How To Keep Critters Out Of Garden Plants
We spend lovely afternoons out in the garden, a tranquil space to share with plants that are full of life. A garden is an exterior place of your home that provides opportunities for basking in nature.
Unfortunately, we are not the only ones drawn to the garden. A wide variety of unwanted critters that include insects, rodents, and even pets go after the relaxing garden vibe. The worst part is, they aren't there to help with your gardening!
That is why in this article, we will talk about how to keep critter out of garden plants and save your crops. These critters can quickly destroy your precious plants and vegetables that you have spent months cultivating. It would be a shame to let all that hard work go to waste.
The Different Critters That Attack Garden Plants
There are a lot of different critters that go after plants and vegetables. The reasons include: to scavenge for food, seek out shelter, or to look for a place to lay eggs. So we should deal with this accordingly. Let’s check out the different critters, and give out the solution for each, to answer how to keep critters out of garden plants and vegetables.
Caterpillars
The Caterpillars are hungry animals. While it is nice to admire the life of a caterpillar that turns into a beautiful butterfly, they are pesky creatures. They can devour your vegetation overnight without you even knowing. They love to chow down on leaves, geraniums, and leafy green vegetables.
How to keep critters out of garden plants: If caterpillars overrun your garden, you can dose your garden with Bacillus Thuringiensis. Bacillus Thuringiensis a type of bacteria that deal with caterpillars only. The product is available in both spray and powder forms. This treatment is effective in killing caterpillar when applied twice a week. Because they only affect caterpillars, other animals and humans will be unharmed in the process.
Slugs and Snails
These slow creatures may look like they aren’t doing anything in your garden. But in the moments where you aren’t looking, snails and slugs can eat vegetation fast and quickly. They can devour plants overnight in a calm and precise fashion.
How to keep critters out of garden plants: If you have a slug and snail problem, you can get rid of them with snail bait in your local gardening supplier. If you are looking to cut on costs, you can use beer as an option. Put the beer in a deep bowl, around half full. Place it on the ground where slugs and snail congregate and leave it overnight. Slugs and snails get attracted to the yeast as if it was a crazy party. When they try to drink of the brew, they fall in the bowl and drown.
Squirrels
These critters are adorable and fun to watch. But beneath all that fur, squirrels are pesky nibblers. They nibble on flowers, nuts, and fruit trees around the garden. They even attack bird feeders if you have any in the garden. Squirrels are smart, and they always look for a chance to attack your garden.
How to keep critters out of garden plants: There are different techniques to keep squirrels away from vegetation. You can buy an ultrasonic frequency repeller that shoots out ultrasonic waves that can annoy rodents. You also have the option to set up a separate feeder for squirrels with nuts or dried corn to keep them full and out of your garden. Another more natural way of discouraging them from nibbling on your plants is to spray your garden with hot pepper or peppermint. But you will have to repeat this process frequently to get the best results.
Ants
Ants come in different sizes and colors. Whether black or red, they do serve a purpose in your garden. Ants are responsible for eating eggs of another insect that infest your garden. They are natural critters that control the insect population and restores the balance of biological life in the garden. They also aerate the soil, protect varieties of plants, and pollinate the flowers. So it is good to check first if they are the problem.
How to keep critters out of garden plants: There are a lot of products designed to keep ants away—ant repellers used as a spray, powder, solvent, and chalk. A natural way to destroy ant colonies is by mixing honey with some borax. Leave it near the anthill, and they will eat it away, not realizing it has destructive properties.
How To Prevent Critters From Coming Back To The Garden
There are a lot of different ways on how to keep critters out of garden plants and vegetables. Insects, bugs, rodents, and worms have different ways of coming back to your garden. That is why the repetition of the process is key to achieving success. Building a habit of continually doing specific tasks, especially to get rid of critters who are out of control in the garden. Once you have the pattern, it will be smooth sailing from there on out. It will get easier to do every day.
Conclusion
A lot of critters have their way in the garden, and we must know how to deal with them accordingly. Knowing how to keep critters out of garden plants and vegetables is crucial to be able to attain a good harvest. Just remember the necessary steps to take when faced with these critters in the garden. I hope this article has shed some light on your gardening skills.