Squirrel buster plus is excellent. I just bought a new one after a ten year onslaught. One of them learnt how to unscrew the top. We had to make a modification fastening the top down.
We have odd crocus coming up in the lawn. We never planted any. A neighbour planted a 1000 and he didnt get one. The squirrels either ate them or relocated them.
My guess is that if you don't have bulbs in your planter, then the squirrels are digging to bury their nuts, either from bird feeders or nuts they've harvested from trees - acorns, chestnuts etc.
I used to watch this happen from my desk at work - we fixed smallish gauge chicken wire over the planters and the trouble was fixed - the plants grew through the wire and it was soon hidden.
The squirrels started burying their nuts in the lawn after that - it was great fun to watch and amazing how they frequently returned to the right spot to dig up their hidden treasure.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
So if i have a peanut feeder they will probably just bury them in the planter anyway and dug up anything that's in there anyway lol.
The chicken wire sounds like the best option to try. This year i am going to try a bee mat and a butterfly mat but these lay on the surface with a light covering of soil over the top. So will the chicken wire still work?.
It'll work fine - just put the mats under the chicken wire and stretch the chicken wire across the top and fix it to the edges of the planter. I found that using a stapler worked - by the time the staples rusted through it was usually time to replenish the compost and put some more plants in - and if they'd not rusted through they weren't difficult to remove and re-do.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Squirrel buster plus is excellent. I just bought a new one after a ten year onslaught. One of them learnt how to unscrew the top. We had to make a modification fastening the top down.
We have odd crocus coming up in the lawn. We never planted any. A neighbour planted a 1000 and he didnt get one. The squirrels either ate them or relocated them.
Hi Stoney and welcome
My guess is that if you don't have bulbs in your planter, then the squirrels are digging to bury their nuts, either from bird feeders or nuts they've harvested from trees - acorns, chestnuts etc.
I used to watch this happen from my desk at work - we fixed smallish gauge chicken wire over the planters and the trouble was fixed - the plants grew through the wire and it was soon hidden.
The squirrels started burying their nuts in the lawn after that - it was great fun to watch and amazing how they frequently returned to the right spot to dig up their hidden treasure.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I wonder if someone might have the legal position on the removal of vermin ( squirrels) withing the law
http://www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org/ESI_Squirrel_Guide_05_03_12.pdf
Link sorted
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
interesting reading. Thanks both.
The chicken wire sounds like the best option to try. This year i am going to try a bee mat and a butterfly mat but these lay on the surface with a light covering of soil over the top. So will the chicken wire still work?.
It'll work fine - just put the mats under the chicken wire and stretch the chicken wire across the top and fix it to the edges of the planter. I found that using a stapler worked - by the time the staples rusted through it was usually time to replenish the compost and put some more plants in - and if they'd not rusted through they weren't difficult to remove and re-do.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Do i remove the wire once there is a certain amount of growth?.
I leave the wire and let the plants grow through and hide it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.