I doubt that it would. In my experience, gravel or lava rock is about the only thing that stops them probably because it's sharp. The lava rock works really well for me with my potted plants. I guess the same principle as the gravel.

I've always used blood meal for newly planted areas. It seems if I can just keep the critters away for the first week or so, they rarely go back and cause serious damage. It is amazing what happens if I don't use it. They will dig out every single plant I put in the ground. It's almost like they watch me and follow right behind with those little claws.

A bunch of us are being severely chastised right now on the Orchid Forum for our hatred of these demon spawn. The Squirrel Rights People just never give up.

Kevin

I'm with you, Kevin. I can't stand the moralizing of some people, even if I would not harm a squirrel myself. I'm allowed to hate them if I want. Anyone who thinks they don't do a lot a damage has simply been lucky -- so far.

My deterrent is a mix of blood meal, black pepper, and habanero pepper (very hot, but hard to find and expensive), mixed with sand for flowability. But if I don't apply it frequently (after every watering or rain), back they come. I guess our NY squirrels are more hard-nosed than yours.

I hate tree rats too. I don't care if other people think they're cute, and have some silly kind of rights, they aren't native to my neighborhood, but migrated in when the marshes were reclaimed by people who planted trees and gardens.

I find the only things that work are chicken wire and my pellet rifle. I've had them dig out 2" river rock mulch in pots and beds, but when I put a layer of chicken wire on top of the soil, hidden with mulch, it stops them.

The pellet rifle speaks for itself. A neighbor (retired Biology teacher) and I are hard at work thinning the local population. I think it's making a difference. He thinks if we can interfere with the reproductive cycle, we can seriously deplete the supply.

You all have some bad squirrels. I only have two the last few years and they don't dig anything up. I stuff the little things with all the yummy food they want and keep a ground bath for them to drink. They sit on the fence feeding or follow me around the sides of the house/gardens by running around the roof . Never dug anything up but they like to plant the corn in the beds and borders. I did have to chase corn seedlings this spring/early summer. Every place I have daylilies they plant several seeds of corn next to the clumps, I'm sure they were disappointed when 'my corn' bloomed with lovely flowers. They have no problem digging in pine mulch chips.

I have yet to resort to a pellet gun. Right now I have resigned myself to the sling shot and the 3/4 inch rock that covers the far end of my property. I can take the raiding of the bird feeders but this spring/summer squirrels madly dug in my pots and beds apparently looking for food. Everytime I planted something they would follow along behind me and dig it up. Truly I've never been more furious. I loathed going out in my garden in the morning for fear of what I would find. By making the food more difficult for them to access and creating a deterrent with my sling shot the situation has improved. I no longer find them cute. My DH and I refer to them as the ground terrorists.

Kate

The squirrels dig up newly planted things all the time. They even dug up a Redbud sapling! I find that if I put chicken wire around the newly planted things, after a week or so, the squirrels will leave them alone. My next door neighbor puts out peanuts for the little rats. I keeping finding peanut shells buried in my garden & have even had a couple of peanut plants sprout. I wish the neighbors would stop feeding them. Maybe some of them would go away. People who don't have squirrel problems have no idea how destructive they are. They knaw on deck posts & chew through wires.

Ground squirrels and tree rats have been a problem here at times, yes they dig in pots. I don't put out feeders for any animals, keeps the population down a bit. We have relocated the furry ones when we have a serious problem. Had to trap and move ground squirrels to a natural location when they insisted on making a home around a fence post a few years ago. As long as the "damage" they cause is minimal, so be it.

I know a lady who traps and gasses over 200 yearly. She lives next to a cemetary where no one seems to care what kind of damage they do.

I, too, am at war with the squirrels! They have chewed the bark off my scarlet oak trees circumferentially to the point of trunk collapse!!! It took 3 arborist to coming out to view the destruction before one of one of them finally knew right away who the culprits were! Pine needles deter some, but not totally. I am anxious to try out the chicken wire! Honestly, if I had the water guns set on motion detect fire, I

d have a rather large water bill, but happy trees and plants.....