A couple years ago I was so disappointed – we had limited blooms on our apple tree because of a late winter storm. My tree produced a small amount of apples and of course every critter in the world was going to have them except me. The worst were the squirrels because they would climb it, eat a few bites, and then throw the rest on the ground for the rabbits to eat. I also had voles in my garden which ate my strawberries & tomatoes. I had to figure something out and this is what I tried. I put them up early this spring & so far – no critters plus they look pretty spinning in the sun outside.
You will need:
- Used CD’s
- Fish line
- Bells
- Large plant s hooks for trees
- Yard stakes for your garden
For my garden: I have 3 garden beds and I added 1 stake to each end of the middle bead (where my strawberries are and tomatoes go). I tied a loop of fishline to the cd and hung it on the stake. I made a second loop of line and added a bell.
For my apple tree: I tied 3 used cds together with fish line. I added a loop at the top and hooked it on a plant hanging s hook. On the bottom I added a bell.
The breeze (and it doesn’t have to have much of one) makes the cd’s spin and when the light hits them it makes a mirror effect. They look pretty spinning around. The bell also rings in the wind and should when something puts weight on a branch causing it to shake.
What I learned… it definitely does help as the animals don’t like the noise or movement. They will get used to them though so I would move them once and a while to change it up and that seemed to help. It wasn’t perfect but it made a huge difference.
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My problem is birds in my cherry bush. I tried this on year and they got used to the cds hanging there
Hi Pat, I totally understand what you are saying. I do know that the animals do get used to these over time, so I do go out and move them every once and awhile to “change it up” again.
Great idea, Chas, and a good tip to move them occasionally!
Thank you Linda 🙂 I could see those grand kids enjoying making spinners to watch in the yard.
What a great idea to reuse cds! I might have to make this for my garden to scare away the crows.
Thanks Jenny, I hope it helps you too. It has made a difference in my apple tree and garden the last couple years.
We’ve used CD’s a few times in our gardens too and I just love how they spin and shine in the sun.
Thank you Joanne, I too love the dual purpose of the spinners 🙂
We have done this with our old CD’s and it works great. Found you on Simple Homestead Blog Hop.
Thank you Candy for stopping by and thanks for the feedback that it has been working for your too 🙂
I know my Dad has done a similar (but not so cute with the bell) idea in the past to keep birds off his fruit trees. He has a terrible rabbit problem too, I wonder if it would help with them? We have loads of old cd’s I could give him to put lower down.
Worth a try by the sound of it anyway, thanks.
Rabbits are such a pain and we have them too. I would guess these would scare them away in the beginning but then they’d also get used to them so he’d have to move them every once and a while to scare them a bit.
I love this tip! Functional, repurposes those disks AND attractive! Thanks for sharing with Party in Your PJs!
Thanks Lynda and thanks for stopping by
I love this idea! I didn’t think the squirrels would eat my flowers but they did. This is definitely worth a try. Thanks for joining us again at Celebrate Your Story, have a great weekend.
Thanks Sandra, it has definitely helped me and I hope it helps you too. Just move them every once and a while to help keep them out.
What an interesting idea! I am watching my squirrels carefully around my veggie garden. Will keep this in mind if they come over. I feed them, so they’re pretty good at not messing with anything else.
Thank you Alexandra. There is one trick once you put them out… you have to move them every so often or they’ll get use to them. 🙂
This is such a great idea! My neighbors do this, and never have issues with the dumb squirrels. Plus, it looks pretty in the sun.
Thank you for sharing that it works for your neighbors too! You’re so right, love how it looks in the sun.
I have to admit that I find this very fascinating! I need you to come up with something to keep the weeds from growing!
Thanks Amy, and I do have a post for weeds – https://chascrazycreations.com/save-your-garden-sprays-2/ It doesn’t stop them from growing but it sure does help 😉
What a cool idea! I hope it continues to keep the critters away your apple tree.
Michelle
mybijoulifeonline.com
Thank you so much Michelle
Sounds like a great idea for keeping pesky critters away and a good use for storage media that’s nearly obsolete these days. Stay healthy!
Thank you so much Cathy, you too
I might have to try this out. A couple of years ago we put up a fake owl and I swear those squirrels danced on his head and still ate the vegetables. Thanks for the idea. #HomeMattersParty
Oh I so feel your pain Donna! These have worked pretty good, you just have to move them every once and a while or they get used to them.