GARDEN AFFAIR: Snakes in the garden!

28 Jun, 2015 - 00:06 0 Views
GARDEN AFFAIR: Snakes in the garden! Lemon grass and artemisia are snake repelent plants you can grow in your garden

The Sunday Mail

Lemon grass and artemisia are snake repelent plants you can grow in your garden

Lemon grass and artemisia are snake repelent plants you can grow in your garden

LIKE them or not, snakes are a common occurrence in the garden, that is where they live as well. Though there is an ancient feud with them there is something we can do to keep our gardens safe for our families and pets.

Since snakes have a very highly developed sensory system they know when we are close. We need not unnecessarily fear them because they are generally out to avoid an encounter with us.

It is fortunate that a few of the species actually wait to attack; the majority is shy unless provoked.

Also remember that snakes have a major role to play in the ecosystem keeping rat populations at a minimal amongst other benefits.

There are some plants one can include in a garden that will repel them and make your garden safe.

Besides planting certain plants there are few things one can do to make a garden less attractive for man’s long-time enemy.

Keeping mounds of rocks clumped together will not help much because snakes are cold blooded animals that get their heat from the environment so rocks give off heat at night making them the best haven for the slithery creatures.

If you have a rockery make sure it is not the kind with lots of rocks bunched together to make crevices.

When working in the garden use tools to prod the ground rather than your bare hands. Besides keeping hedges trimmed you can also keep holes and openings under doors sealed.

Keeping chickens, peacocks and pigs running free in the garden also helps because they all have a tendency to attack snakes.

Cats and dogs can also help in detecting snakes in the garden so long you act promptly before they are bitten.

Keep grass cut in the garden.

Tall grass and dead dry logs are perfect hiding places for snakes.

If your garden is a rich source of food for snakes do not wonder why many live there.

Plenty of rats, lizards and frogs are what snakes live on.

If the inevitable happens and you find a snake in your garden do not kill the snake but contact the department of National Parks and Wildlife or the SPCA for assistance.

It is a crime to kill protected species of snakes.

Plant the common herb, Lemon grass, cymbopogon citratus to repel snakes. It is a green grass plant with a lemon scent, a great beverage to enjoy as well.

Lemon grass is also good for repelling mosquitoes.

Another snake repellant is tulbaghia violacea/wild garlic. It’s a drought-resistant plant that will thrive without much care.

Crushing the leaves on the skin repels mosquitoes and ticks.

Wild garlic is also used to treat headaches, colds, coughs and sinuses. In your selection include artemisia vulgaris commonly called wormwood.

Wormwoods have pungent odours no wonder they are good repellants. Other plants to include in your selection are rosemary, marigold, bay leaf, plectranthus neochilus and comfrey.

Perhaps these plants are out of reach you can also make your own concoction at home with garlic.

You need about ten bulbs of garlic.

Peel these and separate into cloves, using a blender grind them to a fine pulp and add four table spoons of garlic oil. Leave the mixture in a sealed plastic container for an hour. Place a few portions in the places you do not want snakes to frequent and the mixture will last for three weeks.

Andrew is a horticulturist by profession and can be reached by email at [email protected]

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