Protecting persimmons from squirrels (2024)

FAQs

How to keep squirrels away from persimmons? ›

Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do to discourage squirrels. You can try sparkling things hanging from branches, motion-activated sprinklers or lights, and hot sauce.

A lot of animals are repelled by the scent of mint and squirrels are one of them. You could try planting some mint under your fruit trees or make a spray similar to the hot pepper spray using peppermint or spearmint essential oils and water. Again, you'll have to reapply the spray periodically to ensure it's effective.

You can protect your persimmon fruit tree from birds by using fruit tree netting to keep them away from the ripening fruit.

The squirrels usually manage to get them all. We have both the non-astringent and astringent types of persimmons. The squirrels like to take a bite out of them before they are ripe, thus leaving them to rot on the tree.

Use Strong Odors

Scents like white pepper, black pepper, and garlic are naturally unpleasant to a squirrel. The same goes for sweet smells such as peppermint. Try spraying your plants and flowers with water and then sprinkling on pepper or peppermint oil to deter squirrels.

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.

To protect the persimmons from birds and squirrels, it is necessary to wrap the tree with bird netting or cover it in a structure made with chicken wire before the fruits are ripe.

Apply half a pound for every year the tree has been planted, up to 10 pounds per tree per year. Split this amount between the two applications. Also apply magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) three to four times per year because persimmons seem to need extra.

Of course, practically everyone knows opossums do. But persimmons are also gobbled up by other mammals such as rodents, white-tailed deer (they also eat the leaves and twigs), raccoons, foxes, black bears and skunks.

You can achieve 76 to 100 percent mortality by spraying with 2 percent Invora herbicide under ideal conditions. To prepare the spray mix, add the appropriate amount of Invora herbicide to water.

How do farmers protect fruit trees from birds? ›

Using visual deterrents to scare birds away. An inexpensive and easy option is reflective scare tape that you tie on tree branches or attach to posts. The tape flutters in the wind and repels birds by reflecting light. For commercial growers, dancing scarecrows have also become popular.

Specifically, they enjoy fruits and vegetables like oranges, apricots, corn and avocados. You may notice some of your garden crops have bite marks and ask, “do squirrels eat apples?” They do. Like other rodents, squirrels have four front teeth that continually grow.

Nyjer seed, millet, safflower, canary seed and canola seed all are ingredients that squirrels avoid. Unfortunately a hungry squirrel will eat anything that will provide it nourishment. Mix hot pepper (capsicum) into birdseed. It is a non-toxic ingredient and will not harm or kill birds.

In particular, a variety of walnuts, hickory nuts, white oak acorns, beechnuts make for a great squirrel diet.

You can also use garden netting bags to cover growing fruit clusters. Installing battery powered, electrical or solar powered auditory scare devices that broadcast bird distress calls or other noises that drive birds away. Look for owl decoys. Some even make the sounds of birds in distress!

One effective home remedy to eliminate squirrels is using hot pepper spray. Mix water with cayenne pepper and a few drops of dish soap, then transfer the mixture into a spray bottle. Apply the solution to areas where squirrels are active or where you want to deter them.

White vinegar has a strong smell and is a powerful squirrel deterrent. The easiest way to treat a squirrel-infested area is to simply pour it on active squirrel hang-outs or spray it around your property with a mix of water.

Of course, practically everyone knows opossums do. But persimmons are also gobbled up by other mammals such as rodents, white-tailed deer (they also eat the leaves and twigs), raccoons, foxes, black bears and skunks.