Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello

Has anyone heard of spreading chopped citrus peel around the soil as a cat deterrent?

Seems to be lots of plusses if it works - organic, smells nice etc. Would it actually do any harm to the crops though?

Thanking you

marketestalls



www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market Online
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

I have heard that this works but not tried it myself, cats don't like citrus & it could also be a useful way of collecting up slugs & snails as they tend to gather in grapefruit/orange peels if you lay them upside down at night & dispose of them in the morning.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

I have heard of using coctail sticks they stand on them and dont do it again
Also heard you can use old tea bags spray heat spray on them and cover with soil do it every 2 weeks they heat the smell

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Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

I'm trying it out at the moment with half a grapefruit - my next door neighbours cats occasionally use one of my borders (under a hedge) as a loo - its not the poo that bothers me, its the way they flick all my woodchip onto the grass!

Don't know if its working yet - maybe need to add more grapefruits. The cats aren't let out that often so we'll see what happens this weekend......

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Citrus peel won't harm your plot, but I haven't found it effective in stopping cats using my garden as a toilet. Protea, the poo may not bother you at the moment, but you wait until it warms up a bit and it starts to smell. Also cat poo can carry all sorts of nasties - really bad news if young children are in contact with it and also pregnant women.

Leave orange in warm room for a few weeks - orange dehydrates - becomes smaller and much harder - has orange peel round outside to still ok with OP - see cat - take orange peel (that is hard orange - hurl at cat - direct hit means cat unlikely to return!

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

It doesn't seem to smell too bad (but there's not loads of it, just the odd one or two), i'm used to cats, althought i don't have one at the moment so i'm quite understanding of their toilet habits!! if i find a poo i just flick it back onto the neighbours side of the hedge!

Plus - the only young children likely to come into contact with it are the cat owners children so thats not my problem, and i'm not likely to be pregnant any time soon!! (however, i do understand everyone's concern )

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Air rifles and water cannons also spring to mind, however I'm finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that I actually want to hurt the bl**dy cats. I always thought I was an animal lover!

I still prefer the supersoaker and banshee system.

Squirt them and run down the garden going 'GRRRRRR' at the top of your voice.
If you can practice a true growl it helps. Always works a treat and doesn't half get rid of your tension!

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

You do get the neighbours avoiding you in the street tho' !

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

hahahah - thanks for all the replies to this!! It has made me laugh and given me a few ideas. Actually I think I have an old catapult (no pun intended) somewhere. Maybe I could fire my dried up orange peel with it. I've also since been advised to sprinkle chilli powder on the soil. - Could give an interesting flavour to things......


marketestalls
www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market Onlike
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

Catapult is a brilliant idea. Mind you, you have to be there when the cats come calling. They're really sneaky and I'm sure they know when I'm at work and when I'm at home. Dried chickpeas are better catapult ammo than orange peel, totally organic, tried them on turkeys in Kenya - makes them jump and stop whatever they're doing but don't kill them.

Right - dried chickpeas it is!!! . Are you ok if I quote you when the adorable Norwegian family who own the pesky cats come round complaining?


marketestalls
www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market Online
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

The only thing I have found effective is to lay down the prunings from my rose bushes or any other thorny bits. They will keep well clear of it. Also they don't like netting in case they get tangled up in it.

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And when you're back stops aching,
And you're hands begin to harden.
You will find yourself a partner,
In the glory of the garden.

Rudyard Kipling.

I've found the chilli powder option quite effective - works on squirrels too if you put it in bulb planting holes they don't tend to dig them up.

You do get a bit of a curry smell after rain though

I always wondered how you get the cat into the catapult and how big the catapult needs to be/strength of elastic - granny knicker strength or stronger - to get it back over the hedge.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

There are ways to deter the cats without firing misiles at them

I use trimmings off the pyracantha, spread them over the bed and they dont go near it.

Getting the cat into the catapult IS difficult, especially with a domesticated semi-feral one like BC, who well remembers how to be feral when she wants to!
Tony, it depends how high the hedge is. But one thing's for sure, you won't run short of granny-knicker-strength elastic, or stronger, over there!!

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

Lj will be able to post you some extra strong hand trapper elastic Tony if you just ask her nicely. As used on medieval trebuchet's.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

I heard it came off a trebuchet in the first place PW

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Et tū, quis es?

And that was just for 1 pair beefy. Mind your fingers now!!!!!

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

How would you know??? You cheeky little Piglet!!!!

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