Animal Repellents and Drinking Alcohol

This time of the year, we are busily cleaning up flower beds and garden plots and our plants start shooting up, we need to think about keeping the plants safe from "predators". Deer, rabbits and rodents like to eat them and dogs and cats like to sit on the tender developing plants or dig them up.  There are quite a variety of animal repellents on the market.  Some are based on an unpleasant taste and some on an unpleasant or feared smell.

Skoot is one type of animal deterrent product you will see on garden section shelves.  Read the label carefully! Unlike the Green Earth Animal Repellent, that I mentioned in my last blog post, this one is poisonous! In my haste to get something, anything, to use to deter the porcupines that were regular visitors to our yard this past winter, I missed the skull and cross bones logo on it.

It wouldn't have worked this winter anyway, as I also missed the part about only using it if the temperature was NOT below 4C.  Have you seen very many prairie winter days where that's a realistic temperature?  There's so much fine print on the container, some of it in bold letters, but no where does it say anything about "not using it on a windy day" nor does it recommend wearing gloves or long sleeves.   This morning I was considering applying Skoot to my nibbled daffodils, but carefully read the whole long label (this time!)

"Because of unpleasant side effects, alcoholic beverages should be avoided for 24 hours before or after using Skoot". That's a direct quote from the label! What??!!? That got my attention!  I had that glass of wine last night... what would happen?

I called the 1-800 number on the label and I was taken aback by the company's out going phone message: "If this is a medical emergency for either a human or a pet, press 1. For any other concerns press 2." ( I'm dead serious! OMG! )  I left a message along with my phone number.

 A few hours later I got a call back and was given some interesting information by a very pleasant woman:  inhaling the fumes of the chemicals in Skoot could enhance the effects of alcohol in the users system! Wow!
Not only that, although it is on store shelves right now along with all the other spring gardening products, it should NOT be used on growing plants at all! (Dormant only!)

I have decided that Skoot is not for me! Sounds far too dangerous!
What is also strange, the harmless "Green Earth Animal Deterrent" made from black pepper oil is made by the same company as Skoot!  Go figure!

Maybe I will stick to the messy mixing of "Plantskydd".  Plantskydd is a blood based product that people can't smell but animals do so they stay away from the plants. ( But after you mix the powder with water, don't keep it any longer than the label recommends or it DOES start to smell bad to humans, too!) Plantskydd works for up to 6 months and doesn't wash away with the rain or heavy watering as many other products do... It worked well last year to deter the wild animal munchers wandering through our acreage, so why mess with success?!