Hope this helps
Linda

Cheers
Linda

Linda, I don't know if they prefer my "geraniums" to my veggies. They're actually planted in quite different parts of the garden. And I don't know what kind of caterpillar. I just assumed they were yet another heliothis grub. Worth looking into though!

So Linda, for your repellent, do you use the common plant that grows in most old gardens and we grew up calling geranium? Thanks again! Much appreciated both of you.

I have caged my vegetable patches and fruit trees. I am not sure about Brissie, but I find the possums eat my garden when there is little for them to eat in the forest surrounding my block of land. They have left my vegetables this summer and have started on my fruit trees in the last two weeks...I now have half a sour cherry, half a quince and two out of three persimmons have been massacred. Other than my fruit trees they seem to like my lavender, onions and parsley and I am wondering if they eat these to get rid of intestinal worms. So I am planning some plantings outside the enclosures to see if that keeps them at bay...Jackie French also suggests copsing a couple of gum trees, because the possums love eating the new leaves...other suggest an electric fence

Do you have pictures of your "vege patch cages"? I have been thinking seriously about that. Trouble is, how many cages can one afford?

Daniel

I had some success with Poss-Off, in that the new growth would get a few days break, but I've also had mornings (immediately following spraying the evening before) where I've gone out to devastation.

I've also tried with no success home-made (intense!) chilli spray and hot English mustard, which burnt the new leaves first time, and was no deterrent plastered on the access fence.

Googling for Quassia Australia sent me round in a circle to here! Someone had good success with chilli powder.

For some reason I can't get this url in the link field:
http://www.au.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pests/msg1100551930983.html

The cages are make of stakes and robust chicken wire...the cheap stuff they chew through...I am thinking also of added protection of a loose chicken wire overlap that attaches at the top of the fence, that slopes backward, so they cant climb over the top...think prisons, gulags etc...some people suggest a combination of chilli and fish sauce would turn them off...havent tried it yet...

The foresters here are trying to use alternatives to 1080 and they have been disappointed that fox urine didnt deter them...

I have been thinking of a fairly robust structure like gal pipe and some reinforcing mesh...probably overlaid with chicken wire. Go those foresters!

I just wrote a a few paragraphs, hit preview message and i got lost, having to join this website, as i am new. I'm from Sydney, oz, so what did you guys put for your postcode? It wouldn't accept a NSW postcode so i had to give them the only american postcode i know.....you all know it! 90210!

Anyway, i too am very fond of but very upset with my nightly brushies and ring tails. They must be desperate because i'm on the 3rd floor of a unit complex and only have a humble balcony.

After making the choice to want to grow things rather than admire the possums, i meshed up my tomato pots - very cumbersome and ugly in a small area and as long as the plants stay in their cage, this is the best defence so far.

Then i got the adjoining branches lopped which was brilliant! For 3 weeks only!! :( After returning my exiled indoor plants to the balcony, this morning i awoke to devastation. After a vigil tonight, i caught Mickey (yes, silly me, i named them- ha ha) in the act and found that he has learnt how to climb up the brickwork!!! gggrrrr.

Now what? Help! All i can think of is plastic/metal sheeting on the bricks, so they can't grip but that will be ugly, difficult and probably frowned upon by the neighbours/strata.

I am yet to try the natural remedies and it seems that different remedies work in different areas and for different possums (they are sooo crafty!) Has anyone in sydney had any success?

Cheers,
Rachael.

I continued to hang a lamp in lowest branch of the apricot tree and the possums wouldn't go near the tree.

A few friends told me they used the dried Quassia Chips, just scattered them around their roofs or garden wherever the possums were going. You can also make a spray. You can get them from. www.herbcottage.com.au

a fence like that would be a once only build, the tin stop them climbing in from the utside so obviously the tin goes on the outside parameter. you could go the hog and place logs or cement parameter in the ground to attach the bottom of the fence wire to stop other criters like bandicoots, use logs to do same thing, or lay some mesh wire usually chain wire around on teeh round on the outside have it cover about 1 meter outward and up the fence a bit and attached then the digging critters can't get under.

also set up a feeding station away from the garden for the possums have heard this helps leave some old fruit there nightly not a lot.

len

Dan

I wondered if I should be terminating them because they are bad for my garden but have discovered that they are eating the things that do more damage to my garden. Possums eat slugs, snails, roaches and more. They will even eat a rattlesnake being resistant to the venom.

I have decided to let them live in my yard but have a low electric fence set up for the ground hog that I think I will leave just to keep the Possum honest.

They are coming to my compost so maybe they fill up there and don't need the fresh veggies. I know that the Ground Hog is the one I reserve lead for.

Happy Gardening