4 replies to this topic

[flycatchers]

Woke up this morning to find a trail of destruction in one of my greenhouses! A few upturned nepenthes but mainly smashed and crushed Heli! Growing points broken off or no growing points at all!!
Possible culprits- human, dog, cat, fox or bird(s)? Given the type of damage I think a bird or birds. The first Heli was completely uprooted and the moss removed from the pot. Nothing left of the plant really. And in my sectioned off area where the door was open was where the bulk of the damage was done. A dozen or so large heli knocked over, pitchers smashed- bubble wrap pulled down one side. So a bird in search of nesting material got stuck in the greenhouse and panicked. My guess anyway... Would netting over the open doorway do the trick as I like to keep the doors open during the summer and in 15 years have never had this happen before. But have found unpotted VFT's that were growing outside on other occasions. Only rearranged the plants just last night!! Now they are rearranged again!  

bill

[Blocky71]

That's depressing news, i've almost finished the grenhouse i built because my plants were getting mauled by either the weather or the local moggies, guess i better look into a screen for the door too...
What about one of those  sprung loaded mesh style doors you see in american films/tv?. It'd just be a simple frame with something like mesh or chicken wire tacked to it. I guess the hardest part would be finding a way of hinging it to the existing frame, you could set a wooden fence post in the ground each side of the glass door and attach your new "swing door" between them?.
Anyhow sorry to hear your plants got damaged, i'm feeling your pain.
Good luck' Chris

[gardenofeden]

I get regular problems with birds in my greenhouse and cold frames, destroying Sarracenia pitchers to get at insects and pulling up moss and Pinguicula. I have netting over the door of the greenhouse now, basically just some fruit netting attached to a wire across the top of the door frame, with a stick attached to the bottom of the net, stick being slightly wider than the door it sits outside and conveniently holds the net in place. You can roll the net up around the stick when you want to allow access, and I have a couple of shelf brackets which the stick can sit on just above the door when the mesh is rolled up.

Stephen

[Richard Bunn]

I hear ya. Mine got trashed by cats a couple of years ago.

[headless]

Tother week, we came home and our (not greenhouse, plastic-y poly thing 5ft high, greenish) with all my plants in, had been blown over by the wind. I went spare. So gutting when you put in so many hours looking after you plants and something, essentially, or at least pretty much out of your control ruins it, is very upsetting.
Currently livid at little lice on my VFTs and Sundews.

Heartache never stops!!