chipmunks possibly eating corn seeds... EXPERIMENT!

[applestar]

I planted corn seeds two weeks ago when it was still a bit cold, but we had some heat wave days. I wasn't sure when they were going to come up... then became concerned when I found a few dimples where the corn should have been planted -- I was pretty sure I didn't leave any. Since last week, some of the corn has come up but not very many, and a few days ago, one of my cats alerted me to a chipmunk running though the garden.

I decided to go ahead and sow the 2nd batch of corn, but this time, soak them overnight to hopefully encourage germination. After seeing the chipmunk, I sliced up some of the super hot black peppers and tepin peppers that I harvested from the overwintered peppers and added them to the tub of water in which the corn seeds were soaking.

I planted the hot pepper flavored corn and randomly dropped the bits of hot peppers in with the seeds, then added a few drops of the soaking water in the planting holes.

Assuming the hot peppers won't somehow inhibit germination, hopefully this will discourage the chipmunks and the corn will get the chance to germinate.

[Bobberman]

Good idea. I also think a few drops of vinegar would also work an kill virus and insects that attack corn!

[applestar]

NOPE! Just found 36 holes where the corn seeds USED to be. Individually dug out too, so the evil rodent scented them out, perhaps by the hot pepper smell. There maybe some that didn't get dug up but now there aren't enough for proper pollination.

I still think the idea has merit but more trials are needed. Trouble is, that was the last of my Stowell's Evergreen corn.

My other corn beds of Double Red Sweet and Buhl are untouched so far, and Buhl are starting to sprout, so we may yet have corn this year.... I do have more Buhl or popcorn if I want to try again though.

I think I should have sprinkled ground cayenne pepper on top of the soil, which was an idea that occurred to me but I was too lazy to go back inside to find it. I could be heavier-handed with the hot pepper solution too. Another option, of course, is to liberally sprinkle with Blood Meal, but Blood Meal and Bone Meal creeps me out....

Bobberman, have you actually used vinegar with seeds or is this just a theory? Specifically with corn? How much vinegar? I have the same doubts as Merlingardener that vinegar can be used as herbicide....

Now I have to think of what to plant in that area -- maybe I'll plant out the overwintered hot peppers there although that was last year's Tomato Bed and I was going to rotate. I also need 7-8' tall plants against the house for shading that side of the house against south/west sun. Maybe Okra?

[applestar]

I've used vinegar for different things too, but HAVE you used it WITH corn seeds to repel rodents? DOES it repel rodents? I haven't heard of it being used for that purpose, though I have heard of it being used as insect repellent (for people) and have concocted a home-made horse fly and mosquito repellent spray recipe in the past.

[cynthia_h]

I also need 7-8' tall plants against the house for shading that side of the house against south/west sun. Maybe Okra?

Do you need them to produce food? If not, then hollyhocks may work, or perhaps sunflowers. One year in Berkeley, we got 12-foot-tall hollyhocks on a southern exposure. Probably equivalent to a normal front yard where you are.

What a pain about the corn. So sorry!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Bobberman]

I did use it on corn seed years ago when I had the farm. I had a ford 309 2 row corn planter and a large internationals tractor with a three point hitch! and I was told by the man that owned the farm that he would add a little vinegar to the seeds in water deluted and it would keep the grubs away from the corn. That was 20 years ago but I did it a few times wha I planted a few rows !