Squirrels are heating hosta as they come up (lawn, grow, hostas)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm looking for suggestions on this problem. I do the yard work for my neighbor's townhome. We have a lot of squirrels and they are nibbling on some, but not all, hosta as they start to come up. Any suggestions? Thanks.
LOL you guys are funny.... it does make for a funny visual of squirrels sitting on it like a nest!
Quote:
Originally Posted by antiquesmountainapache
I'm looking for suggestions on this problem. I do the yard work for my neighbor's townhome. We have a lot of squirrels and they are nibbling on some, but not all, hosta as they start to come up. Any suggestions? Thanks.
First of all squirrels normally don't like Hosta except for times of drought and that hasn't been happening in our state. If anything the winter has been pretty wet in TN. Have you actually seen them eating the shoots and early leaves?
I would suspect the more likely culprit is mice and voles or possibly a crafty rabbit. If you have them in the area, a nighttime visit of deer will leave you with no Hosta shoots and leaves. Sometimes slugs and snails will also chew leaves but it is a bit too cold for them right now. In any case the best thing to do is spray a repellent.
Ready made repellents can work pretty well on most of the 4 leg pests:
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57744
I have probably 100 hosta plants across the front of my house, and they are now up to about 6". As soon as I see green pop up I water well and apply Deadline. Even as early as February the slugs will be out looking for those tender young shoots. I have also caught deer munching on them, but usually not until the leaves have opened up. The thicker, stiffer leafed varieties are less subject to pests. We have squirrels all over the place and they have never bothered the hostas.
Itr's easy to blame the squirrels because you can see them, but unless you catch them eating your hostas, look elsewhere for a culprit. Could be rabbits, but it's probably slugs. Squirrels do not chew on hostas. When I had enough shade to grow hostas, I bought rolls of copper-mesh screening to wrap around the base of the plants. It was sold specifically for repelling slugs, since copper and slugs do not mix well. The copper screening works extremely well around any slug-magnet plants I had. I'm not sure if I can post where I got this product...can I?
The thing I like most about a barrier as opposed to a pesticide is that it doesn't need to be reapplied, and although I will use chemicals discreetly, I'll avoid them if I can. This is a barrier that can be put in place and left there season after season.
LOL you guys are funny.... it does make for a funny visual of squirrels sitting on it like a nest!
First of all squirrels normally don't like Hosta except for times of drought and that hasn't been happening in our state. If anything the winter has been pretty wet in TN. Have you actually seen them eating the shoots and early leaves?
I would suspect the more likely culprit is mice and voles or possibly a crafty rabbit. If you have them in the area, a nighttime visit of deer will leave you with no Hosta shoots and leaves. Sometimes slugs and snails will also chew leaves but it is a bit too cold for them right now. In any case the best thing to do is spray a repellent.
Ready made repellents can work pretty well on most of the 4 leg pests:
I have only about 6 or 7 hosta and have never had problems with the squirrels eating them and we have lots of squirrels around. Perhaps if they are eating them to get moisture you could place some tin pie plates of water around to give them a drink.
I have only about 6 or 7 hosta and have never had problems with the squirrels eating them and we have lots of squirrels around. Perhaps if they are eating them to get moisture you could place some tin pie plates of water around to give them a drink.
What the heck are hostas?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
a
