How do I keep those *#$!@#ing ground squirrels from eating my sunflowers?

[Adam Schwartz]

Don't get me wrong, I think ground squirrels are really cute, but tearing my sunflowers apart, and damaging the stalk with their weight. How can I keep them off of my sunflowers?

Thanks, Adam

[paghat]

How does one keep flies off shit? Ben off Jennifer? Jimmy Carter off peanuts? Bees off beebalm? Growing sunflowers in the presence of squirrels is like filling the dogfood dish with quality kibble then griping because the dog ate it.

-paghat the ratgirl

[Heidi]

HI Adam,

Good luck w/ those pesky rodents. I dont think squirrels are cute at all. I am a nature lover in general, but I draw the line at squirrels. Where I went to school the squirrels were not afraid of humans.. They were always hiding out in trash receptacles and jumping out at you went you walked by, usually when you had a cup of hot coffee in your hand. I always imagined them planning ambushes and going back to their nests to high five each other after startling a human.

I find sprinkling dried blood (you can find this at Lowes or HD) around my plants scares the squirrels away.

Heidi

Adam Schwartz wrote:

[dstvns]

I don't think they're cute. The neighbor's cat thinks they're tasty.

Don't plant sunflowers. Perhaps safflowers will be more to your liking, and less to the squirrels.

Dan

[JNJ]

The short answer -- you don't. The squirrels have the advantage as sunflowers grow tall. If you put them in the center of a field, surrounded with electric fence, a perimeter alarm hooked up to lasers, and pressure sensitive mines they will STILL find a way to pop the head off JUST before you do.

The best answer is to just plant more. You can try putting down bloodmeal or other repellants but they'll be on the ground -- if you're like most folks you probably have trees nearby, or a wall, or something else they can climb so.... :(

James

[Shep]

Cats!

[Tom Jaszewski]

I'll take squirrels over kneeling in cat shit!