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Vegetable garden

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I've been nurturing a good crop of passionfruit many of which are just getting the first touch of colour. Prefer to let them ripen fully on the vine for best flavour.

This morning I've found many of them lying on the ground, some still attached to the vine, but eaten through, some fragments of shell over the ground.
Is this likely to be flying foxes, possums, or rats? Could rats climb and eat suspended free hanging fruit that's not against a fence? i.e. do I need to cover the vine (difficult - there's a lot of it) or increase the amount of rat bait I'd already put out.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. This is my favourite fruit and I'm mightily annoyed to be feeding some animals on it.
 

possums!

my mum has a hell of a time with them, last week they took out the only 2 nectrines we have been able to produce in 2 years, the grape vine can't get going since they chew any new growth

the passion fruit has been spared - she had a stocking foot with moth balls hanging near the fruit - seems to have put them off
 
Good evening Julia.
Your problem is flying fox.

The best way to get rid of them the flying fox, is to eat them.

Kind regards,
UB
 
Uncle Barry said:
Good evening Julia.
Your problem is flying fox.

The best way to get rid of them the flying fox, is to eat them.

Kind regards,
UB
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If you are not up to shooting flying foxes (its illegal) loud music will get rid of them.

I've been reliably informed that John Denver's dreadful repertoire is particularly effective.

Be careful to do a shock and awe on them as they carry rabies, a convenient fact suppressed by the greenies.

gg

gg
 
Thanks, Roland. I'll try the mothballs. I didn't think there were any of these ghastly creatures here until my neighbour spotted one a few nights ago.

I can't believe Australians like these nuisance pests and even make pets of them. In NZ they're the next worst pest to rabbits, only good for their fur.
 
Shooting anything is out of the question. I hate guns.
GG, I don't believe it's flying foxes as they are always around and have never had a go at the passionfruit before. At present there are heaps of mangoes on trees everywhere and these usually keep the foxes occupied.

Re the music: it might get rid of the foxes but would probably also get rid of my neighbours.

Maybe leave the dog outside at night? She doesn't permit any cats and no other avian species than pigeons.
 

Agree Julia.

John Denver even at low volume might encourage some to lick the luger.

gg
 

I got an idea... Get a cat trap
 
CoffeeKing said:
I got an idea... Get a cat trap
Click to expand...

Just a big cat will do.

Damn possums climb up the mesh on my back door security screen making a hell of a racket, make a mess of my banana trees which are at the back door, not to mention an odd papaya, mango even ripe pineapple.

There's a lot of thick bush at the back of my place and despite the cats getting quite a few small ones, probably mistaking them for rats and mice of which there is also no shortage of in the bush, I still get regular marooding adult possums around the place. Ocassionally an adult will meet it's fate.
 
CoffeeKing said:
How long does it take to grow Springs onions,
Love the things, would like to try my own
Click to expand...

Six to eight weeks in summer, a couple more in colder months, but really you can start pulling them as early as you like and they will just grow a bit bigger left in the ground until they go to flower.
 
Julia said:
That's a good idea. Where did you get yours? Do you put some food in it to entice the creature?
Click to expand...

Is that just an avatar or do you have that type of dog?
Surely that beast wouldn't let them in...

For a trap try the local council, or a friend might have one...
In Newcastle I got a possum trap from Kennards Hire
Use the fruit they eat as bait (your passionfruit)
Be prepared for a noisy night if you get one early
 
I do have a German Shepherd, and yes, she would quickly despatch any intruder. But she sleeps inside at night. I suggested to her that she instead take up possum duty but she appeared less than keen to spend the night outside.

I've taken up Roland's suggestion of hanging the mothballs amongst the vine (goodness, they stink!), and have put out more rat bait. The latter has been taken and no more passionfruit have been attacked, so perhaps it was rats.
 

Here in Townsville we have been attacked by so many bugs that most gardens are looking pretty pathetic. It happened just after planting in late winter spring.

Oh to have such a simple answer as killing rats, I have some good traps, and the roses love them.

gg
 
Just gotta get on an brag about how beautiful the garden looks down here in Hobart

Picking bucketloads of raspberries, cherries, strawberries, blueberries - yummmm

Also got great results from my early plantings of zuccini, corn, beans.

Did have a big wind the other day though that split my three year old nectarine tree fair down the middle of the main trunk ANyone got any tips about whether it is salvageable? I have tied the two main verticals together higher up which is holding it together but not sure about whether i can do anything to seal the trunk back up again?

Have a great Christmas all
 
Jono,

my old man grows stone fruit (and other fruit and veg) for a living, and there is nothing that can be used to seal the nectarine back togther as far as im aware.

What you have done is about right, the tree might heal itself, it might not. Your other option would be to get rid of one half, and keep the strongest half, and then prune it into shape by encouraging groth limbs back.
 
jonojpsg said:
Just gotta get on an brag about how beautiful the garden looks down here in Hobart

Picking bucketloads of raspberries, cherries, strawberries, blueberries - yummmm

Also got great results from my early plantings of zuccini, corn, beans.
Click to expand...
I feel very envious of all this, jono. That's the very real advantage of a cold climate - that you do get the wonderful produce in Spring and Summer, unaffected by pests and diseases.
Raspberries up here in Qld are about $7 for a 250g punnet.
 



that sort of damage sounds like possums to me, they do the same thing to my oranges
 
Good afternoon,
"If you are not up to shooting flying foxes (its illegal)"


If you eat flying foxes, its always far better eat them after they have been 'recycled'

Could you even dream of the wings flying around while your trying to put them in a pot.

ps, They dress just like you would a rabbit.

Kind regards,
UB
 
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