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Old July 19, 2018   #1
Cole_Robbie
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Default Skunks in the greenhouse

A family of skunks was spotted nearby in the past weeks. Now my potted plants in the greenhouse are getting dug into. Skunk-sized holes and no damage to the plants. I haven't seen any feces anywhere. It's just pro mix and osmocote in the pots, no organic fertilizers. I'm not sure exactly what I have that they like. Maybe I need to treat my water with mosquito dunks, if they are after some sort of larvae.

From what I read, skunks are repelled by strong odors, ironically enough. I dusted all my plants with cayenne pepper, black pepper, chile powder, and garlic powder. My greenhouse smells like a nice dry rub for BBQ. I don't see any new damage today, so it worked at least the first night.

If anyone has battled skunks, I welcome all suggestions and advice.
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Old July 19, 2018   #2
clkeiper
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actually... pee! human urine is a major repellent to them. if it isn't where anyone would be offended by the smell just pour ( or your plumbing works better than mine) or urinate around your greenhouse.
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Old July 19, 2018   #3
bower
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We don't have skunks here so I'm no help to you, but I gotta say I love the idea of dusting with a BBQ dry rub! Reminds me of my experiments with cinnamon back in the day... didn't work but it sure smelled nice!
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Old July 19, 2018   #4
rxkeith
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you gotta go in there and scare the bejabbers out of them. bang a couple trash can lids together. yell real loud. the more noise the better.


yah, that oughta do it.



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Old July 20, 2018   #5
AlittleSalt
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Cole, this might help? Skunks are nocturnal and don't like light. Coyotes, dogs, and wolves eat them - so a dog that barks a lot might help. They cannot stand the smell of ammonia is what I've been told, and after an internet search, they say to soak rags in ammonia. Another online thing I read was to use dog urine... (Where to buy dog urine?), but that would go along with having a barking dog. A young black lab would probably do the trick.

Other than those ideas, a 20 gauge - If legal there would also take care of the problem.
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