Groundhogs, also called woodchucks, are common garden inhabitants known for their burrowing habits and extensive foraging. These primarily herbivorous rodents often concern gardeners due to their opportunistic feeding behaviors. This article explores whether groundhogs consume grapes and outlines strategies to safeguard your grape vines from their activities.
Groundhogs and Grapes
Groundhogs do eat grapes, finding them a desirable food source. The sweet taste and high moisture content of ripe grapes make them particularly appealing. Grapes provide a nutritious, energy-rich supplement to a groundhog’s typical diet, especially when readily available in vineyards or home gardens. Their preference for fruits like grapes can lead to significant damage for growers.
Groundhog Diet Preferences
Groundhogs are generalist herbivores, consuming a wide array of plant materials depending on seasonal availability. Their primary diet consists of grasses, clover, alfalfa, and dandelions. They also frequently target common garden vegetables such as beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, and broccoli. Beyond leafy greens and vegetables, groundhogs will opportunistically feast on various fruits like apples, berries, and cherries. While their diet is predominantly plant-based, they may occasionally consume insects like June bugs, snails, or grasshoppers.
Identifying Groundhog Damage
Recognizing the signs of groundhog activity is an initial step in protecting your plants. Groundhogs create distinct burrows, typically 10 to 12 inches wide, often with mounds of excavated dirt at the entrance. These burrows can extend deep underground, sometimes up to 50 feet long, with multiple entrances. Damage to plants often appears as cleanly cut stems or missing fruits and vegetables. Groundhogs may also gnaw on tree bark or wooden structures. Groundhog droppings are usually dark brown to black, cylindrical or oval-shaped pellets, approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inches long, and are often found near their burrows.
Protecting Your Grape Vines
Protecting grape vines from groundhogs often involves a combination of exclusion and deterrence methods. Fencing is a highly effective physical barrier; a woven wire fence at least 3 to 4 feet high is recommended. To prevent groundhogs from digging underneath, the fence should be buried 10 to 12 inches deep, or a section of wire can be bent outward in an L-shape and buried just below the surface. An electric wire placed 4 to 6 inches off the ground and a similar distance outside the main fence can further deter them.
Repellents can also be employed, utilizing groundhogs’ sensitive noses. Natural options include sprinkling crushed garlic or cayenne pepper around plants, or using strong-smelling herbs like mint, basil, or lavender planted nearby. Commercial repellents, often incorporating scent and taste deterrents, are also available and should be applied directly to plants or around burrow entrances. Predator urine, such as that from foxes or coyotes, can create a perceived threat that encourages groundhogs to leave an area.
Modifying the habitat around your grape vines can make the area less appealing to groundhogs. Regularly mowing tall grasses and clearing brush piles eliminates potential hiding spots and food sources. Removing debris and keeping areas around structures clear can discourage burrowing. If other methods prove insufficient, trapping and relocating groundhogs can be an option, but it is important to check local regulations regarding wildlife trapping and relocation as rules vary by region.