If you have rats in your garden, it can be frustrating, but with this plant, they won’t bother you again. While you may want to get rid of rats, it’s important to ensure you do so safely to keep wildlife safe.
Luckily, there are some natural deterrents that can help. You might most often see rats at night in your garden as they are mostly nocturnal, but there are some signs you can keep a look out for if you suspect they might be running wild in your outdoor space.
Some tell-tale signs include spotting that your bird food is being eaten at night, finding tunnels outdoors, or noticing changes to your grass.
Arkwildlife says: “Rats have a keen sense of smell and some strong odours they avoid. Mint, garlic and onion are good plants to grow and strong-smelling essential oils such as peppermint can be effective.
“Other solutions can be sprinkling pepper or chilli around their runs or nesting holes. Dousing cotton wool balls with smelly essential oils, bleach, or vinegar and stuffing them as far as possible into their holes can also work wonders.”
By planting garlic in your garden, you can deter the pests without harming them.
You can easily grow your own garlic at home. Homegrown garlic takes up little space and requires little effort to get a good harvest, says BBC Gardeners World.
It’s an easy crop to grow, spouting from a garlic bulb separated into cloves, which you plant individually. There are two types of garlic to grow: softneck garlic and hardneck garlic.
Reject Rats says garlic is one of the most popular natural remedies for garden pests.
It says: “Garlic has a strong smell that rats find unpleasant, so many homeowners consider garlic an excellent alternative to rodenticides when combating infestations.”
By planting this item, you won’t have to worry about rats running wild in your garden and you can instead enjoy your outdoor space knowing you don’t have any pest problems to worry about.