Squirrels and Hops?

I'm about to put 7 rhizomes in the ground and it just occurred to me that I have a healthy squirrel population in my back yard... Does anyone know if squirrels have an affinity for hops? The bitterness may be a deterrent when they are mature, but they may be pretty tasty as young sprouts.

Wondering if I need to devise a chicken wire fence to protect them. They can have my tomatoes, but they better not touch my cascades.

I had mostly cascades last year and I haven't had any problem with squirrels. or any animals really. The only issue i've had was japanese beetles.

We're pretty much overrun by squirrels and chipmunks here, but other than a proclivity to hop the fencing to bury acorns in the mulch, they've never shown any interest in the bines...

Cheers!

Nice! Thanks for the responses!

Only thing i had issues with was skunks. Skunks tend to eat alot of insects and the soil was nice and soft and movable where i planted my rhizomes. Each morning i would find them about 3 ft strewn out of their holes with the dirt all over the place. Then i bought some chicken wire and placed it around the planting area and had no problems since.

I didn't have trouble with them eating the brins, but they loved the roots and killed off about half my hops. All varites, no preference.

blaze379 said:

I didn't have trouble with them eating the brins, but they loved the roots and killed off about half my hops. All varites, no preference.

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Urinate on the soil with some regularity. And, empty your electric shaver clippings too. That will take care of them in a jiffy.

Just sit in a beach chair with a BB gun drinking homebrew. Win-win...

Interesting...... but worth a try

Squirrels make great pasta sauce! So do rabbits.

BrewerinBR said:

Squirrels make great pasta sauce! So do rabbits.

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I can't even get them to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, much less a good pasta sauce.

I have a ton of squirrels in my area, and the only problem I have ever had is with them burying the peanuts they steal from my neighbors yard (she actually feeds them so I guess its not theft) in my mulch. Then my Corgi goes out and digs them up and eats them LOL.....

berniep said:

i can't even get them to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, much less a good pasta sauce.

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+1 lmao

Berniep said:

I can't even get them to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, much less a good pasta sauce.

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Try getting them to make you a ham sandwich. Squirrels are selfish, and would rather eat the peanut butter than make you a sandwich with it. They don't care for ham, so you may have better luck.

Sounds like skwerl stew to me. Nothing a Ruger 10/22 with a 50 round mag wont help with. Plinking at the tree rats is a sport also, so enjoy a sport while yo defend your hobby. Sounds like fun to me, but I am a southern red neck so it would. "Hold my beer while a pop that tree rat, Vern"..... Hee hee, sorry couldn't help myself.

Wheel chaired and Heavilly medicated Bob

I was hoping it wasnt going to be a problem, but it looks like some of my rhizomes were dug up and then dries out and died. I have lots of squirrels in my backyard so I assume it was them.

Not to bring up an old thread, but squirrels recently got to 4 of my hop plants that were growing really well. Dug out the roots as well so there's no chance of the hops at least recovering . I may try the hair clippings trick but with dog hair.

I had some squirrels digging up some of my rhizomes and read somewhere to put Blood Meal on the soil all around the plants. I did it and no more digging. The Blood Meal is also good to add nitrogen and the squirrels don't like the smell of dried blood.