I’m getting ready to plant a dwarf mulberry tree, which I plan to espalier. It’ll be next to a woodshed where groundhogs live underneath. I know that groundhogs love mulberry leaves, which leads me to a few questions:
Should I be worried about them digging underneath the tree and damaging the roots? If so, should I bury a fence underneath the tree when I plant it?
I expect the tree to eventually grow to be 8-10 feet. I was originally thinking I’d have trellis wires every 2 feet, but given that they’d eat all leaves/fruit within their range, I’m wondering how tall I should train the lowest laterals. Should I wait until they’re 4 feet off the ground?
I also plan to cage-in the tree while it’s young, what would be the cues in the coming years where I can uncage the tree?
Pour a tablespoon of ammonia in the woodchucks hole once a week. That should force them to leave.
I have done this many times over the past couple decades. It works good.
Under the woodshed would leave me suspecting you may find holes already there. Putting the root guard around the ball would likely prove a great idea.
I’m in the country, so there is a lot of wild area, but based on those here, I would not expect them to actually damage your tree unless it was invading their tunnel. The mamas do not like to give up their primary homes, and they seem pretty smart. Make sure they have plenty of other stuff to browse and they are likely to prove to treat the tree sustainably. Nibbling low branches while it is still young may be tempting enough so fencing it in is a good idea.
Getting rid of any but the pups around here has proven to be impossible - they know how to come home, but they recognize traps as an adult and seem to be able to train away from certain areas by leaving a trap there and visible. Cantaloupe seems to have a good success rate for pups.
Sadly, planting the groundhog first is liekly the only permanent solution if you have one that is bent on non-peaceful cohabitation. Broadleaf plantain seems to be a favorite forage and grows nearly everywhere if you have an area you can let stay wild. My garden is wide open and they tend to leave it be. I wish they liked to eat multiflora rose and wild blackberry brambles.
“Planting the groundhog” I agree, though for the sake of your shed’s foundation rather than the tree’s. A good tree guard should be all you need to protect it.
My local groundhog killed mulberry tree outright last year. It was starting to get so.e size, too! They love the leaves more than just about anything. Mine climbed into the cage to eat the leaves. I was able to deter it with a capsaicin based spray directly on the plant. If I got even a little behind on reapplying after heavy rain, I would inevitably find a defoliated mulberry. An electric fence mught work, or completely surrounding it with a cage.
Their holes provide shelter for many different animals: foxes, skunks, rabbits, snakes, feral cats, etc. Their digging aerates the soil and cycles nutrients, thus improving soil conditions and plant diversity. They are also prey for many predatory animals. I’d say that they are highly influential engineers of their environments.
A friend had a mulberry, visible from his back deck. One afternoon as we enjoyed glasses of wine, I noticed a groundhog 5’ up the tree, sitting in a crotch created by some scaffolds, stripping and eating leaves. Damaging but not fatal.
In my own case, 5-6 years ago I planted 3 Gerardi dwarfs inside a 6’ fence. Over each of the next 3 years, a woodchuck burrowed under the fence then climbed the trees to eat the leaves. As a woodchuck is fat and my trees were young, there were many broken branches. In one case, the central leader broke at the graft.
Lately I’ve been diligently suppressing them, placing a baited trap near the mulberries. I generally catch between 3 and 12 woodchucks each year. I also “spot and stalk” any woodchuck I see near my yard; they’re pretty susceptible to a pellet gun but they are very wary. Anyway, damage to the mulberries in the past few years has been minimal.
Are these holes the same holes that the cattle and horses break their legs in or is it the holes that the barn foundation is sinking into?
The woodchucks certainly do aerate the soil, but to me the best woodchuck is roadkill.
You seem to be more concerned with how they affect or could benefit people. The point of my post was that they are beneficial to their native environments, regardless of how they affect us directly.
I agree, though for the sake of your shed’s foundation rather than the tree’s. A good tree guard should be all you need to protect it.
