Squirrel disaster

[stefpix]

I am on the 2nd floor and the sun is too high in the sky in the summertime. the light does not get in much. Air, sun seem to make plants grow faster and nicer.

[RJSquirrel]

well you got your squirrels and I got my dog troubles..I might try one them electronic devices that put out a high frequency animals dont like. Ive read differing results from them and Im not ready to spend the 50 bucks yet. How about an electronic motion detector deterrent?

I just have to deal with piles of dog crap on occasion and not with things eating my plants. But Im really thinking a motion detector with an alarm or a burst of air would work ya think?

I myself have to do something with all the people around me that feel like they are too good to pick up dog crap..They gonna look real good in one my photos posted on the home owners website looking stupid not picking up their piles.

You might have more luck dealing with squirrels than I will dealing with these people. Im going to WIN.

update ...I went ahead and bought an electronic device thats emits an obnoxious sound supposedly dogs cats rabbits squirrels etc etc dont like and will avoid when in range of it. Let ya know in a few weeks if it works. ..I got a big stick if it doesnt

[stefpix]

I think I got a break from the squirrels. I sprayed all the plants outside with a concotion of blended garlic and habanero chilies that i let stand overnight and then filtered. I also added some of that puree in some pots.

I had found only one squirrel on my fire escape chewing some dry twig from the yard but not digging my plants

I then I put a pot of a Crown of Thorns Euphorbia and some bushy bromeliad with sharp leaves in front of the access route by the electric wire.

I have to be more diligent. I found a division of my Lc Tropical Pointer in the yard on the 1st floor.

Talking about dogs, the neighbor on the 1st floor has a nice retriever that poops in the yard and the droppings are not picked up. They are a breeding ground for dozen of flies. I realized now why i would see alive flies outside my window in the winter.

I have to find a nice way to say something about that.

[Paul Mc]

With the dog situation, you could try the passive aggressive approach by putting up a sign stating "pick up your dog's poop" and leave some poop bags by it. Just do it when no one is watching, lol...

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by stefpix

I think I got a break from the squirrels. I sprayed all the plants outside with a concotion of blended garlic and habanero chilies that i let stand overnight and then filtered. I also added some of that puree in some pots.

I had found only one squirrel on my fire escape chewing some dry twig from the yard but not digging my plants

I then I put a pot of a Crown of Thorns Euphorbia and some bushy bromeliad with sharp leaves in front of the access route by the electric wire.

I have to be more diligent. I found a division of my Lc Tropical Pointer in the yard on the 1st floor.

Talking about dogs, the neighbor on the 1st floor has a nice retriever that poops in the yard and the droppings are not picked up. They are a breeding ground for dozen of flies. I realized now why i would see alive flies outside my window in the winter.

I have to find a nice way to say something about that.

Hi Stephano,

I'm an outdoor/shadehouse grower who lives in Central Florida. Squirrels have been a problem for me too. They ate my one and only bulbo down a few years back and then graduated to the spikes, buds, and scented dendrobium blooms. They seem to prefer the pink and red varieties, and fragrance is probably a contributing factor. Their damage from digging is most evident in the Fall.

The squirrels in my neighborhood are bold because a neighbor feeds them. This year their activity escalated to the point where I was chasing them out of the shadehouse and within minutes they were back, barking and glaring at me. Filling the bird bath and putting out bird seed was like a welcome sign for the squirrels, and I ceased doing those things a long time ago.

To discourage digging I spread river rocks over the top of the potting medium. Size matters, so don't use the small ones. Bigger is better because it's harder to move.

My newest trick, is baiting the growing space with brightly colored rubber snakes. Two weeks ago I bought 4 cheap rubber snakes. All of them were a noticible shade of orange with black stripes and they're about 2 1/2 feet long. I wrapped each in the mid to upper portions near each corner of the shade house. A couple are wrapped on plants, one on driftwood, and one is positioned to look like he's crawling along a beam. Like magic, the squirrels have disappeared.

[james mickelso]

Shotguns are very effective. And squirrel tastes just like chicken (;
Bird netting keeps them out and is very easy toinstall and very unobst...inobst...you can't see it very well.