There are few things more cheerless to a gardener thanstarting Spinacia oleracea and wampum from seed , nurturing the seedling undergrow light , implant them ever so gently in the vegetable garden , and then 2 days later , obtain nothing but nubs where you once had hopes for a delicious salad .
Such was my fate two years ago when my local universe of killer rabbits ransacked my vegetable greens overnight like an intrude on Nordic legion . I became a Picasso of profanity , barf vile vocabulary at the evil , 4 - footed , Leporidae menace which others find so ( deceptively ) cute .
I normally spray the heck out of new greens and any new plant with arepellant like Liquid Fence , which work on well , but due to overpowering rainwater , I miss my window for spray . Which throw the lapin an chance to round and sent me to my local garden center to buy lettuces . Live and see .
And a groundhog moves in
Last class , I went to DEFCON2 and palisade off my greens . That worked well until a rogue Marmota monax discovered that opulent free green buffet . He climb the3 - metrical unit cony fence , bend it down , and lowered his Jabba the Hutt - like consistence into the greens garden where he eat to his delight , crushing whatever he did n’t desire with his immense cinch ( this groundhog was rank rotund ! ) . But apparently , he did n’t care for the Kale . Wife and I made a lot of smoothies last twelvemonth and I exhaust more Kale than you would mean potential – it still on occasion appears without admonish from its quick-frozen state in soup , stew , and rice . The groundhog took me by complete surprise because it ’s not like we live in the country or anything , not even the suburbs , so I had never see a groundhog in my neighborhood before and I ’ve lived here 12 years . That ’s why I was unprepared when I saw his fat , otiose self banqueting in the yard one day in May without a care in the cosmos . My married woman bring up him Charles and enchant in his every coming into court , but me , having grown up in a rural area , knew the evilness incarnate that is the Marmota monax – they are impossible to get rid of if they make a abode on your attribute . ( My judgement ran afoul with the image of multiplication after contemporaries of groundhogs living under my shed and eating every plant they please , incessantly and ever ; and me , using tear gas and nuclear arm to seek and move them out , all to no help ) By the way , no liquidity or granular repellant seems to work on the groundhog – I load my sweet potato seedling with granular repellant and nebuliser , but he also ate those seedling to the primer coat overnight last twelvemonth . No delicious homegrown tubers for us last class .
What is the best animal deterrent?
So this year , the challenge was on : do I invest in a motion - activated , water spraying hindrance ? That would be fun to watch , no doubt , as the noise startled the rodents , followed by a jetstream of water to send off them scurry for the Alfred Hawthorne . But a duration of garden hose has to be attached 24/7 and if the time of year was showery , usher in more nebuliser to disease - prostrate foliation ( liketomatoes ) gives me pause . It also wo n’t be very efficient once plants have grown in , block the nebuliser . And obviously , my experience with liquid repellant was great for a while and then not so much . Plus , always having to apply a liquid sprayer after rainwater can have problematic timing , especially in early give when brute want to nibble on everything . So when I was asked to look back theSmart Scarecrow Ultrasonic Squirrel and Animal Repeller , I allege , hell yea !
Smart Scarecrow Ultrasonic Animal Repeller Test
It seems that X - Pest has gotten it right . This is a solar - powered creature repeller , so it ’s relatively set - it - and - forget - it after it ’s charged . But if it ’s function to be range in a shady orbit , you’re able to also power it with rechargeable barrage fire .
The apparatus is simple : either charge it via USB porthole , or set it outside in a sunny area for 24 hour and let the solar chip collect energy . allot to the datasheet , the Scarecrow Animal Repeller senses when an animal is in range , and hunt through 4 ultrasonic frequencies , show off brightness level until the animal leave behind . Then the strawman goes back to standby mode , waiting for its next invader .
I set up the scarecrow and placed it on the ply livelihood in my garden ( but you’re able to also hang it on a wall ) . After charge for 24 hours , I put it at the end of my wrangle of seedling lettuces , cabbages , and kail . I did not spray a repellant .
Naturally , I ca n’t find out ultrasonic frequence , so I ’ll take their discussion for it that the unit create those tones . But I can hear the initial warning strait and see the flash lights on the front of the whole . The mountain chain is somewhat significant , as I localise it off even when 15 feet away and at an angle to the unit .
The bottom line is , after 2 weeks , at their most vulnerable time of year , the greens are still place upright . I ’ve also seenfewer rabbits in my thousand . Coincidence ?
