!

coolhull

Does anyone know how prevent cats from digging up a newly planted hedge that I sowed in April. Plants are about 8 inches tall, and should have done well. Even in the hot summer months, I kept them watered.
But the next- door's cats, (about four of them) used to come in at night and dig up every second or third plant, leaving them to dry out and die in the hot sun.
So I have some more ready-rooted plants to replace them, which I plan to sow in September, but I obviously don't want them to suffer the same fate. I've tried stuff like pepper and vinegar, and some of the commercially sold stuff, but the cats just laugh at me at roll around in it!
Anyone got any ideas, please?

macraignil

Put a fence of chicken wire around the hedge.

Also most hedge plants are sold at bigger sizes so you could also just plant the bigger hedge plants that might be too big for the cats to dig out. Planted a hedge of three foot hawthorn and hornbeam and the odd one has been pulled out by horses in the neighboring field but reckon cats would find them too much work to dig up,

mrcheez

I stuck a load of bird spikes in my soil to stop cats doing their business in it.

Worked a charm and you don't see the spikes unless up close.

coolhull

macraignil wrote: »

Put a fence of chicken wire around the hedge.

Also most hedge plants are sold at bigger sizes so you could also just plant the bigger hedge plants that might be too big for the cats to dig out. Planted a hedge of three foot hawthorn and hornbeam and the odd one has been pulled out by horses in the neighboring field but reckon cats would find them too much work to dig up,

The hedging plants I sow are ones I've raised in pots from clippings, and I know it's silly but I prefer things I've sown myself rather than shopping for them. But I think I will try the chicken wire, as long as it's not too noticeable. The hedge is only about twenty feet from my front door.

coolhull

mrcheez wrote: »

I stuck a load of bird spikes in my soil to stop cats doing their business in it.

Worked a charm and you don't see the spikes unless up close.

I'm not sure what bird spikes are!? Are they like nails with the pointy ends sticking up?

mrcheez

coolhull wrote: »

I'm not sure what bird spikes are!? Are they like nails with the pointy ends sticking up?

These are the ones I got

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Defender-Narrow-Plastic-Pigeon-Spikes/dp/B006Z5ZH02/ref=mp_s_a_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1535843781&sr=8-21&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=bird+spikes

2 x 3m packs should be enough and then nail them into the soil with u-shaped pegs (also on Amazon)


Edit: these might be cheaper

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07929GHB4/ref=psdcmw_4224886031_t1_B006Z5ZH02

Lumen

Does that not make the gardening a bit of an extreme sport with spikes all over the place?

mrcheez

Lumen wrote: »

Does that not make the gardening a bit of an extreme sport with spikes all over the place?

Well it's just around the bedding which is mulch so I never have to dig down there.

Cats loved crapping in my mulch

It might work in the OP's situation if set around the base of the new hedges to protect them and can then be removed later once the plants are stronger.