Home Remedies to Keep Wildlife Out of Your Garden

 

When you have spent a lot of hard work, time, and money on creating a beautiful flower garden or a bountiful vegetable and fruit garden, nothing is more irritating than watching wildlife eat and destroy your plants. Doubtless, you want to figure out some ways to prevent this from happening anymore. Continue reading to learn about some home remedies to keep wildlife out of your garden.

Herb Plants

This is a great home remedy to keep certain animals out of your garden, as it uses plants that you can eventually use to cook with! One of the most useful plants to repel certain animals, such as moles, deer, and rabbits are chives. Mice and rats hate lavender (not an herb, but a plant nonetheless). Garlic, spearmint, sage, and rosemary are useful to keep ants, rabbits, deer, and many other animals away. Absinthium is also a great plant to deter many different species of small garden destroyers. The best way to utilize these plants is to place them around the perimeter of your garden, barring access to the plants these animals do want to eat.

Pets

If you have an outdoor cat or an outdoor dog, you might have a perfect garden protector already! If you start incentivizing a pet to stay over by your garden during the day and at night, they will likely be a very thorough protector, keeping most wildlife away from your plants. While they will not be able to do anything about insects, they can prevent most small animals and deer from feasting on your plants. 

Homemade Repellents

Most of the pests that ravage gardens hate certain mixtures of substances. One of the easiest all-purpose repellents to make is one that uses chili powder (or chili peppers) mixed with water or vinegar. This solution can then be sprayed around the perimeter of your garden, and should be effective at deterring rats, mice, moles, deer, rabbits, and most other pests you may encounter. Another versatile mixture is one that includes lemon juice mixed with water or vinegar. Use this solution just like the chili mixture, and you should have excellent results! One issue with this type of homemade repellent is that it will have to be applied fairly often, particularly after a rain. If you would rather get professional experience on your side, look into Gray Brothers Wildlife LLC, as these experts will be able to take care of your animal problem, and help you prevent the problem from happening in the future.

Decoys

While these may not work perfectly, a visual deterrent, such as a decoy, can often keep certain pests from ravaging your garden. One of the best, most versatile decoys to use would be an owl. Owls can scare many different pests away. In particular, mice, rats, voles, moles, squirrels, rabbits, and other small critters will definitely be more cautious if they see an owl. It also provides a deterrent for smaller birds that might be trying to eat your plants as well. Another good decoy would be a coyote, as this would keep small critters away, as well as deer and birds. 

Fences

While unsightly, putting in a fence can be a great idea, depending on the type of pests that are ruining your garden. In some cases, a fence might not protect your garden that well. If you are primarily having problems with rabbits, squirrels, birds, or deer, a fence could be an excellent addition to your garden’s defenses. If, however, you are dealing primarily with threats from rodents, they will very easily be able to dig or squeeze through the fence. If you insist on building a fence, a great way to do this is by using chicken wire with a small hole pattern. This allows plants to have access to water and sunlight, but prevents most creatures from getting access. Be sure to put some fencing above the plants as well, as this will keep squirrels, birds, and deer from getting your plants. 

Removal

If these home remedies do not seem to be working, it may be time to consider the wildlife removal process. You have two options: DIY or hiring a professional wildlife removal company. To learn about the specifics of the DIY process, visit pestcontrolanimal.com to learn about DIY methods for animal removal.