There has been a recipe come up on this newsgroup several times for a mixture that can be sprayed on your garden to discourage raccoons, and hopefully possums and squirrels from eating grapes, and fruit from off the plants. I had never been bothered by any of them so I didn't copy it. Now a friend of mine has the problem with his grapes.
Would one or more of you please give me your favorite and most effective recipe? Thanks in advance.
Dwayne
Make a red pepper infusion - pour boiling water (1/2 gallon?) over hot dried red pepper (1 package?) and let it soak for 24 hours. Add a teaspoon or 2 of oil (I use canola 'cause we've got it) as a sticker and a drop or two of detergent as a spreader.
The question marks indicate that package sizes vary - if it makes your eyes water when you pour it in the sprayer it's about right :-).
Works in our garden - we've got both rabbits and raccoons as well as the occasional skunk.
It's important to do this at the beginning of the season. If it tastes bad the first time, they tend not to come back. If they've found it good the first couple of times, it takes a lot of spray to discourage them.
I renew it after it rains and keep it going for at least a month. After that, I mix some up and apply it occasionally if I remember.
Whatever it is, you would have to be able to *easily* wash it off, otherwise it would discourage *you* from eating them.
What discourages racoons and 'possums and the like in my yard is a fence with small openings and a couple of electrified wires on top.
Where I used to live I had a nice peach tree -- they don't like the sandy soil here -- and I protected that with a 'cage' of plastic bird netting with a radio running all night (on a talk station). I later replace the bird netting with 'panels' of chicken wire. These were made with two 8-foot 1x2 boards which had 48-inch wide 1" hex mesh stapled to them such that about 18 inches of wire extended beyond each end ot the boards. These panels were tied together with wire extending out along the ground at the bottom and curling outward at the top. (Metal fence stakes were temporarily driven in to prop up the wire panels.) Never had them breached by racoons, and they lasted for many years.
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