How do I keep the squirrels from digging in my potted plants?

by Sandy Foster

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9 answers

Janet Pizaro on Mar 10, 2017

Sprinkle cayenne pepper,blood meal,and place bamboo skewers inside the soil leaving enough to stick out.

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- Sandy Foster on Mar 10, 2017
  
  Thank you Janet. I will try this.
  
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LJ Peterson on Mar 10, 2017

I use ammonia soaked cotton balls in a tea strainer or pill bottles that I've poked a few holes in. One whiff and they will find somewhere else to go and never come back.

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- Sandy Foster on Mar 10, 2017
  
  Thank you so much! I'm willing to try anything at this point. Day after day the squirrels dig up my plants.
  
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- LJ Peterson on Mar 11, 2017
  
  I had a groundhog tearing up the underside of my house and tried it all too. My 99 year old grandma told me to do this after she finished laughing about me spending $30 on a bottle of fox urine which an expert highly recommended but didn't work at all. Groundhog moved out the same day I did this ammonia trick and I never saw it again.
  
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R Walter on Mar 10, 2017

You can also break up some clay pots or use broken shards and they won't dig. I got mine from the 99 cent store and just placed them on top of the potting soil and it actually works. You could cover them with a thin layer of soil so they are not noticeable if you don't like to see the shards exposed.

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- Sandy Foster on Mar 10, 2017
  
  Thank you....that just might work for me.
  
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Eloise on Mar 13, 2017

Here's a method I found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3lywff0eUM&list=LLyQ3ZPaXqW0M4ZJKKC6XjEA&index=5
I've had some success using these, but they have to be replaced routinely. You'll know when they've lost their effectiveness. I don't bother with the popsicle sticks. These, coupled with some of the ideas above, should make a huge difference.

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Shaley on Mar 13, 2017

critter ritter works, but for me I prefer a pellet gun. they ate our patio furniture, the evap-value on top of my husbands gas tank, and the side of our gable, the brake box in my suv and our bike trailer brake box, our seed spreader and our cables in our city which causes many cable issues not to mention the landline cables.

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- Sandy Foster on Mar 14, 2017
  
  Thank you Stan. I can't believe all that damage. Fortunately, my problem is not that bad. My squirrels seem to hit during the night or very early morning. Good luck with your dilemma.
  
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- Shaley on Mar 14, 2017
  
  We had to cut all our trees down, and that helped some, but they found a way by cable to get to the side of our house. they will climb brick. we finally got them down quite a bit till our neighbor behind us got a sonic noise box to keep critters out of his garden, now they are all back up here again, plus they had planted those blasted pine trees years ago for erosion control and the squirrels live in them. stupid tree rats. they stole all our peaches just as they ripened, ate all the grape buds and decimated our garden. and ripped off all my figs. Our city is run over with them, some people think they should feed them, feeding rodents is never a good idea, no matter how cute they might be.
  
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- Sandy Foster on Mar 14, 2017
  
  Thank you for your comments. I live in the middle of 6 acres of woods. The squirrls are plentiful here as well.
  
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- Shaley on Mar 14, 2017
  
  one of those sonic noise things might work for you and not bother your neighbors.
  
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Barbara on Mar 14, 2017

Get a young playful cat.

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- Sandy Foster on Mar 14, 2017
  
  I have two dogs that chase them but it only proves to be good exercise for my dogs.
  
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Rswdm8 on Mar 14, 2017

I use bamboo skewers (pointed ends up) on my potted plants. This works well, for me.

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Sandy Foster on Mar 14, 2017

I'm trying that this weekend. Thank you.

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Michelle Leslie on Sep 17, 2021

Hi Sandy, this article has some really great ideas that should help! http://www.henrystreet.co.uk/keep-squirrels-flower-pots/

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