I have lost hundreds of dollars and many man hours due to squirrels digging in potted plants. I would come home from work only to find many pots knocked off a wall or bench. The plants, sometimes expensive, would be lying beside the pots with roots having been exposed to hot sun all day. Many plants could not be salvaged.
In the picture, the pot on the right shows what I've had to resort to in order to keep the squirrels at bay, mounding the pots high with small rocks. Moving large pots with all those rocks was quite a chore.
The pot on the left shows an experiment I started today. I have cut blackberry vines covered with merciless thorns into small segments and placed them very close together in the top of the pot, sticking up in the soil and lying down on the soil. There's no way a little paw can dig in the pot without encountering many thorns.
As I said, this is an experiment I started today. If the vines prove to be an effective squirrel deterrent, I will post back with the good news.
Wish me luck!
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Fire Department told my husband and I to shoot them, they are a major factor in most attic house fires. My Vet calls them Tree Rats, most have Tape Worms. We use a high powered BB gun and shoot them. Make the first shot count!
Hello I'm so sorry I'm going to the same problem I don't know what to do either somebody help me I can't afford to build a fancy fence at this one persons talking about I'm all by myself I ordered all kinds of plants from Burpee and they're all gone now they cheered he chewed them all away
I'm so sorry. If you plant again get some squirrel spray. It will help keep them away. Try it with the less expensive ones first, though.
The post about the rocks gave me a good idea. I had several large tiles left over from a remodel. So I broke them into pieces and placed them next to al the plants.
I think it's a flipping conspiracy at my house!! Lol....I have one crazy squirrel against me! I chased him off my ivy on the porch & the little sh-t came right back & dug it up again. Only that one ivy & it had a couple of moth balls in it...He's got it in for me! Too crazy! Right?
I do the same with holly branches, the kind that has sharp points on leaf edges. It's fairly successful.
I just trimed my rose bush so i'm going to cut seveal lenghts and put them in my pots to see if this will help or mouse traps
I just came in the house from clipping small rose branches to try as squirrel deterrent also. Did it work for you?
Thanks.
My husband came up with a great inexpensive (albeit inhumane in some folks' opinion) solution. Set a rat trap on the dirt. I have squirrels GALORE. We have two large pecan trees, and we never get even one pecan. When I planted some vegetables in containers the little pests started digging up my seedlings' peat pellets and just leaving them them there to dry and die.
OMG...I thnk these are great ideas..I will be trying ths at HM.I have been doing the cayenne pepper and it rains and I have to add more,it also doesn't look pretty all over the plants and soil,the cayenne pepper tends to mold as well,It's a messy look and at times I still see some digging regard less of the cayenne pepper..
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This could injure squirrels, cats and other animals. Please use a different method.
Not nice at all. There's no need to do something that will possible cut a squirrels paws. They were here before you. Do something else.
I just read that the rocks can become very hot in the sun and damage your plants, FYI. Good luck!
Lava rocks work, the 1 to 2" size for landscaping. The rocks are rough and the squirrels seem to hate them. But it won't stop them from eating the tomatoes later on. They are a menance with few if any preditors in town.
I've heard that squirrels eat tomatoes for their high water content, and if you put a container of water out for them, they'll use that. I've seen them drinking from our birdbath and water fountain, so this makes sense to me. I'm going to try it.
Try plastic forks stuck in soil surrounding plants (handle first!)
For single plant. I wrap a towel around it then wet towel
Add a fake snake or a stuff cat.. squirrel hate catd
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