Chomped Ctenanthe

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by KMalcolm, Aug 10, 2008.

  1. KMalcolm

    KMalcolm Member

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    Location:
    Bangor, Maine, US
    I have a Ctenanthe that my cats are chowing down on. The cats don't bother any of my other plants within their reach. They also seem to throw up what they have eaten of it. Other than moving it to somewhere not accessible by the cats (yeah right), is there anything I can do to get them to stop eating it? Thanks.
     
  2. pwk

    pwk Active Member

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    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    i'm recycling one of my old posts since i typed up a pretty elaborate story just a few days ago, lol:

    spice worked for me. try boiling/mashing up some chili peppers and either painting the spicy water onto the tips with a paintbrush, or spritzing with a small spray bottle.
    you can also buy stuff called Bitter Apple from most pet stores.

    another solution is filling up a water gun (with regular water!) and spraying the cat whenever you see them chewing on your plant. If you don't have a water gun, you can use one of those 591ml pop bottles by using a hot needle to poke a hole in the top of the cap. just aim and squeeze. worked my little schnook out of plucking at our carpets in the morning to wake us up, though this does take quite some persistence!

    i've heard or placing tape/aluminum foil/other varied items in a protective circle around the pot. apparently cats hate stepping on that kind of stuff. i haven't tried this though, since i imagine it would look a little silly.

    if all else fails, move the pant to high/inaccessible ground (hanging pots can be saviours:).

    good luck!
     
  3. LPN

    LPN Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Courtenay, Vancouver Island
    My biggest enemy at the moment might be snails or slugs, if or when it rains for any period of note.

    Cheers, LPN.
     

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  4. togata57

    togata57 Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Wire mesh enclosure around the plant. And even with this...I employed the water-squirt technique with my 2 cats, but of course this is effective only if you are present at the time of the plant predation. If you are out or at work, oh well. Unless you hire a full-time 24/7 armed plant guard, I say wire mesh.
     
  5. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Upstate NY
    On one those gardening shows, the host said if you put copper wire around the base of hostas, or any other slug loving plant (id have to be rich) it will keep slugs away. They supposedly won't cross the wire all the way to the plant , if they try, they get a shock from the copper wore and will retreat- SLOWLY. I haven't tried it, but it might be worth a shot!
     

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