I want to grow hops but squirrels eat everything!

I have backyard with parts that have alot of sunlight but the squirrels eat everything. What can I do to stop this if i decide to grow hops?

I shoot them. The Squirrels, not the hops.

its funny to think about it but I'd feel bad. Plus if one of the neighbor sees me the HOA will hang me for killing the poor animal.

Squirrels eat hops. You eat squirrels. Everybody happy!

Shooter -- how many squirrels should I put in my IPA to achieve my desired bitterness?

mvdilts said:

Shooter -- how many squirrels should I put in my IPA to achieve my desired bitterness?

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42, no more, no less.

cayenne pepper or chili powder around the bases of the plants, it keeps the turkeys and the deer out of my vegtables

Buy some fresh hop cones and put them out somewhere where the squirrels can get to them to be sure they would actually be interested in them. My guess is no, but I don't know. You may need to put chicken wire around them the first year to protect the early sprouts but once they get going they are probably not going to bother them.

I had a squirrel problem when I was keeping bonsai trees. They would see them and think maybe there was food in the pots as if I were putting them out just for them and they would pull the trees out to look. Every time I put them back they would do the same thing.

but here squirrels, woodchucks, skunks and deer show no interest in my hops.

Insects are an entirely different story

Are you sure the squirrels will eat them. I've never seen such a thing.

Most animals want nothing to do with hops. On our farm, we had a turkey that insisted on scratching up a couple of rhizomes though he never did anything with it. Maybe when the sprouts first pop out of the ground, but once they are woody they are of no interest to most animals. Just put the chicken wire around it as previously mentioned.

I grilled in my backyard once and droppd a small peice of meat. In the afternoon I saw the squirrels running in going under the grill and running out with the chunk. They will eat anything to survive. But yea if theres not much of a nutritional value maybe ur right they wont eat it.

Hop shoots are tasty treats, so your best bet is to lay down some chicken wire and arch it over the plants. Stake it around the edges. Once the plants are 5-6" tall, they aren't very good.

Shooter said:

Squirrels eat hops. You eat squirrels. Everybody happy!

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Didn't you mean "Everybody hoppy!"

I should put some pellets of warrior alpha 18% wrapped in bacon and see if they ever come back.

One application of Hound Dog takes care of that for you. Thats what I use.

Squirrels chewed the shingles on my house one year, they never bothered the hops....

the ones that chewed the house are no longer a problem....

boss429 said:

I should put some pellets of warrior alpha 18% wrapped in bacon and see if they ever come back.

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I don't think those will work in my pellet rifle. I have to use lead ones. I just try to wrap them in squirrel meat.

As usual with a rifle, stealth is your friend.

boss429 said:

I have backyard with parts that have alot of sunlight but the squirrels eat everything. What can I do to stop this if i decide to grow hops?

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Get yourself a .22, a boiling kettle (other than for brewing), some veggies, potatoes, etc., (and some ammo), aim properly, and make a squirrel stew. Very tasty!

Squirrels were never a problem. I had raccoons digging up the rhizomes, until I read (on this site!) that human urine kept them away. Worked like a charm!

It seems moles and weasels like to eat everything from the rhizome on up. I caught the little buggers doing it, but it was too late. They got nearly everything; 20 rhizomes.

frazier said:

Squirrels were never a problem. I had raccoons digging up the rhizomes, until I read (on this site!) that human urine kept them away. Worked like a charm!

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anyone else want to verify this statement? or is this a joke?

to last post: wow 20 rhizomes thats like 100 bux. I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO ME IMA GO PISS ON MY SOIL! haha

man i'm not sure if this is going to be worth it I mean I also have a chihuahua that eats everything...it eats basil leaves,mint leaves, snails, spiders, flys, ANYTHING probably even hops.

wtvr see if im motivated next year.

The only thing you will have to worry about is japanese beatles and for that you just pick up a little neem oil and mix in with your water when you see them coming. In order to keep them up off the ground a bit just get some 5 gallon buckets and cut the bottoms off and fill it up with soil that will keep them up and out of the way but allow them to grow down and have 5 gallons of fresh compost to grow in. Make sure you usea little lime ot stabilise your Ph. You have noth ing ot worry about. You need to get a season or two in before they produce anyway.

boss429 said:

anyone else want to verify this statement? or is this a joke?

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Although I am not positive it works for everything, I know it works for deer. Humans eat meat, so their urine smells like a predator and scares away prey animals.

So, what you're saying is piss on it?

frazier said:

Squirrels were never a problem. I had raccoons digging up the rhizomes, until I read (on this site!) that human urine kept them away. Worked like a charm!

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I have had limited squirrel problems with other crops in my yard. They ate all my cherrys off the tree one year. They ate all my walnuts, too.
Then I got even.
100 squirrels a year for me....
No more crop damage.
Lots of shooting practice, too.
Now if I so much as open the door they run like a hawk was after them.
I still get the dumb ones.

HOPCousin said:

The only thing you will have to worry about is japanese beatles and for that you just pick up a little neem oil and mix in with your water when you see them coming. In order to keep them up off the ground a bit just get some 5 gallon buckets and cut the bottoms off and fill it up with soil that will keep them up and out of the way but allow them to grow down and have 5 gallons of fresh compost to grow in. Make sure you usea little lime ot stabilise your Ph. You have noth ing ot worry about. You need to get a season or two in before they produce anyway.

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thanks for the tip! Ill take that into consideration.