Vicious herbivores and my balcony sunflowers

@TheHorse (203666)
Walnut Creek, California
May 24, 2016 2:46pm CST
I just checked the garden at work (in Concord CA), and the ground squirrels have begun the process of decapitating all of my sunflowers out there, and starting to eat the corn plants. Even on my balcony, the tree squirrels are primary suspects in decapitating one of my sunflowers. But notice how the sunflowers are trying to survive! The one was lovely but has since closed up, so I watered with some Miracle Gro Quick Start today. The decapitated one (upper right) has started to throw some new buds, and I'm hoping they'll survive. And the one that was happy and became depressed is also growing some new friends (lower left). We'll see what happens. At work, I'm going to wrap the bases of my corn (I've given up on the sunflowers there) with packing tape and see if the ground squirrels continue to munch away. I was going to use duct tape, which is stronger, but I can't fine mine. Wish me luck! Have you ever used bizarre means to protect the bottoms of plants?
17 people like this
16 responses
@jaboUK (64363)
• United Kingdom
24 May 16
How discouraging to have your plants eaten like that. I hope they survive.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 May 16
Thanks. I'm not counting on it, but I'm giving it all I have. The ones on my balcony and in Berkeley will survive.
3 people like this
@vandana7 (98517)
• India
25 May 16
Sad. But we don't face the same problems. Anna @ladyduck has a few solutions though...
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
I think ground squirrels will rule the world within ten years.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98517)
• India
25 May 16
@TheHorse ... We have cute tree squirrels...they are not as vicious as this...but we do have horrid large size rats...
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98517)
• India
25 May 16
@LadyDuck ... Knowing pony as I know him...killing is strictly out of limits...he would prefer them running away with some sound waves or infra red stuff..lol
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
24 May 16
Ground squirrel sounds more like a spice then an animal.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 May 16
I am tempted to turn it into an alternative to hamburger, but I won't.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
24 May 16
@TheHorse Very tasty with grated weasel.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
24 May 16
@JolietJake I assume that you just sprinkle the ground squirrel onto the mix.
• United States
24 May 16
Do the squirrels climb the stalks to get to the heads? If so, use Vaseline, so they will slide back down. I saw a video of this, very funny and frustrating for the squirrels.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 May 16
Oh, I think I saw that video, though it was a pole and a bird feeder. The tree squirrels got my one balcony sunflower from the ledge of the railing. The ground squirrels at Ground Squirrel Gardens destroy everything from about 4" off the ground.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
@ElizabethWallace That would probably work, but I'm not sure that I'm willing to expend that much effort. If these were my only source of Summer food, it would be a different matter!
1 person likes this
• United States
25 May 16
@TheHorse How about a wire cage over the garden? Would that work?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323671)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 May 16
Here, they suggest we spread blood and bone round the base of vegies. Apparently the smell keeps the rabbits away. Just a thought...
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
Who am I going to collect blood and bone from? I'm really not that mad at anyone right now.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323671)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 May 16
@TheHorse Sorry, Blood and Bone is a proprietary mix that smells somewhat - to put it mildly.
1 person likes this
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
25 May 16
@TheHorse lol i love myLot and all the things l hear here.
2 people like this
28 May 16
Thanks The Horse. But as I know squirels have small appetite. Can they eat your corn which looks big in the picture?
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 May 16
I read that ground squirrels get their water from plants, not regular water sources. So any healthy looking plant is at-risk.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 May 16
@sathviksouvik I let them get as big as I can on the balcony, then try to find a good place for them.
1 person likes this
28 May 16
@TheHorse Thanks The Horse. I will try keeping my potted plants in the balcony away from the squirrels.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
28 May 16
Here to keep squirels off the bird feeders they grease the pole but I am not sure your pots are tall enough to make that worth while.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 May 16
No, out plants are at ground level. I did put some duct tape around the bases of the corn. It looks like of silly.
1 person likes this
@lokisdad (4226)
• United States
23 Feb 17
Keeping critters out of your plants can be hard to do. Especially when you have a lot of plants. When we had a garden it was a pain to keep out animals during the day it was fairly easy but late at night not so much because you have to sleep and if there is more than one at a time they have better chances than you do lol. I remember watching the deer come late nights and eat off the corn in the garden and sometimes you try to scare them and they would just stand their and look at you like hey thanks for the corn.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
23 Feb 17
Yep, when I lived in Orinda (near here), the bunnies would merrily munch my garden and tell the deer about the stuff they didn't like.
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
25 May 16
looks like you might need to tack up some anti rodent netting! lol
1 person likes this
• Centralia, Missouri
25 May 16
@TheHorse perhaps, but if you dont, what work you do may just go to the squirrels
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 May 16
@Jessicalynnt I think that is their destiny. But I want to see how tall I can get the corn to grow before it becomes squirrel food.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
Sigh. I don't want to work TOO hard out there.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20368)
• Fairfield, Texas
25 May 16
Holy Crap @TheHorse , what kind of flower is that purple one? I've never seen anything like it. And what a stem size.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
Heh. It's actually a succulent of some fort (requires very little water) and those are its leaves!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (39965)
• Laguna Woods, California
25 May 16
We used to spray our orange tree with a mixture of a little dish washing soap and water. It kept certain types of insects off the leaves.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
My enemies are larger than insects. I have an army of lady bugs waiting to be born. They will vanquish aphids and other small pests. But the ground squirrels are there, lurking.
@JohnRoberts (109865)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Aug 16
The squirrels attack the actual plant or the sunflower seeds?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Aug 16
They wait until the sunflower plant is growing nicely, then gobble it up.
@teamfreak16 (43451)
• Denver, Colorado
25 May 16
Is that thing a desk lamp or an alien pod designed to keep track of the plants?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
I don't know. It came out of a pod that landed in my yard. I recognized the pod from a painting I'd seen in my art class in college.
1 person likes this
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
25 May 16
Im a poor plant grower,they always die.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
You have to BELIEVE--and give them good soil.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
@miniam Hmm. Do you tamp down the soil, but not too much? If they get the right balance of sun and water, they should be happy.
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
25 May 16
@TheHorse I do buy the soil from the garden center,even plant which are fresh when l buy them, 1 day with me and they start drooping
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111956)
• United States
24 May 16
everything that I do is bizarredo you want me to help you to find it?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 May 16
Absolutely. Oh, I did find my black duct tape.
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
26 May 16
Those darned squirrels! I bet they love you for planting a handy pantry for them. I have tree squirrels at my trailer park. This year they've started a new habit, attacking the jade plants I have put out for the summer. My sunflowers are just seedlings at the moment, and they're inside but will go outside in a week or two. The squirrels have so far not bothered them but every year is a new year. The most effective predator deflector I've ever used is against slugs. I use sections (about 2") of toilet paper cores and slip them over the seedlings when the seedlings have just sprouted. Works like a charm.