Expended a lot of your time and energy in trying to ward away snakes from your home?. What if I tell you it does not have to be the case if you adopt the use of snake deterrent plants?. Plants come with the spec that they are self-regenerating, unlike snake repellent synthetics.
Their adoption also nullifies the anxiety that comes with worrying that your little ones with curious minds might end up ingesting synthetics. In this article, I will introduce to you plants that repel snakes away, explaining how best you can make use of these. So go ahead, take the reigns of putting on a shining amour for your family and deal with the vemins once and for all.
Plants That Keep Away Snakes
1. Marigold
Do not let the pretty blazing orange-yellow look fool you; marigolds are known to be repulsive to a wide range of pests. Their weapon of choice is a strong, pungent smell which the crawlies cannot bear at all. Marigold roots rich down beneath burrows, making it difficult for snakes to seek refuge there.
Additionally, the flowers’ juice is known to sting a little bit, creating further problems for snakes. However, the flower’s coverage harbors snake prey like rodents. You might want to get mice traps for these. For best results, try out marigold with another repellent like garlic.
2. Garlic
Not only does this herb work great as an ingredient mouth-watering dishes. It keeps the cold-blooded fellows abey. Garlic is composed largely of complex sulfur compounds that not only produce strong repulsive scent but have the effect of disorienting snakes.
It has a bonus for not harboring any rodents due to poor cover. Aside from planting the garlic, grinding it using pestle and mortar, then adding warm water makes a good repellent. This can be sprayed within the vicinity of your home. Hear it from the horse’s mouth, the scent does not easily die away. It is already known that Garlic is the best plants to repel snakes.
3. Skunk cabbage
This plant lives up to its name, producing an offensive smell similar to a skunk’s!. Our cold-blooded fores find the smell unwelcoming. Additionally, the skunk cabbage is quite toxic to them and can be fatal. You would want to consider placing it some distance away from outdoor areas like patios or just anywhere close to your house with this plant. Instead, plant it close to a bushy wooded area away from your home.
4. Mother-in-law’s Tongue
It is dubbed “snake plant” for its ability to chase away snakes. Unlike the previously mentioned plants, it does not repel by offensive scents. Instead, it’s pointy sharp leaves do the trick by pricking and piercing snakes that dare trend in its territory.
This plant will make a great addition to your garden. Planting it in a way that it surrounds other plants will make snakes think twice about prying there. You do not have to worry about its upkeep. It is easy to plant and is a hardy, drought-resistant plant.
5. Lavender
Lavender may not strictly fit in the cool club of plants that repel snakes away. It deters snakes indirectly by repelling its prey, such as rodents. This act of depriving the crawlies of their buffet is still an effective way of making snakes go away without inviting newcomers.
Lavender’s refreshing aromatic scent makes it a very suitable candidate for placement close to your house. For an effective snake repellent, mix lavender in a plant bed with garlic or marigold.
6. Lemon Grass
It has a strong citrus-like smell known to repel mosquitos apart from snakes. There is no need to worry about placement since you can have it as close as you want to your house. This makes it convenient, especially if you have to use it as a herb in some dishes or strictly for medicinal purposes.
For placement, mixing lemongrass in a bed with mother-in-law’s tongue will give a tremendous decorative impression. This is made possible by the two plant’s shapes and colors, which are complimentary.
7. Tobacco
The active ingredient nicotine is a snake deterrent. Also, it deters ants, keeping them away from your home. Tobacco is considered toxic to snakes. Not much is known concerning whether it can kill them. For best results, use it as a snake barrier in conjunction with other plants like lavender. You can also use the powder from the cured leaf by sprinkling it around premises you want to keep snakes off.
8. Pink Agapanthus
Some call it “sweet garlic” due to its garlic and onion-like scent. The same scent is what drives insects and snakes away. In spring, attractive pink flowers bloom on it, making it ideal for beautifying your backyard or front yard.
9. Wormwood
This plant imparts a strong odor to its surroundings. Snakes cannot stand it, thereby keeping a safe distance away. Planting this plant around your home will work as a barrier. However, you can get dirty, making a more effective barrier by grinding the leaves with mortar and pestle, mixing them with garlic and rock salt. This can then be mixed with water or applied as it is around the perimeter surrounding your home.
10. Andrographis Paniculata
Native to India and Sri Lanka, it is comprised of leaves and roots, which are very bitter. Such properties are responsible for deterring snakes away. It has been shown that when a snake rubs its scales against the leaves, it gets swollen and inflamed. So go ahead and incorporate this plant into your ornamental crop garden.
11. Snakeroot
This one is widely spread across the Asian continent. It also has bitter roots and foliage. Popular amongst the locals who use it to keep snakes off their farms. Its scientific properties are well published, with the snake deterrent properties attributed to reserpine.
If you are a drug user from your local drugstore or pharmacy, you are probably familiar with this active ingredient. Resperine causes disorientation and slows down the snake’s heartbeat, which is what keeps them away.
12. Mugwort
Though infamous for spreading uncontrollable in gardens, they are known to deter snakes as well. However, I have not seen conclusive research that pinpoints how they achieve this. I again urge you to mix it with other deterrent plants to keep snakes away with this plant.
Things To Do To Make The Plant Option More Effective
For speedy, effective results, you have to reinforce the use of the plant deterrents with some upkeep work on your garden. I shall shortly take you through a couple of these.
1. Mow And Tidy Up The Lawn
Snakes love to just lie motionlessly on tall grass where they receive the much-needed sunlight for their metabolism. Remember, these cold-blooded fellows are unable to regulate their blood effectively.
Once you cut down the grass, the snake will be left exposed to some preditors and is unlikely to stick around for long. Be sure to also remove some debris like a pile of rocks and leaves, which have a good potential of sheltering snakes.
2. Keep Hedges And Bushes Clean
These provide refuge to prey like mice because of good cover, which makes them virtually invisible. In addition to that, the leaves that fall off hedges and bushes make an ideal food to insects and bugs that mice feed on. To cut off this food web, frequently trim your hedge and bushes. Also, remove the fallen leaves, including those already decomposing.
3. Check Structures For Gaps Or Holes
Take some time to go around your property, inspecting for the presence of gaps or holes. Check for these on your foundation, doors, and the premises. When you are done with the identifying task, you will have to seal these openings.
Prepare a slurry or mortar mixture with cement, river, or pit sand for your foundation. You can use a patch for your door, which can be any vermin-proof barrier like a piece of wood or metal. Soil is sufficient for sealing ground holes though you will have to ram the soil for the seal’s longevity.
4. Mulch With Rough Jagged Materials
This will work great when you provide the mulching on snake deterrent plants. These creatures will not appreciate having to slither on surfaces which roughly scratch and poke them. Use decorative materials such as sharp-edged stones and pine cones.
5. Dealing With Rats
An invasion by rats spells the rise of snake heaven. The problem with rats is that they will always somehow get on to your property. To make matters worse, they breed like crazy as if they are on some drug. Drastic measures are thus needed to deal with rats. The use of both mice traps and rat kill will do the trick.
So, keep plants that repel snakes
There you have it, and you can simply use the discussed plants to keep snakes away. You do not have to stress about sourcing most of these plants because you are clicking away from ordering them on amazon sites.
Also, keep in mind that the most effective remedy is to intersperse at least two of these plants. And avail of these plants in existing gardens, especially those with dense coverage, which serve as camouflage for snakes. With this, consider your snake problem a tall tale!
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