How to Get Rid of Ground Squirrels From Tomato Plants & Flowers
Though most people associate squirrels with tree-dwelling, wire-running fuzzy creatures, a breed of squirrels, called ground squirrels, actually digs holes in the ground and lives in burrows, much like prairie dogs. These squirrels can still climb trees, but prefer to live underground. Ground squirrels can be even peskier than their tree-dwelling counterparts, as they dig holes in the yard, lawn and garden and savage fruit and vegetable gardens and flower beds. There are a number of methods you can use to remove these pests from your plants and flowers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Chicken wire
- Squirrel traps
- Nylon stockings
- Hair
- Bloodmeal
- Sunflower seeds
- Bowl or feeder
Instructions
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1
Cover your seeds with chicken wire when they are first planted. Squirrels most commonly dig up freshly planted seeds and bulbs to eat. Lay a sheet of chicken wire over the newly planted seeds and hold in place with a spike in the ground or by nailing it to a flower box. Be sure to remove the chicken wire before the plants grow too large for it.
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Purchase rodent traps from a hardware or home and garden store. These traps will allow you to catch the ground squirrels and relocate them; it is recommended that you relocate the squirrels at least one mile from your yard, or else they may find their way back.
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3
Fill nylon stockings with human, feline or canine hair. Acquire this hair from your own vacuum cleaner, from a hair salon or from a pet store. Hang the stockings near your plants and flowers. The squirrels will smell the predators and keep away.
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Douse your soil with bloodmeal. This natural fertilizer is a dry powder that is a waste product of slaughterhouses. Spread the powder over the soil near your plants and flowers; use no more than four ounces of bloodmeal per square yard of soil. Bloodmeal contains high levels of nitrogen and ammonia. The smell will drive away squirrels, as it smells like blood. Purchase bloodmeal at a nursery or garden specialty store.
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5
Supply the squirrels with an alternate food source, such as a feeder full of sunflower seeds. The squirrels will eat these seeds and refrain from feeding on your plants and flowers.
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Tips & Warnings
Household pets, especially cats, will help to keep ground squirrels away, as squirrels are extremely wary of predators.
Do not use chili powder or other hot products to repel squirrels. Squirrels will get these materials on their paws and then rub their eyes, which can lead to injury and even blindness.
Too much bloodmeal in soil box can introduce an excess of nitrogen and ammonia into your soil and ruin your plants.
