On 5/5/13 9:02 AM, Gus wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote in message
...
On 5/3/13 4:17 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
On 5/3/13 10:01 AM, Gus wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote in message
...

I heard of spraying with a mixture of cayenne, animal repellant, and
urine. Of course, you will then have to wash the tomatoes thoroughly
before eating them.

I tried cayenne for a while and all it did was make the few tomatoes I
got
before squirrels have a cayenne flavor. Didn't seem to faze the
squirrels.

urine... hmmm.


The mixture was successfully used at a public garden where I am a
docent. The garden has two white mulberry trees (Morus alba) that
squirrel were killing by eating all the new shoots every spring. The
squirrels were also eating the bark off the branches. Apparently, there
is something in the shoots and bark that gives the squirrels a buzz
(squirrel marijuana?). The trees were often 2-3 months leafing out
because of the shoots being eaten.

This year, the trees leafed out on schedule in April. I was told that a
mixture of animal repellant, cayenne, and urine had been sprayed up into
the trees.


Oops! Yesterday, I discovered that no animal repellant was used. The
mixture consisted of cayenne, liquid dish soap, and urine. No, I don't
know whose urine was used.


hmmm... I wonder if pure urine works best, or from a drug addict? Or maybe
from an asparagus aficionado.

Why soap? Were the tree rats swearing and uncouth?


Whenever I spray -- which is rarely -- I always pour some liquid soap
into my sprayer. It acts as a wetting agent so that the spray does not
bead and run off from waxy or fuzzy foliage.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary