Can a deer repellent protect acorns from rodents? Plantra wants to know.

What might a chew hole in a big blue trashcan teach us about protecting acorns from squirrels?


The trashcan supplied by BFI lives behind our home and sits under the spreading limbs of a massive - by Minnesota standards anyway - bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) that predates statehood. In a good acorn year, I have counted 14 Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in that tree happily snipping branches to make it easy to gather the acorns. We have a huge population of gray squirrels.

These squirrels behave as though the trashcan is just a big nut or a big acorn. The squirrels immediately begin gnawing on the edges until they get at the garbage. (Anyone for a flavorful city squirrel stew?) As always happens, by last spring the big blue trashcan was Swiss cheese. The trash haulers replaced it and the process began anew.

Last May when the new can arrived I decided to see if Deer Guard Repellent could break the cycle. The gnawing had already begun and was confined to corners and edges. I painted the holes that were started and then all around edge of the deck lid. The manufacturer says one application lasts 4 months. Well... we held the squirrels off for 6 months with Deer Guard. If you want to try it I recommend the quart size in a spray bottle.

The advantage of Deer Guard over all the other repellents is that it lasts when the others wash off in the rain.

This experience got me thinking when last week we received an email about protecting direct seeded acorns from rodents. That is a tough one. Our standard recommendation, based on years of experience, is to tell the grower to do a better job on weed control. That's right - weed control repels rodents. Clean cultivation - bare soil - keeps small rodents away because they are afraid of death from above. Hawks and owls easily pick off exposed rodents, so they stay in the safety of tall grass.

Weed control doesn't help if the planting site is remote, not maintained or there is snow cover. We need another answer. While I cannot guarantee it, I think a product such as Deer Guard might protect acorns and nuts for direct seeding. Since all seeds are living - breathing organisms you do not want to paint or dip the acorns in Deer Guard. A fine mist applied sparingly should do the trick.

We need to have a few people try this under various conditions. If you have some acorns, nuts or chestnuts to test treated and untreated, I would be happy to supply a free quart of Deer Repellent. Write this week to joelais plantra.com and tell me how you propose to do the test. If I like what I read and we have not done what you want to do, a free quart of Deer Guard will be sent immediately.