Question
QUESTION: Something has begun to eat the buds off my roses.  Squirrels?  If this is the case, what can I do that will not harm my dog?
ANSWER: Gardeners that experience trouble with squirrels or rabbits even deer, usually don't have a dog. When they complain on the rose forums people always tell them , get a dog as it does the best job getting rid of or scaring off these pests. Also the word is out that none of these deterrents really work in the long run as the animals get used to them. I have rabbits and have found that when I used a fertilizer called Milorganite, they didn't touch the plants for that matter any of the plants I had used it on. This is a human waste type fertilizer that the farmers use around here and it works very well both as a plant nutrient or as a deterrent for rabbits, maybe even squirrels. Another thing that does work is mesh netting around the base of the rose or a spray of Windex all around the base of the plant. Cayenne pepper is a very good one but not when a dog is around or they may take an interest in it. I wish I could be more positive but rabbits, squirrels and deer are becoming a major pest problems but municipalities won't do anything about it because some people make such a large complaint. Hope this helps.

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QUESTION: One of the roses is a climber on a fence.  Should I spray the whole plant with windex?
Laura

Answer
Sorry for not being clear enough and confusing you. It is the area all around the base of the rose bush that is sprayed with Windex or just a mixture of ammonia and water as it is the gas from the ammonia the pests don't like. It could damage your rose leaves if sprayed right on them. Once the animal comes across the smell of ammonia then they don't want to go any further. In regards to the climber that may not work because if it is a squirrel, then the animal could be getting onto the rose by another means then just running up from the base. Putting some sort of netting may stop it if you know where it is coming from. Finding out exactly what is eating the buds is important and as hunters will tell you, they identify the animals by their droppings. There is another remote possibility, I don't know where you live but sometimes certain birds will peck and eat the rose buds.