Saturday, March 20, 2010

Cayenne Pepper



Spring is sprung
the grass is riz
I wonder where
the flowers iz


When we were kids we’d sing that rhyme and thought we were very clever. As a grownup, I know the rabbits are the clever ones.

The top picture from March 15 shows a bunch of crocus. Every year the rabbits mow them down. This year is no different. They ate about half the growing tips by March 15. I rarely get any blooms in this spot.
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The rabbits love the tulips too.


I carry cayenne pepper in my tool bucket when I garden. I buy the largest container I can find – usually at BJ’s or Sam’s Club.

I sprinkled some cayenne pepper on the leaves and a little on the ground around the plants when as I worked on garden cleanup. Sometimes too much causes leaf burn. It doesn't look good but it doesn't seem to damage the plant.

We are also using Deer Off by Havaheart® this year. Deer Off contains “Putrescent Whole Egg Solids, Capsaicin & Related Capsaicinoids, Garlic Oil”. Oh boy, more smelly hot stuff. We will need to reapply the Cayenne pepper and/or Deer Off after every rain.

So far we have controlled the damage. And this year - crocus blooms!


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(I’ve had a lot of inquiries about the Allentown Flower Show. Unfortunately, this show was discontinued two years ago. The Lehigh Valley Green Building Expo continues at Northampton Community College through the weekend.)
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2 comments:

donna said...

I'll be purchasing a big container of cayenne pepper on my next trip to Sam's Club. Thanks for the info about how to use it.

Haven't heard that rhyme before. I like it.

donna

Marie said...

Donna,
The cayenne pepper works for me. I hope it works for you too. The hard part is to be vigilant about applying it. I've used it on the ground when I plant bulbs in the fall. That seemed to work to keep the squirrels from digging and eating the bulbs.