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Glenview, IL

The heat wave is making these pests eat the ends off my plants to get water and they take nips at the pumpkins. Then I tried something I learned on how to get squirrels out of your bird feeders: Cayenne pepper. The birds don't mind it at all. So, I put some on the ends and a little on the pumpkins and... I sure settle their hash. They hate it! One taste (I saw them) and Yuck! They don't bother with them now.

8/3/2005 1:36:57 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Provide them with a dish for water and they will leave the tips alone also

8/3/2005 4:51:40 PM

Woburn, Ma

I once tried mixing Cayenne pepper with my sunflower seeds to keep the squirrels off the feeders. It had no effect at all on them. I poured the pepper all along the bottom where the squirrel holds on and even dusted the steel bars. I mixed plenty of Cayenne in with the seeds. It didn't phaze them at all. I don't really mind squirrels I just got upset because I would leave other food out for them but they love sunflower seeds. I have also mentioned before that the squirrels never touch my pumpkins. I have three wild rabbits outside in the yard right now eating weeds and they have never touched my plants.

8/3/2005 7:26:55 PM

Glenview, IL

I did leave a dish of water, but for some reason they love that sweet, sweet pumpkin water. The dishes were right by the plant, but they chopped into it. The pepper really works for me. I guess that's better that shooting them. Blaine now you have me concerned about my sunflowers... Ahh, those nutty squirrels!

8/3/2005 9:12:15 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Bird netting & rubber bands on the sunflower heads helps keep squirrels & Gold Finches off the prized heads. But we always leave some for the returning Finches.

8/3/2005 10:38:11 PM

Cholame, Ca

Question for tremor , was reading about your sunflower heads, This is the first year I've grown mamoth sunflowers, When I got ready to cut my heads off and take to our local fair , the backs of the heads were rotting, do you know what causes this? thanks for any information

8/5/2005 3:14:13 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I believe CA would have a raft of area specific pests we don't see out east. But others are quite wide spread. Sunflower maggots are a bother sometimes & seem to know no bounds.

Here is a list of problems in Kansas which migh be useful:

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/extension/InsectInfo/Sunflower/MiscPests.html

This one is almost too general but it might point you in the right direction:

http://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/

8/5/2005 9:50:34 PM