tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post9069695723895021572..comments2023-12-17T20:16:22.983-08:00Comments on The Lents Farmer: Man vs Nature - Raccoon EditionMatthew - The Lents Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-64991046178151593192017-05-02T10:30:15.171-07:002017-05-02T10:30:15.171-07:00I also read that if you leave food & fresh wat...I also read that if you leave food & fresh water out, they will leave your pond alone. However I feel like this is sending the wrong message.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03891665814909994739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-210726059780537412017-05-02T09:37:20.801-07:002017-05-02T09:37:20.801-07:00Your story is hilarious yet I totally understand t...Your story is hilarious yet I totally understand the frustration. We caught a a pair of raccoons picking strawberries in my backyard. We were standing 18-20 feet away and made eye contact with them and they just stood there staring back to us. No one moved. After about a min. the pair of thieves SLOWLY walked away. Then last summer they totally destroyed my half barrel water pond. They were going after the water hyacinth. There were bite marks on the bulbs and everything else was tossed out of the pond. I'm been doing some research and it seems nothing is a sure deterrent given how smart and persistent these raccoons are. I like your idea of the raccoon condom and bells tied to the wires. Was wondering how that worked out? <br />I was initially thinking of building one of these but then read that it did NOT work:<br />http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthread.php?84006-Raccoon-proof-lid-for-a-half-whiskey-barrel<br />Beth's comments about the deer and porch barricaded with lawn chairs is really funny. One thing I read about the coyote is that in an urban setting, the coyote and the raccoon have a more amicable relationship than that of their country cousins, so coyote urine may not repel “citified” ‘coons.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03891665814909994739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-82129345122791995892015-10-20T15:04:26.937-07:002015-10-20T15:04:26.937-07:00I'm so sorry that they went after your beautif...I'm so sorry that they went after your beautiful water lilies and fish. Oh how I wish that I could have seen you spray those coons down with the hose. Serves them right! Have you considered having a water source just for them in a distant corner of your garden? I provide one for my coons. And I also throw dog food in a neighbors garden, she's never home, and it keeps them occupied elsewhere. I hope that your new set up works. Fingers crossed. P.S. I chase my coons and opossums with a flat head shovel while in my pj's. laurahttp://www.gravylessons.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-49829799013701547682015-10-06T13:25:37.950-07:002015-10-06T13:25:37.950-07:00Could be - hot stagnant water generally leads to a...Could be - hot stagnant water generally leads to all sorts of bad things. It's enough to make a person gatvol! My "ponds" were always intended to be self-contained pools. It's just the fish, snails and plants with no electricity or moving parts. Koi, while pretty, do make a mess of things too. Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-62105857371478730732015-10-06T10:31:14.422-07:002015-10-06T10:31:14.422-07:00Mine tend to get bad - maybe higher temps here in ...Mine tend to get bad - maybe higher temps here in South Africa? The ones without fish need water circulation to keep Mosquitos at bay and the ones in the koi pond get nibbledMariJuddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03582753562853338428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-16740781384028161672015-10-05T15:32:26.516-07:002015-10-05T15:32:26.516-07:00Hello! I just do a couple things annually. I muck ...Hello! I just do a couple things annually. I muck out the ponds in the spring and fall. Just pulling out the dead leaves and such. In the spring, I fertilize the water lilies with pond tabs. Over summer, I do partial water changes here and there (about 10-20%) every 2-4 weeks or so. When the water lily leaves kick in and cover the surface, the water clears up generally. I remove spent/yellowed lily leaves often. I don't mind the ponds a little green however. As long as the algae isn't too bad, I let it stay. Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-88479878916244246862015-10-02T21:57:45.785-07:002015-10-02T21:57:45.785-07:00Matthew, luckily no raccoons in our part of the wo...Matthew, luckily no raccoons in our part of the world but the herons do like their sushi - how do you keep your Water lily tubs so clean from algae?MariJuddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03582753562853338428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-57281217755170883962015-08-24T21:24:28.427-07:002015-08-24T21:24:28.427-07:00Hahahahahaha. I know it's not funny, but the ...Hahahahahaha. I know it's not funny, but the visual is so damn funny.Mindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07247379600555185331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-6728837627173893322015-08-19T11:41:46.469-07:002015-08-19T11:41:46.469-07:00I have heard about using red fox urine to keep the...I have heard about using red fox urine to keep them out. I think a skunk would eat a fish if it found one laying around, but I don't think they fish like raccoons do. Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-64107895916810608652015-08-19T11:40:37.700-07:002015-08-19T11:40:37.700-07:00When I scared them, they barely moved on. I think ...When I scared them, they barely moved on. I think they thought I would go back inside and they would come back for seconds. Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-23362717159777331922015-08-19T11:39:29.574-07:002015-08-19T11:39:29.574-07:00I would opt for a glass dome over the entire yard ...I would opt for a glass dome over the entire yard if I could, but I don't think I can afford that. I think my new wire lids + sleighbells will do the trick. It's uglier, but I'd rather have ugly than no fish and smashed lilies. Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-34275710486604632482015-08-18T22:38:02.829-07:002015-08-18T22:38:02.829-07:00Oh Matthew they were gorgeous! So lush and colorfu...Oh Matthew they were gorgeous! So lush and colorful. Those damn Lil' F#$%-ers have got to pay. I know Peter (the outlaw) has had electric wires across his pond. I don't know what's involved with that but might it be a solution?danger gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09227500551609537140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-42910262361373183082015-08-18T16:46:30.500-07:002015-08-18T16:46:30.500-07:00I hope your plan is successful. I haven't star...I hope your plan is successful. I haven't started sleeping outside lying in wait for them yet, I'm too afraid of them. Although I suppose if they saw some fat old lady running at them yelling at the top of her lungs carrying a big metal spoon, it might give them pause.Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16323262555906240701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-57516472959282570822015-08-18T14:14:07.083-07:002015-08-18T14:14:07.083-07:00I read recently about some gardener allowing Sk...I read recently about some gardener allowing Skunks in the garden ,because they chase wood chucks away. Probably not very helpful . I don't know if skunks eat fish ? http://whatsitgarden.blogspot.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04428564551705151480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-21980541889665939022015-08-18T13:47:02.925-07:002015-08-18T13:47:02.925-07:00I guess there is always something... I have never ...I guess there is always something... I have never seen a deer in my hood, but there are coyotes roaming the streets at night. Maybe I need to hire the coyotes to eat the raccoons?!?Matthew - The Lents Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04322893329475944946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509171539925075234.post-29416783551235506222015-08-18T11:54:31.208-07:002015-08-18T11:54:31.208-07:00Oh but I laughed reading this post - and I DO symp...Oh but I laughed reading this post - and I DO sympathize too. I battle deer. And by mid-August they are so desperate for anything green that they'll walk right up on my front porch to the front door and eat everything in sight. I hope your raccoon condoms work for you. I have the porch barricaded with lawn chairs. Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17433260552425620150noreply@blogger.com