How do we deal with a critter digging up bushes that were just planted?
Question:
Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to identify what’s working at those roots, short of seeing one, with a couple of exceptions. The animals that typically dig to make burrows–chipmunks, moles, voles–often have a distinctive pattern or clue they leave, but something digging at the root ball of a newly planted shrub is probably looking for food. I suspect the landscaper prepped or finished the planting with nice, rice compost (which is good for the plant!), and the quality of that soil is higher than the surrounding soil, and you’re looking at a new pop-up buffet in the yard of earthworms, grubs, and other things that visitors like raccoons, skunks, and even bears will go after. it’s also possible that the surrounding soil is compacted and a burrowing animal has noticed a nicely textured new spot to dig into, but I lean toward the food angle.
Short of physical deterrence (e.g., fencing around the shrubs, which is the best option), you’ll probably have to wait for the food surplus/new soil texture to die down and see if that diminishes the visits.
I will pass along a couple of resources that might help with the sleuthing:
State of Maine’s “Got Pests” home page, with detailed information on each “critter”
Univ of IA Extension’s “Diagnosing Holes in the Yard”
If you happen to get a peek at the culprit in action, or notice other wildlife visitors like this to your yard, let us know and we can try to give more specific control/deterrence information.
Happy gardening.