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To Stop Squirrels from digging in your pots

13 years ago

I read somewhere that placing rocks on the soil around your plants in pots will stop squirrels from digging in them and it works. Most any large size gravel will do; I find the limestone rocks similiar to what is used on railroad tracks works very well. Try to get good coverage because if you leave any large gaps they will dig there.

This works so well and I have been adding so many large pots and planters that I am running out of rocks.

Hope this helps

Family

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Comments (8)

Janice
13 years ago
Absolutely works! I've done that for years after having them uproot too many of my potted plants .

Thanks familyman--love your handle, too!! :o)
mosswitch
13 years ago
I use rocks, too....haha imagine running out of rocks! Never happen down here in the Ozarks, we grow 'em!
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coralb
13 years ago
Thanks for the tips. I have a few in pots and noticed that the squirrels are digging!
bkay2000
13 years ago
Yes, it helps. At least it slows them down. However, I lost several young hosta over the winter. They all had rocks on them. It acts as a mulch and the soil doesn't dry out as quickly, so watch for signs of being too wet.

bkay
bkay2000
13 years ago
Babka puts wire over hers. It's something you would have to do when they are dormant, though.

bkay
victorine72
13 years ago
I use crushed oyster shells in my beds and Critter Ridder in containers. I sprinkle a handful of crushed oyster shells around the plant at planting time and then cover it back up with mulch. I prefer to use Critter Ridder in my containers b/c it is invisible, but it has to be reapplied from time to time. I also use CR on tomato cages-- just sprinkle a few tablespoons into a metal tea ball and hang it from the cage. As long as you refill the balls every few weeks, the number of nibbles on your veggies will be greatly reduced.
coralb
13 years ago
Victorine,

Does the Critter Ridder keep squirrels from stealing your tomatoes? We lose 1/2 of our tomatoes to squirrels. I find them all over the yard with a bite or two taken out. One year my husband got a b-b gun but when we realized it killed them we stopped. Now I just plant twice as many as we really need. Sorry to take this post a little of topic into tomato land.
victorine72
13 years ago
As long the Critter Ritter granules in the tea balls are kept fairly fresh, the squirrels and chipmunks seem to leave them alone. Bigger plants sometimes require 2-3 balls per cage. It also helps to sprinkle some on the ground around the plant. This year I plan to grow more tomatoes, so I'm thinking I will have to figure out some other granule containment device. The tea balls are just too expensive in quantity. My plan at the moment is to make little sachets with landscape fabric or screen door cloth. I've also noticed that keeping a corn cob feeder for the squirrels as far away as possible from the veggie patch reduces the number of nibbles. Another possibility would be to buy one of those owl decoys. Friends of ours, who live on a lake, have several owl decoys in their boat house to keep the canada geese from crapping up the docks. I remember them saying they have to move the "owls" around frequently, and that the ones with the bobble-heads and reflective eyes are better than the statue-type decoys.

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