How To Keep Squirrels Out Of Flower Pots [2022 Guide]

Wondering How To Keep Squirrels Out Of Flower Pots? Here is a quick and easy guide, so they will leave your plants alone once and for all!

After spending time arranging and potting your flowers, it can be very deflating to discover that they have been targeted by squirrels.

Squirrels are considered to be pests and certain species are active year-round. Often they will make their way into your garden in a search for food and eat your plants or bury the food they have found in the soil.

As they do so, they may damage your pots by knocking them over as they scurry past. 

If squirrels are causing a problem in your garden, you may be looking for ways to deter them and protect your flower pots. In our guide below, we have identified several ways that you can keep squirrels out of your garden. They are humane and will not inflict any harm on them. 

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Physical Barriers

Creating physical barriers is one of the most obvious ways to keep squirrels out of your flower pots. Putting some rocks in the pots is going to make it more difficult for the squirrels to burrow into and reach the soil.

There are decorative rocks and stones available that you can use. Whilst their primary purpose is to protect your plants, they also aren’t going to take away from the look of your garden.

Try and choose weighty stones that the squirrels will find difficult to remove, but make sure that they are not heavy enough to cause damage to the plants and the soil. 

Another option involves the use of chicken wire.

Cut the wire to size before laying it over the top layer of soil. The gaps in the wire will give the bulbs space to begin growing.

If needed, you can cut larger holes into the wire. Adding chicken wire is effective because it is not hugely obtrusive but it will stop the squirrels from reaching the soil and damaging your plants.

The only problem with chicken wire is that it is more of a temporary solution. This is because when the shoots appear, the plants are going to require room to grow and the wire may be too restricting.

Think About The Type Of Flowers That You Are Planting

This is perhaps one of the easiest ways to keep squirrels away from your plant pots as there are many common plants that they do not like. If they climb onto your pots and find plants that they do not like, they will soon leave in a hurry.

Allium, Galanthus, Marigolds, Geraniums, and Lily of the valley are just a few of the plants that squirrels are known to dislike.  

If there are certain flowers that you enjoy planting in your pots that squirrels are not known to have an aversion to, you may find some of the other tips in our guide to be more effective. 

Use Repellents

Often gardeners will sprinkle something onto their plants that the squirrels will not like. They act as a repellent to the squirrels and discourage them from returning in the future.

These repellents do not need to be harmful, most can be made using ingredients that you are likely to have readily available. 

Coffee Grounds

The first option involves mixing coffee grounds with soil. Coffee is believed to be effective because the majority of squirrels find the scent bitter and off-putting.

Simply get some coffee grounds and mix them into the top layer of soil. Then when the squirrels climb onto your flower pots, they will be confronted with this smell straight away. 

Cayenne Pepper

Sprinkle some cayenne pepper onto your plants to encourage the squirrels to keep their distance. The heat and spiciness of cayenne pepper will put them off.

If you have pets, you should try and keep them away from the areas in your garden where you have sprinkled the pepper. This is because it can act as an irritant to the eyes, nose, and throat.

Should you decide to try using cayenne pepper, you must remember that it will need to be reapplied following a  bout of bad weather, because the rain will wash it off your plants and it will no longer be effective. 

Bone Meal

Bone meal is often used as a plant fertilizer. As implied, bone meal is the name given to a mixture of animal bones and waste and it emits a scent that is repulsive to squirrels, hence why many gardeners use it to keep them away.

Sprinkle some bone meal onto the soil in your flower pots and it should then work. Just like cayenne pepper, you will need to reapply the bone meal following bad weather that is likely to have washed it off. Alternatively, you may use blood meal instead of bone meal. 

Not only is bone meal an effective repellent, but it also contains nitrogen which contributes to strong and healthy plant growth. 

Add Some Distractions To your Garden

For some people, this option may not be as effective as those that we have listed above, however, in some cases, it can still work. The idea of adding distractions aims to divert the squirrels away from the flower pots.

You may add a squirrel feeder to your garden that is filled with nuts, fruits, or other treats that they enjoy. Try not to let it get too empty because an empty feeder is not going to attract the attention of the squirrels. 

Adding some shiny decorations in the form of old CDs and foil plants will scare the squirrels away. This is because they are reflective and they are also likely to make some noise as they blow in the wind.

To hang the CDs and aluminum foil plates you will need to attach them to some yarn and hang them from trees or plants in your garden.

The number of CDs and plates that you use will depend on the size of your garden and how many trees and plants that you have to hang them from. After a few days, you should notice that you have fewer squirrels visiting your garden.