Squirrels are eating my plants! Make them stop!?
Question:I have regular houseplants out front as usual and this year I seem to have the worse time with the squirrels! They keep uprooting my flowering plants out of their pots and making me mad!
What natural things can I do/use to keep them away?
Answers:
You can spray hot sauce on the leaves of the plants (dilute with a little water) they dont like the smell, put rocks around the plants. I picked up some nice good size rocks and put them around the plant--if they can pick them up, they deserve my plants. Put moth balls around the plants or cotton balls saturated with oil of pepermint. You can put human hair, or animal hair. I evan put milk crates over my plants when I got very determined.
It wasn't a fashion statement, but all my plants have established so that they dont screw them up. I believe they are trying to store their nuts, etc.
They sell real looking owls that move that are suppose to deter them. Not attractive, but you can tie disposable tin plates on a stick so that the breeze will move it and might scare them away. Do NOT attempt to feed them. If you plant marigolds, they dont like the smell of them. Try speading cayene pepper around the plants--if it gets on their feet, they may not like your hospitality. Some books say to buy fox urine or lion poop that you can get at the zoo-- I have not tried this. You can also put weed block around the plants, maybe it will stop them from digging.
hot sauce
Put a dog or a hunter on the porch.
Okay, go to the shed and get me a trowel, some weed killer, and some rat poison. Then give me about ten minutes and I'll call for you. Also, while I'm waiting, fix me a smoothie.
How about a motion-activated sprinkler?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/b...
get ya small bucket, fill it with corn from a local feed store, attach it to a tree, sprinkle some on the ground around the area below the bucket, and they should go to this instead of ur plants!
we have jack rabbits around here that love the fresh shoots of one particular flower. It's the only plant they eat in the front yard, so we have decided that it is theirs. I dunno about squirrels--sounds like they are bored & getting into mischief. I'll go way out on a limb & suggest putting a couple of toys out there, maybe a few peanuts to attract them to the toys & away from the plants
I really don't have any suggestions, but I do have the same problem. I don't think they are actually wanting to eat your plants, I do believe they are burying nuts or seeds for a later time. As far as the pepper suggestion, I have read that sprinkling with red pepper will discourage squirrels from digging in your garden/pots. In my experience, nothing much discourages them. Persistent little buggers, aren't they?
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