Protect Corn From Raccoons Even Learn a Trick with Squash Plants

Plants That Deter Raccoons from Corn Plants that will deter raccoons from cornstalks are squash, gourds, or pumpkins. As they grow, the vines will climb up the stalks, significantly reducing visibility, which will make the corn less attractive to the raccoons.

How do I keep raccoons out of my sweet corn?
Do raccoons eat squash plants?
How do I keep animals from eating my garden corn?
How do I protect my raccoons from my vegetable garden?
What is a natural deterrent for raccoons?
What scent will keep raccoons away?
Does Irish Spring soap keep raccoons away?
How do I raccoon proof my garden?
Will vinegar keep raccoons away?
How do I keep bugs from eating my corn?
What eats corn in the garden?
What is eating my corn at night?

How do I keep raccoons out of my sweet corn?

Answer: The most effective way to prevent damage to the sweet corn crop is to encircle the area with an electric fence. A two-wire fence with one wire 4 to 6 inches above the ground and the other at 12 inches should keep the raccoons out of the sweet corn.

Do raccoons eat squash plants?

Raccoons are omnivores that will eat almost any fruit or vegetable you plant, although they do have preferences. They love corn, berries, grapes, tree fruits, nuts, beans and peas, melons, squash, and potatoes.

How do I keep animals from eating my garden corn?

You may need to employ more than one method to keep these pests from ruining your sweet corn crop.

Clear the Planting Area. ...
Erect a Barrier. ...
Add Some Noise. ...
Use Prickly Squash Vines. ...
Feed the Squirrels. ...
Make the Garden Inaccessible. ...
Create a Repellent.

How do I protect my raccoons from my vegetable garden?

Prevention and Control

To discourage raccoons from visiting your yard, stow water and food supplies, such as pet bowls and bird feeders, out of reach at night.
Some homemade repellents that have used successfully are a dusting of baby powder or blood meal on vegetables and corn ears.

What is a natural deterrent for raccoons?

One homemade “taste” raccoon repellent recipe uses 1 bottle hot pepper sauce or 1 bottle cayenne pepper powder and mixes it with a gallon of water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The soap helps the liquid to adhere to what you're spraying, and should be sprayed on the entire area that you would like to protect.

What scent will keep raccoons away?

Raccoons have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find accessible food sources. You can take advantage of this trait by using scents they dislike, such as hot pepper, onion, garlic, peppermint oil and Epsom salt to repel them.

Does Irish Spring soap keep raccoons away?

Soap the yard

Raccoons use their superb sense of smell to forage for food, and some scents are really effective at keeping them away. The ingredients in Irish Spring soap are generally effective in keeping raccoons and other small mammals out of your yard.

How do I raccoon proof my garden?

To keep raccoons at a distance, try scattering blood meal around corn plants. Also try sprinkling wood ashes around your plants. Grind up garlic, mix it with an equal portion of chili powder, and spread it around the garden.

Will vinegar keep raccoons away?

Raccoons hate the smell of apple cider vinegar (and so do some humans!). Soak a cloth in apple cider vinegar and place it in an aerated container near the den. The smell will deter them! Install a “scare light.” Having motion sensor lights that automatically turn on will scare away wandering raccoons.

How do I keep bugs from eating my corn?

Another deterrent is to insert half a medicine dropper full of mineral oil to the dried corn silks. This will keep the worms from gripping the plants. You can spray corn plants with Bacilulus thuringiensis called BT. This insecticide contains bacteria that affect only the larvae of the corn borer.

What eats corn in the garden?

Raccoons. Raccoons damage corn by climbing the stalks and breaking them to reach the ears, pulling back the husks and partially eating the cob. ... Corn damaged by raccoons will lie down in many directions, and the number of stalks knocked down is typically more than deer will knock down.

What is eating my corn at night?

Crows and Other Birds

Birds were the culprits if your corn ears have shredded husks and hollow kernel shells. Birds arrive to eat insects on the corn and stay to strip ears of their kernels. ... Another option is to cover ears on cornstalks with paper bags to prevent damage from hungry birds.