Vole attacked Shasta Daisies - now what?

9 years ago

I have a beautiful Shasta Daisy plant that has produced abundant, healthy blooms up until this year when I noticed it was getting munched by something. The pest turned out to be a vole. It has been mowing down the stalks, and as a result, the plant looks terrible.

I just moved it to a different part of my garden and have started spraying it with Deer Off to keep the vole away. Is there anything I can do it at this point in the season to get some blooms? Should I be fertilizing it to keep it healthy and to make sure it comes back next year?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

9 years ago

Shasta daisies are tough as nails - I wouldn't do a thing to it. Does the Deer Off really keep the voles away? I thought voles were more fond of munching on roots, etc., in which case the repellent spray wouldn't have much effect. You could try caging it........

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Comments (6)

Kate L
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm not sure re: the effectiveness of the Deer Off repelling the vole because it's only been a day or two since I sprayed it. It's been attacking the stalks of lilies, as well, that are nearby. I have witnessed the vole (assuming I am identifying it correctly and it actually is a vole) come out of the ground and chop down the stalks of the plant only to munch them a few times and then disappear. I figured the Deer Off might stop it from doing that.

The roots looked pretty good on the daisies when I dug up the plant to move it.

I do have a small Hav-A-Heart trap that I could set up...
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
no clue where you are.. but i would NOT have moved a plant in august ...

and i would NEVER fert a newly transplanted plant .. it will be stressed .. NOT HUNGRY ...

i would also use ALL garden products according to label.. and if the voles are not listed on the label ... then i would find something else ...

how did you differentiate between a vole and a field mouse???? ..

in many locations.. it is illegal to trap and relocate vermin.. basically making them someone elses problem ...

ken
Kate L
Original Author
9 years ago
I guessed vole in part because of the narrow tunnel I have in the grass nearby. It also looked too big to be a field mouse, but I could be wrong.
Jean
9 years ago
if it is a vole, they are easy to trap. Use mouse traps until it & its kin are gone.

To determine if it's a vole, submit a pix to your county's Extension Service office for ID.

To locate that office, use this interactive map:

http://npic.orst.edu/pest/countyext.htm
kimmq
9 years ago
Voles will eat plant roots as well as plant stems or any other part of a plant. The voles diet consists of grasses, roots, tree and shrub bark, plants, anything vegetative they can get there teeth around. A vole, aka field mouse, meadow mouse, looks like a small mouse and is fairly easily identified, if seen.

Whether moving any plant late in the growing season is a good or bad thing depends more on the care given after the move than the time of year, however, it is not likely that this plant would blossom yet this year after such a move.