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Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 8:08 pm
by fredgpops
As the ammonia solution surrounds the plants but is not put directly on the plants, I went for the next home made solution to double down. Add one small bottle of hot sauce, along with a tsp of liquid detergent to 1 gallon of water, mix and spray directly on plants. I went for the verrry hot sauce. I'm still recovering after spraying. I have one more trick up my sleeve before I call in the death squad.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 2:08 am
by fredgpops
Hot sauce experiment not a winner. Rodents bite into plant, then spit it out i.e. damage is done. Bought nylon deer proof webbing and covered 6 plants previously attacked. Also have spread a combo of compost and mushroom compost around plants to improve yield. Smell is very gross so could act as a deterrent. Attack on clumpers has been more severe but clumpers and runners have been attacked. Rgds

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 5:31 pm
by dependable
This year they are going after some of my other shoots. If it means they won't concentrate on vivax, that would be OK, but I doubt it, vivax being so fat & sweet. I guess before I kill, I'll try some more animal repellent, but in very high concentrations.

For lethal means, there is the "squirrel pole" which is a stick leaned against tree with conibear 110's fastened to it. Make it high enough so cats aren't likely to get up it. The single shot pellet air rifles would work too, if as in my case, the neighbors are too close to responsibly use a 22. I have one I mess around with, though not usually shooting at live things, they break the sound barrier, but pellets are light enough not to go too far. I use the lead free ones to be even more responsible.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 6:37 pm
by mshaffer
I bought a Conibear 110, but got rid of it because I figured I'd probably break a finger eventually.

I was thinking of getting a large piece of plywood and anchoring it about a foot off the ground, with some food underneath. I could even weight it down so it falls faster. It seems like it would work and wouldn't be dangerous to set.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:12 pm
by fredgpops
Update: Re netting - the rodents were able to chew on new shoots close to the netting. The bird netting (1/4 X 1/4) would probably work better. Re store/professional grade retardants: I bought one almost completely the same as the original post and it failed. Looks good but jury is still out: Several people around here with fruit trees put strings of shiny material in their trees to keep birds and rodents from picking off the fruit. I purchased longest/highest extra strength aluminum foil and attached it to bamboo stakes surrounding small growths that rodents have attacked. I have also wrapped aluminum around larger new shoots in large growths. In two weeks no attacks. Although the aluminum wall around the small groves is only 12 inches high, it seems to keep the rodents at bay. It's also the most economical way to cover large areas of bamboo. Also, the local vendor recycling wood products moved. I used to purchase garden fine grade mulch - cheap and high in nitrogen. I went to 1/2 mushroom compost (from my local nursery) and 1/2 wood/dirt compost to replace it. I had fabulous results from mushroom compost on non-bamboo plants but heard salt in mushroom compost was bad for bamboo. Reducing the amount of mushroom compost has worked well on mature plants but smaller plants are not happy. Rgds

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:27 am
by iain
Are you sure it is squirrel damage and not Sasquatch?!

A peanut-filled bird feeder might keep the little blighters off the shoots.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 1:15 pm
by dependable
Maybe I should not say anything, as they are not 'out of the woods' yet, but so far, liquid fence brand concentrated deer/rabbit mixed 1:1 with water seems to be working. Normally it is mixed 16 parts water to one part repellent. I brush it on with a paint brush, as I think it might clog the sprayer in that concentration, and I am only protecting the vivax, which is very much their favorite.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 5:01 pm
by fredgpops
Sasquatch? Isn't that a watch? Actually Iain you may have something. The Big Foot (aka Sasquatch) museum is just down the road. Their info on last sighting indicated he had a hair cut similar to our beloved President. My neighbor has a squirrel feeder. The evil rodents bury the peanuts on my lot, then eat my bamboo. Rgds

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 6:29 pm
by iain
I like that. Big Foot meets Little Hands. What you need is a wall, a big beautiful wall to keep those critters out.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:31 pm
by fredgpops
Tin foil is holding up pretty well. Nice because it protects large areas. Not sure but it may have an added benefit re sun reflection. Bought a trap to check it out. Caught a squirrel real fast - 3 of the suckers were fighting to get in. Also trapped a possum. He/she was very angry. Luckily extraction was easy. It gave me the finger (?) as he/she waddled off. Suggest marvel movies have a possum character. Overall looks like squirrel activity is down. Wonder if the new kids change eating habits.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:47 pm
by fredgpops
Iain - the tops of my Madake (65 ft) are being chewed off. Suggest Nessy had a snack as she moved to local Loch Lomand lake. Hear a Nessy vs Big Foot movie is in the offing. Hear UnderArmer is doing her undies. Enough foolishment, Happy OPEN.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:21 am
by MangoCats
We planted various phylostaches in 2013, and they did quite well until the 2020 growing season when squirrels decimated the new shoots. Our outdoor only cat was a pretty good hunter and spent most of her time near the bamboo, but she passed away in late 2019. She was replaced, but the new cat is male, and spoiled with a cat flap so he both spends a lot of time inside and also wanders the neighborhood more than the female did.

This season the sprouts are coming up with a vengeance, I have already pulled about 100 outside the designated bamboo beds, the squirrels are also taking a toll, but so far it looks like we have 20 or so big new survivors... Last year maybe two got up taller than 5'.

Not out of the woods yet, the squirrels will chew on the sides of the stalks at any height, but at least some stalks are getting as tall as the tallest existing ones. Going to try to grow mint in the bamboo beds, but I suspect it will be challenging both due to the shade and water competition. Even nearby citrus trees seem to be nutrient challenged by the bamboo. They are out of the bamboo shade, but after I noticed runners near a trunk, that tree started losing leaves and stopped growing.

Come to think of it, four months ago I started fertilizing the citrus rather heavily once per month and they responded with new growth, but I bet the bamboo is getting plenty of that fertilizer too.

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:43 pm
by fredgpops
Caught plus 20 squirrels in my Havahart trap last year. Released in a forest a few miles away. Damage is way down. Have caught abt 6 this year. Zero damage incurred. Rgds

Re: Squirrel Repellant

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:05 pm
by dependable
I was so busy w work this spring I did not get to protecting the vivax shoots, and they got almost all of them. They mainly wrecked the vivax, and a couple of odd aureosulcatas, if they ate Bissetii shoots it would be a good thing, in my yard anyway. Going to have to be more vigilant next wear.

I got a new high powered air rifle this spring that is almost silent, mainly to kill the rats that are inevitable w chickens. Had a squirrel in scope, but it was less than thirty feet away, chomping vivax, w some of the free range hens scratching ground only a few feet away. It just looked at me, like, nothing to see here, just another little critter. I decided not to shoot, but that might have been a mistake.