Any Gardeners Out There

[billbenson]

I have an avocado tree. It's abouut 20 ft tall. Last year squirrels stole most of the fruit before maturity. And it had a lot of fruit.

For smaller plants I have heard of tricks like using cayenne pepper on them or the likes. Any suggestions for a tree?

[wskdigital]

My advice...

If you live in a rural area, and you want to get rid of the pests, a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with bird-shot comes to mind, just joking. or am I?

You can also try rat traps, if you don't mind killing them. I would personally feel sorry for the helpless little creatures.

It would be a little hard to keep the squirrels out of a 20 foot tree without being on watch 24/7.

I got it, get a guard dog at the base of the tree, that should scare them away, unless they can jump from a nearby tree.

[billbenson]

They can jump from a nearby tree. Don't feel like killing the critters. I've got a 12 G but I'm in the city anyway. Maybe buy some pepper spray? Dogs don't work because they can jump from the nearby tree.

[dynocat]

Here's a tip from the Wisconsin Humane Society, Wisconsin Humane Society - Keeping Squirrels Out of Trees (http://www.wihumane.org/education/WisconsinHumaneSociety-KeepingSquirrelsOutofTrees.aspx):

Wrapping a couple of feet of sheet metal all the way around the tree's trunk about six feet off the ground makes it very difficult for a squirrel to climb. Metal sheeting should not be applied during the squirrel nesting season, which runs April through September, because a mother squirrel might not be able to return to her babies.