Squirrels are fond of eating anything related to shells including seeds. If you observe the head of the sunflower, you will find out that the sunflower contains small seeds of sunflower seeds. The squirrels often feast on these seeds and cause destruction to your beautiful sunflower. You can check if the destruction to the plant is caused by the squirrel if there are shells of the sunflower seeds lying near the head of the flower or on the ground. If you have sunflowers that have been destroyed by squirrels then you might be wondering how to keep squirrels from destroying sunflowers? We will help you solve this query by providing you with the solutions to it. Let’s find out.
How To Keep Squirrels From Destroying Sunflowers?
1. Chicken wire
Chicken wire can be used to create a barrier between the squirrels and the sunflower plants and keep the squirrels away from destroying the sunflower plants. The chicken wire works efficiently for the newly planted sunflower plants. Make a fence of the chicken wire by digging a hole of at least 1 to 1.5 feet deep. This will prevent the squirrels from digging the soil to reach the plant. Also, bend the wire in the form of an arch and place stones around it to strengthen it. In this way, the squirrels will not be able to climb over to eat the sunflower seeds.
2. Planting Plants That Squirrels Hate
You can also plant another plant around the sunflower that is not like the squirrels. The squirrels do not like thorny plants. However, you will have to consider the type of plant you will use to protect the sunflower plants. This is because the sunflowers are big and thick plants that form a shadow around them during the day. This means that the plants that you are going to use as protection for the sunflower plants will not get enough sunlight.
3. Cheesecloth Or Paper Bag
Another method that you can try is using a cheesecloth or paper bag. All you have to do is to tie the cloth over the head of the sunflower plant and cover it. This will protect the head from the squirrels but will not affect the growth of the plant. However, there are a few things that you will have to keep in mind. If it rains heavily, then you will have to replace the cheesecloth with a new one. Also, make sure that you continue to cover the head until the seeds mature properly and the petals start falling off.
The Bottom Line
Even though squirrels are cute little animals, no one wants squirrels to destroy their beautiful sunflower plants. Therefore, we have provided you with some solutions on how to keep squirrels from destroying sunflowers. We hope that these solutions help you solve your query. To know more, go through the above-mentioned article.