Evening all,

Having an unusual problem- it seems some squirrels are digging into the bromeliad pots on my patio. A rare issue with most of the plants, and I just refill the soil- no harm done.

However, I have a very large unusual form of Aechmea spectabilis (my prize plant) in a 10 inch pot that they are digging in with some regularity. Given the large amount of soil, they are making a huge mess. And since that is one of the ones only getting RO water- I have to soak a fresh batch of mix in RO water every time I need to replace soil.

Any ideas? I do not wish to be cruel, but for this one plant I am actually thinking about putting barbed wire on the surface of the potting mix to deter them. I have tried sporadic bits of broken clay pots, but that did not work and I do not want to cover the whole surface area of the soil with something heavy as that will hinder drying between waterings. Barbed wire seems the best solution, but again I am concerned about any rust leeching into the soil.

Grateful for any thoughts!

Tom.