Squirrel Nuissance problem!

[orchidjunky]

Some of my plants have been dug up by stupid squirrels that are around my complex. They mostly dig into my potted soil plants, however they have now decided to dig in the orchids bark too!!! I was wondering what is a good deterrant for this behaviour? I've read that squirrel repellants are not that effective and that cayenne pepper/hot sauce works but needs to be constantly reapplied... I'm thinking about putting rocks on the tops of the soil/bark to prevent the behavior but I don't know if this will be bad for the plants or will the squirrels just pull the rocks off...

I have an aloe vera, rosemary plant, crown of thorns and some cattleyas that seem to be the main targets... would putting rocks on top of these hurt the plants?

[kinknstein]

I have heard of people using tin foil across the tops of plant pots to keep cats out of it. I know it worked well for my friends cats but I dunno how well it would work for squirrels.

[grasshopper]

I used to cut a piece of chicken wire to fit just inside the top of my flower pots to keep the squirrels out. I potted the plants to about 1" to the top of the pot and then placed the chicen wire around the plant inside the pot. Then I lightly covered the chicken wire with dirt. For the most part, this worked to keep the squirrels out.

[orchidjunky]

Originally Posted by grasshopper

I used to cut a piece of chicken wire to fit just inside the top of my flower pots to keep the squirrels out. I potted the plants to about 1" to the top of the pot and then placed the chicen wire around the plant inside the pot. Then I lightly covered the chicken wire with dirt. For the most part, this worked to keep the squirrels out.

Interesting... i'm a little cautious of this because does the wire interfere with the growth of the plant. I have mostly circular clay pots... did you cut the wire into "donuts" with the hole in the center being where the plant goes through? Just curious how you got the wire in there? Cause i'm imagining donut shaped wire with maybe a slit from the edge of the wire to the inner circle so tha you can manuever it around the plant... is that how you did it?

[grasshopper]

That's exactly how I did it.

I've never tried this with orchids, but I would think it would work...just watch the growth of the orchid to make sure the "donut hole" is large enough so as not to interfere with the plant and new growth.

[orchidjunky]

Originally Posted by grasshopper

That's exactly how I did it.

I've never tried this with orchids, but I would think it would work...just watch the growth of the orchid to make sure the "donut hole" is large enough so as not to interfere with the plant and new growth.

Well for my orchids I think im gonna build like a "fencE" to fence off the squirrels...

As for the soil potted plants.. i'll try your method...


Just curious what did the squirrels do to your potted plants? For mine they keep making a mess.. as I find soil all over the floor around the pots and one time the suckers were uprooting some of my cactus that didn't have so many spines.

[grasshopper]

Lots of digging, primarily to bury nuts (acorns, pecans, etc.). I don't know if they were going after the plants as much as the plants were in their way. Come spring, I would sometimes find an acorn or pecan had sprouted!

[fotofashion]

I used to have a lot of problems with the little monsters, especially regarding my hanging basket plants in potting soil. I take short 8"-10" long twigs and insert them into the dirt all around the pot into the soil. They have to be firmly inserted, as far as you can. This seems to deter their digging and planting acorns.
Another deterrent is my cat. She loves to chase squirrels. I don't think she has ever caught one but she keeps them on the run. I used to have problems with them eating my orchids but lately, due in large part to the cat, that seems to have stopped.
Might using the chicken wire as a "wrap" around the outside of the pot help? Of course it depends on the type of plant in question but the wrap wouldn't interefere with the growth and could be made to be easily removable.
Beverly A.

[orchidjunky]

Originally Posted by fotofashion

I take short 8"-10" long twigs and insert them into the dirt all around the pot into the soil. They have to be firmly inserted, as far as you can. This seems to deter their digging and planting acorns.

After reading this I got the idea of putting BBQ skewers (the kind with the sharp end) and sticking them around the edge of the pot (at least 1 1/2 inches apart from each other...is that too wide??) Hopefully this is enough of a barrier to stop them from digging. Today when I got home I noticed that once again my Crown of Thorns and Aloe Vera plant had been dug into and dirt was everywhere again!!!! Believe me I was cussing up a storm cause yesterday I had already cleaned the mess up!

If these skeweres don't work then I think i'm going to have to go with chicken wire. (I thought i'd give this a shot since I already have skewers at home... didn't want to spend money if this ends up working!)

*crosses fingers*

[fotofashion]

orchidjunky: That is probably OK. The twigs I use usually have side "branches" which stick out to the sides but I imagine the bbq sticks are sharp ended. I hope you try a few pots and report back.
Beverly A.