holes in mulch in flower beds and under shrubs and trees - Ask Extension
We are finding more and more holes in the mulch surrounding flower beds shrubs and trees. Holes are only a few inches deep. We have lots of birds,...
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holes in mulch in flower beds and under shrubs and trees #874624
Asked June 25, 2024, 12:14 PM EDT
We are finding more and more holes in the mulch surrounding flower beds shrubs and trees. Holes are only a few inches deep. We have lots of birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits in your yard. Do they dig holes like these? How do we stop the problem?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
We are finding lots of small holes in the wood chip mulch around the plants, shrubs, and trees in our front and back yard. The holes are only about an inch deep and don’t seem to be connected. We see lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits in the yard. We have seen squirrels and chipmunks digging briefly. Are they looking for food? Birds also dig. What should we do?
Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and skunks are all fairly common culprits for this kind of digging. Holes and depressions in soil and mulch can be hard to identify to culprit, but in this case they aren't causing serious damage to anything, and no intervention is needed. They might be burying food for later (if a squirrel or chipmunk), or looking for grubs, worms, or other invertebrates to eat. (The presence of grubs would not necessarily mean plant root damage is occurring or detrimental.) We would not know how to effectively repel or discourage most of those animals anyway, since repellents have limited impact and require frequent re-application to counteract weathering.
Miri
Miri
