Monday, 7 June 2021
How do you keep squirrels out of your garden?
Most people know that squirrels' favorite season is fall. They don't hibernate so tree nests are a perfect place for them. They have a powerful instinct to stockpile food, which helps them to survive during these months.
Squirrels might be annoying for gardeners, as they are mischievous and extremely agile. It might be hard to keep squirrels out of your garden, but with patience and a smart strategy, you can do it. Keep reading to discover how!
Are Squirrels bad for your garden?
Squirrels can seem fluffy and adorable as they scurry around your backyard, but these tiny rodents may cause major issues.
Damage to the bark
Squirrels are known for chewing on tree branches and scraping the bark from nearby trees as well as the tree's foundation. Aside from the aesthetic issues, excessive chewing can cause a tree to become stressed. Continual bark-stripping can even destroy a whole tree in certain cases, particularly those with woody plants and small saplings.
Disease and Pests
The majority of squirrels don't live much longer than 3 years old due to the fact that they generally bear pests and diseases. Ticks, lice, and scabies are examples of diseases and parasites carried by many native squirrels.
Destruction of Plants
Squirrels are always looking for food. They are a serious threat to the flowers or plants you grow, including daffodil bulbs, as they burrow to eat the cambium. Since squirrels are constantly searching, they also damage lawns.
Stealing Food
Squirrels will frequently snatch ripe fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden or organic farm for their own consumption. Squirrels' relentless search decreases the total production of fruit, crops, and nuts, which is a significant problem for family farms.
Harm to the home
Squirrels in the yard sometimes enter homes via electric cables or elongated tree limbs. They normally set up a place for them in the attic of a building, where they build nests to spread out.
In these cases, the existence of squirrels raises the chance of rodents, plagues and diseases to enter a house, not to mention the structural harm done to the residence because, as squirrels construct their dens, they gnaw electrical cables and furniture, and occasionally remain stuck within the building.
7 gardening tips for the perfect lawn
How can I deter squirrels from my garden?
The popular gray squirrel, which weighs 16 to 24 ounces, is probably the kind of squirrel which is damaging your yard. It may be medium brown or deep dark brown in color. It has a light belly that ranges from white to tan. It has a body length of 11 to 13 feet and a maximum width of 10 to 15 inches.
You might recognize them because of their shaggy tail, which is a glamorous type of fur that people use to stay warm. Squirrels have an acute sense of taste, which is what most gardeners attribute to their bulb-stealing activity. These professional foragers' noses are a small but effective tool in their quest for food. Garden protection against squirrels seeks out to mostly save spring bulbs because bulb snatching by rodents is a real and widespread issue.
Cons of having squirrels in your garden
- Are your spring bulbs consumed? Squirrels, meerkats, or wild hogs are most likely the culprits. Squirrels enjoy digging up spring bulbs throughout their fall hunting, to both consume the flowers and also to hide their harvested snacks in these holes.?
- Squirrels may also be detected if you see some of your garden plants are destroyed or missing. Squirrels are famous for stealing juicy food from harvest like tomatoes, berries, peppers, eggplants and apples. Surprisingly, they don't always eat them entirely!?
- You can catch squirrels scratching around through the jar soil if you're raising plants and veggies inside pots. Squirrels and meerkats are also known to raid bins in search of bugs or other treats, uprooting crops in the way.?
- Squirrels not only target your plants, but also your fruit trees. You are probably having issues with squirrels if you find out that the birds' food that comes from plants is running out fast.?
Covers, Fencing, and Netting
- Taking preventive measures is the best option for getting the job done, as long as the product is appropriate. Since squirrels and other rodents may squeeze through incredibly small openings, the holes in the fencing or net should be really tiny. Look for decking or fencing that is designed to keep rats and squirrels out.?
- Consider erecting a wire fence around your vegetable garden and burying it about a foot away so squirrels don't reach from underneath it.?
- Digging may also be prevented by putting a layer of sand or rocks.?
- Alternatively, here's a costlier solution: Cover the tops of the plant pots with plastic wrap, poke the openings and pour some liquid over the wrap. The gleaming reflection irritates the squirrels.?
What is a good natural squirrel repellent?
When interacting with rodents like squirrels, pesticides should be avoided because they include chemicals that could harm birds. Instead, you can use natural ingredients to get rid of them. With these tips and techniques, you'll be able to make your own natural squirrel repellent.
Hot Pepper
It seems that hot peppers are by far the most commonly used component in squirrel control repellents. They can be used in a number of different ways, including:
- Drizzled smashed red pepper around the crops which seem to be tempting squirrels, mostly on grass.?
- Brush the plants of squirrel-attractive plants with a thin layer of chili powder. Especially leaves that are close to the ground.?
- Combine chili powder with jojoba oil and add this combination to the root of tree trunks. You can also place it around crops that squirrels like, as well as on fences.?
Garlic Sprays
Garlic has a strong odor and flavor that squirrels hate. Combine chopped garlic, sugar and salt in a mixture. Stir the solution to sit for several hours for it to blend well before spraying it on the green leaf fences or stands.
Apple Cider Vinegar Spray
Squirrels are put off by the smoky taste and aroma of apple cider vinegar. In squirrel-infested places, it's used for spraying floors and even appliances. This spray is designed to be used on hard floors.
What smells keep squirrels away?
You can repel squirrels by using a variety of odors that they despise such as:
Cider Vinegar
Squirrels dislike the smell of cider vinegar so it’s very useful to keep them away. You can soak old clothes and shoes in cider vinegar and hang them in an area of your home where squirrels like to enter, such as your attic.
Spicy Smells
Tangy and sweet smells can help deter squirrels, as they aren't fond of these. Scents of white pepper and garlic powder are also used to repel squirrels. Rodents are also repulsed by the scent of pepper. Spray growing crops with water and put on some pepper seasoning to keep squirrels from knocking them down. Apply as many times as possible. After rainfall, new applications are often needed.
Mothballs
The smell of mothballs, which bring back memories of visits to grandmother's house for so many people, is repulsive for squirrels. If you have a squirrel issue within and around your home, you can place mothballs around your flowers or even in areas around the yard, including the attic. Replace those mothballs every several weeks if the scent starts to disappear.
Skunk-Like Smells
Squirrels, like humans, are not really tolerant towards things that smell like skunk. Although you may not be willing to trap the obnoxious odor of skunk to keep them away, you can rely on Cleomes (also known as the "Skunk flower") to do the job. Squirrels are deterred by the plant's odor, which is actually similar to that of skunks.
Animal Urine
Squirrels despise the odor of animal urine, especially that of animals which feed on rodents. In fact, most squirrel prevention products on the market try to imitate these odors, which typically consist of a particular smell. When it comes to implementation and reapplying, follow the product's instructions.
If a squirrel detects anything which smells like animal urine, they might believe that something dangerous is hiding around the corner and hide out in order to prevent anything bad from happening.
Do coffee grounds keep squirrels away?
Although there are a variety of natural remedies to keep squirrels away, one of the simplest is by using coffee grounds, which you might probably have on hand.
What type of coffee should you use?
You don't need to prepare a specific cup of coffee in order to keep squirrels away. It doesn't matter whether you use black coffee or standard coffee, all the used grains will suffice. If you don't drink coffee, check if your local coffee shop can give you recycled grounded coffee to use in your garden. Many people also use them as a soil conditioner.
Where should you place the coffee ground?
Add fine ground coffee to the soil where the squirrels usually wander and place it in the soil where the crops are growing.