How to keep squirrels out of flower pots? Tips on protecting flowers
To keep squirrels out of flower pots you need to set some various works. In every spring and summer squirrels trouble a lot. As stocking food for surviving winter, these clever critters are especially active during autumn. Their sense of smell is very keen so, they use these powerful tools for finding out hidden peanuts or barriers. These small tenacious creatures mass up the whole garden area by digging tunnels through your potted plants and flowers, eating the plants, etc. Sometimes, they ruin your flowers just for making fun of them. The most common squirrels you may find are gray squirrels.
Reasons behind digging in flower pots
Squirrels dig up the flower pots mainly to bury their food. This destructive annoying animal gathers nuts, fruits, acorns, insects, fungi and berries, etc. As they do not hibernate their underground storehouse is really important for them. The soil of flower pots is so soft which makes it ideal because it makes it easy for squirrels to dig in. Unfortunately, squirrels love to dig spring bulbs for using the holes for storing nuts and they also eat the bulbs. People usually do many unnecessary attempts to keep squirrels out of the flower pots which makes the garden worse.
How to keep squirrels away
Squirrels bring mass destruction to your beautiful garden as they uproot the plants and flowers, knock over the pots, destroying bulbs, etc. You need to stop this pest as soon as possible.
To keep squirrels out of flower pots here are some tips that may useful for you.
Dig barriers:
Use a thick layer of rocks or stones on top of the potting soil which makes squirrels discourage from digging. You can use some broken pieces of other flower pots or put some sharp items such as chopsticks, plastic forks, stick bamboo skewers, etc all over the flower soil. The sharpness of the point trouble squirrels and they will stop coming. Under the top level of soil try to lay some chicken wire when planting bulbs which prevent squirrels from digging.
Cover the flower plants:
Some of the certain squirrels eat flowers and plants as well as dig. To prevent them from this you need to cover both flower and soil. You can cover plants by using wire baskets, plastic bird nets, wire mesh, cages made of chicken wire. Many gardeners use birdcages or other decorative setups for planting flowers which also keeps these critters away.
Repellents:
Repellents are very useful to keep squirrels out of flower pots. It could be either homemade or commercial. Vinegar, garlic, crushed red pepper, or cayenne pepper are natural repellents that squirrels find distasteful and hate their smell. The mixture of 15 mL of crushed red pepper, a bottle of water, and one or two drops of dishwashing liquid can use as a homemade repellent. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and use it to spray the top layer of soil around the potted flower plants. Use this carefully because this mixture is very powerful can make your eyes, skins irritate. Commercial repellents usually use for taste or scent that gives discouragement to squirrels from digging into flowers pot or eating plants. This product contains chemicals with ready-made used formulas. Use this spray on plant leaves for three to seven days only on calm days. This repellent gives no harm to squirrels just make them go away.
Bone Meal:
Squirrels don’t like the smell of bone meal. So, use this on the top of the soil of flower pots but do not mix with water. Bone Meal is very useful because you can use it to keep squirrels out of the flower pots also it fertilizes the soil.
You may also like to read, What is the recommended space between a dog’s collar and its neck?
