In response to a recent column on fruit trees, Mike Davison, who gardens in Toluca Lake, emailed as follows: “I would love to plant a few fruit trees and have in the past (peach, apple, avocado) but with the plague (and I do not use the term lightly) of squirrels in our neighborhood, no one can grow backyard fruit anymore. Any squirrel-deterring recommendations that you can make?”
To be absolutely sure your tree crops are protected, you will need to put a wire mesh bag around each of your ripening fruit which, admittedly, can be a rather tedious task. These bags are also rather pricey. There are polyester fruit protection bags as well, but I would not rely on them for protection from squirrel predations.
Yet to keep squirrels out of the garden, it makes sense, first of all, not to invite them in. Bird feeders or pet food left outside will attract not only squirrels, but raccoons, opossums, and skunks as well. I know this to be true because I have spotted all of these animals in my own neighborhood where a single well-meaning soul, sympathetically desiring nothing more than to feed stray feline creatures, has attracted a mammalian menagerie of urban wildlife by regularly leaving out bowls of cat food on a front porch.
Some gardeners report success in deterring squirrels by planting Mammoth sunflowers, distinguished by 12-inch diameter seedheads. Squirrels would rather eat seeds than fruit and the giant seedheads of Mammoth sunflowers make the squirrels focus on them rather than your fruit.
Squirrels tend to be more bothersome in older neighborhoods with overhead utility wires. Squirrels visit new neighborhoods, where these wires are underground, less frequently.
Squirrels can jump a distance of six feet. With this in mind, regularly prune tree branches to keep them six feet away from roof lines. On large trees, try to create some sort of barrier, such as a swath of sheet metal around a tree trunk, to keep them from jumping up into your tree from ground level.
Garden netting is probably the best solution for protecting fruit from squirrels, as well as birds. POYEE polyethylene netting is a well-reviewed product and widely available through online vendors. The entire tree will need to be wrapped so you would probably want to keep your trees at a height of eight to ten feet, a recommended practice in any case due to the ease of harvest when a fruit tree is kept at that size. You could also plant semi-dwarf varieties, which generally stay below ten feet tall at maturity.
Finally, you might want to try mixing up the so-called squirrel beaters’ tonic, which consists of 2 tbsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce, 2 tbsp. chili pepper, and 1 tbsp. Murphy oil soap dissolved in a quart of water. Pour into a hand sprayer and apply to your fruit.
If anyone has a tried and true method for squirrel deterrence they would like to share, please send it to the email address below.
Another pest control problem raised by a reader concerned a larval infestation of geraniums.
The best control measure for this pest, known as geranium budworm, is application of DIpel, a naturally occurring bacterial larvicide. More than a hundred years ago, the soil-dwelling bacteria known as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) was discovered in Japan. It produces spores and toxic proteins that are fatal to caterpillars and larvae of all kinds, yet is harmless to beneficial insects and pollinators. Spinosad, another bacteria-derived larvicide, is also harmless to beneficial insects but toxic to bees when wet, although benign when given time to dry. Thus, if you choose to apply Spinosad, make sure no bees are in the vicinity at the time of application.
California native of the week: Tidy tips (Layia platyglossa) is an annual you will want to consider for your flower garden since it self-sows and could become your elite yellow bloomer each spring. Its two-inch diameter flowers consist of solid dark yellow disc florets surrounded by light yellow ray florets with delicately lobed white tips, hence the common name. Some classify tidy tips as a succulent due to its leathery stems. It does not require water other than winter rain and does best growing in sandy soil. Its seeds do attract birds so that for some seeds to remain on site and germinate next year, you would be wise to have a bird feeder in the vicinity. The birds will focus on the more readily accessible seeds in the feeder and leave at least some of the tidy tips seeds alone.
You are invited to send questions or comments about any plant, or about any gardening practice or problem, to Joshua@perfectplants.com.
