If you are facing the situation of having a snake hiding on your property, you might be interested in plants that repel snakes to keep these unwanted invaders away. Indeed, there are various natural repellents you can use against these crawling reptiles that will keep them away and also keep you and your family safe.
Uninvited guests
Whether you like it or not, snakes are a necessary part of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, there are species that possess defensive habits that can be harmful and even deadly to humans.
In case you live in a snake prone region, it is recommended to use certain plants that have the ability to repel both venomous and non-venomous species that may be lurking around your yard, garden, household entryways, or other activity areas.
These plants can help you keep snakes away from your property. Although there are certain benefits to having a snake around, if you live in a zone where snakes prosper, you will probably consider the worst case scenario.
Children can become a target as they can unwittingly venture into a snake’s habitat during their play. There is also a considerable danger if you are an avid landscaper or gardener. Snakes will find a way into your yard and even home unless you create some kind of anti-snake environment.
Designing an Anti-Snake Environment
If you think repelling snakes is an easy task, think again! There are various plants you can use to keep these crawlers away from your property, but it also depends on the ecosystem. There is no single plant that can unanimously keep all snakes away from your yard. Still, if used correctly, these plants can be extremely effective.
It is important to know that anything a snake smells when it hatches will be a comforting smell to it. Consequently, if you want to clean your area of an existing snake infestation, the battle is quite difficult. It is much easier to keep away snakes that are trying to access your property from somewhere else.
Another aspect to consider is that snakes are attracted to areas with thick coverage where an abundant food source is available. Dense floral ground coverage is preferred by mice and rats, which consequently attracts snakes.
They usually hide in vines, under small rock beds, or anywhere they can feed. Therefore, if you design an anti-snake garden which includes plants that repel snakes, you and your home should be safe.
Snakes dislike bitter, strong, or foreign smells. Still, the type of scent a snake might consider unpleasant is conditioned by the smell it is born into.
For example, if you have an onion garden and there is a pregnant snake inhabiting your yard, the young snake will associate the scent of onions with safety. This is not a good thing for the owner. However, other snakes will be repelled by this smell.
For this reason, deciding on the types of plants which are most reliable to repel snakes is a subject of much conjecture. Still, no matter which plants you decide to use, the principle of design remains the same.
There are three key elements to creating a garden with plants that keep snakes away: a snake barrier, various deterrent plants, as well as a lacking food source. Since snakes eat rats, mice, and other small animals, if your garden is not attractive to these small critters, it will also be unattractive to snakes.
You can use one or multiple repellent plants to create a barrier around the perimeter of your yard. Also, the more rows of barrier plants, the more effective they become.
Lavender as a Snake Repellent
This plant is widely used due to its massive range of applications from herbal medicine to food and fragrance to cosmetics. Lavender is full of essential oils that have powerful effects on the human body and it also has unique and very appreciated scents all over the world.
There is an issue with this plant, as it can grow and spread very quickly. That is why, in some parts of the world, it is considered a weed. Although the smell might not be to the liking of all snakes, lavender might not be the best choice to use as a snake repellent, as it requires too much work.
Recommended Plants that Repel Snakes
As previously mentioned, it is best to plant a wide variety of plants in order to create a solid snake deterrent. Moreover, snakes dislike strong smells, therefore using a mixture of plants will provide above and below ground coverage. There are a few plants that are widely used because they are known to repel snakes.
Marigolds are regularly used in order to repel pests. This plant is particularly used for its roots, which grow deep and aggressively giving off a strong scent that deters many garden critters and pests. Furthermore, the bright-colored flowers will look great in your yard.
Although marigolds can offer a hiding spot for small rodents or other snake prey, the root’s strong smell keeps them from settling in.
Another great recommendation is Mother-in-Law’s Tongue which is known to repel snakes due to its sharp leaves and the fact that it renews the oxygen at a higher-than-normal rate. Unlike plants that have a strong odor, snakes find the form of this plant frightening.
Not only is it a great looking plant in any garden, but it also creates a reliable barrier against snakes and it is very low maintenance. It only needs watering three times a week and it is a very durable plant.
Lemongrass is another known plant that deters snakes due to its strong citrus smell. Citronella is a by-product of lemongrass, which repels mosquitoes as well. Besides snakes and mosquitoes, this plant deters ticks from your garden, as well.
Garlic and onions are very useful in repelling snakes, too. They both give off smells that snakes dislike. Moreover, the garlic plant gives off an oily residue if a snake slithers over a clove. This oil acts similarly to pepper spray and disorients the crawling reptile.
Bibliography:
1) The Essential Oils That Repel Snakes
2) Natural Homemade Snake Repellent
3) Individual natural product compounds as brown treesnake repellents
4) Identification of snake repellents
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