Gardening allows people to relieve stress by planting new plants in their gardens. This can be amazing as not only do they have fun doing it but you can also make your home attractive. Depending on the types of flowers and plants that you use, there are tons of benefits that can be taken. Some flowers look beautiful while having unique fragrances on them. While there are also some fruits and vegetables that come with medicinal properties on them.
Going through the options carefully is a great way of finding plants that will last people a long time. With that being said, kale is a green vegetable that people enjoy planting because of the nutrients provided by the leaves. Though, there are also some questions that you will notice users asking regarding the plants. A common query is “Do squirrels eat kale?”. If you have the same question, then going through this article should help you in getting a viable answer.
Do Squirrels Eat Kale?
Squirrels are from the family of rodents, but these usually range from small to medium-sized animals. You should note that there are different types of rodents that people notice roaming around in their gardens. These include ground squirrels, flying squirrels, and even tree squirrels. The animals are native to America, Africa, and Eurasia but these are often introduced to other regions by humans.
When it comes to the interests of these rodents, people will notice that squirrels love eating green leaves from plants. If the plants have edible leaves, then this piques the interest of these animals. For instance, the rodents enjoy eating lettuce, chard, spinach, arugula, and kale. Whenever squirrels notice the plants, you will see that they immediately attack them to chow down on the leaves.
Keeping this information in mind, people can see that squirrels do eat kale. There are several varieties of plants that have unique features and properties on them. Even the color of leaves can vary from type to type but the rodents will eat these regardless of the specie. Now that you understand this, some people might think that their kale is getting eaten by the squirrels every time they notice the plant getting damaged.
Though, when it comes to this, there are several other types of insects and animals that can try eating your kale. Considering this, it is always better that you first identify what exactly is damaging the plant before you take any steps towards preventing it. This helps in ensuring that you don’t waste your time by taking precautions that will do you no good.
The best way to find the culprit is by keeping a check on your kale plants. If you have cameras, then you can simply use them but if you don’t then closer observation will be required. Once done, if you have confirmed that the kale plants are getting eaten by squirrels then several methods can be used to protect them.
Protecting Kale From Squirrels
People who are getting their kale leaves eaten by squirrels might ask how this problem can be prevented. Talking about this, you should note that there are tons of ways that you can do this, but the choice usually depends on the user’s personal preferences. You can try using companion plants along with kale that will leave off an odor that keeps these rodents away.
Additionally, you can plant tall shrubs that will not only keep squirrels away but also prevent other animals from entering your garden. Although, if these don’t suit your use then you can use special chemicals manufactured to keep these rodents away. There are tons of brands that have chemicals mixed in with fertilizers. The only thing that you need to make sure of is that the product is bought from a reliable brand.
If done properly, then your kale plants will stay healthy by taking in the nutrients from your fertilizers. Meanwhile, you will notice that the rodents are also kept away because of the strong smell coming from the chemicals. Now that you understand all of this, users might question if the leaves that have already been eaten will regrow or not. The answer for this is “yes” the leaves should grow back but the time is taken usually depends on how healthy your kale is.