A Must-Try Trick For Keeping Squirrels Away From Your Freshly Planted Fall Bulbs

If your plan is to plant daffodil bulbs in October for beautiful blooms in spring, you might want to consider how to mitigate potential disruptions. There are a number of reasons why fall-planted bulbs don't make an appearance as flowers in springtime, from insufficient planting depth to extreme temperatures. Squirrels, and other critters, digging up your bulbs is another frustrating and common reason your bulbs might not ever grow. But this sneaky type of issue is something that you can prevent with a simple trick. Gravel or other rough, pointed material can be a great deterrent for curious squirrels and other creatures looking to dig up your daffodils and tulips.

Squirrels have a bad habit of disturbing freshly turned soil, which means they might be keyed into your newly planted fall bulbs. There are many ways to keep squirrels from digging up your bulbs this fall, but this tip uses landscaping materials you possibly have in your garage already. The goal is to make the bulbs harder to get to and inconvenience the squirrels enough for them to leave unrewarded. So use angular gravel, pointed lava rock, or some other abrasive landscaping material like crushed oyster shells.

Mulching sometimes helps when it comes to squirrels digging in the garden, but often it does not live up to expectations. A mulch made out of rough gravel, crushed oyster shells, or lava rock, however, might do the trick by cutting into their tiny paws. The idea behind this trick is to give the squirrels enough discomfort to make them leave the area around your bulbs alone. Add a light layer of these materials above the bulbs, which can also conveniently mark the spot of the planting and help with drainage for your bulbs. You could also mix a little crushed oyster shells in with the dirt, which deters the squirrels and can help improve the soil.

Of course, it's also a good idea to get rid of common things that are attracting squirrels to your yard and garden, including bird feeders and certain herbs and flowers. If you don't give them a reason to come, you will have fewer issues with your fall-planted bulbs. A determined squirrel will not stop completely in the face of crushed oyster shells or gravel, but it might be effective together with other popular deterrent methods for a double layer of protection.