Now is the time of year when rats can enter our homes, as they seek shelter from the colder weather; however, there’s a simple way you can work to try and keep them out. The pests may be hunting for food and somewhere cosy to hibernate, but you can take action to help prevent them from visiting your garden.
According to Kris, known as PermacultureFX on TikTok, a simple plant can be used to deter rats and mice. The edible landscape design guru, who shares all sorts of gardening tips online, said the trick works wonders if you’re looking for an easy way to monitor pest control.
Kris said it’s a great plant to place near animal feed and bird storage areas, or anywhere that may usually attract rats. Little you may know, there are all sorts of things in your garden that can lure them in.
In the clip, Kris said: “I’m going to share with you this plant that we started using around our feed shed that is completely eradicating rats and mice. This is gold.
“It’s a low growing ground cover called panadol. It smells a little bit, but it has some great other medicinal properties. It’s very highly scented, and it literally just keeps the rats and the mice at bay. A really fast growing ground cover.”
If you haven’t heard of it before, you can grow panadol in the UK. What you need to know is it requires protection from frost, as it isn’t a winter-hardy plant.
Sometimes it may need to be grown in a pot or protected in the ground. The plant, which is a type of Plectranthus, is an aromatic herb celebrated for its medicinal properties and ability to repel pests, though this hasn’t been scientifically proven.
The plant, which is also known as Plectranthus caninus, is believed to repel rats due to its strong, pungent scent. Many people say that planting it around areas like feed sheds or fruit trees works to deter rodents like mice, rats, snakes and squirrels.
The scent is only released when the leaves are touched, but the plant is said to be a fast-growing ground cover with powerful pest-repelling properties. If you want to deter pests, it can be planted around the base of trees or bushes, or in ground cover around structures like feed sheds, to create a barrier.
In the comments, one person said: “Is it also known as the scaredy cat plant? I have the same thing growing to try and deter feral cats.”
However, when you buy it, there are some considerations you need to make. If you purchase the plant online from outside the UK, you must ensure it has the proper phytosanitary certificates, especially if ordering from outside the EU.
However, buying from a UK retailer will make this process much simpler. As well as this, there is a chance people with allergies could have a reaction to the plant and it could irritate the skin.
If consumed by pets, it can also be dangerous as the plant’s essential oils can cause gastrointestinal distress and other symptoms. The degree of toxicity will depend on the amount ingested.
There are also some other plants you can use to try and repel rats, if you fancy trying something else. You could try any type of mint, amaryllis, sweet pea, lavender, daffodils, wood hyacinth (or squill), grape hyacinth, alliums, catnip, camphor plant, elderberry, euphorbias or wormwood.
It’s also thought that oak and bay leaves can repel rodents. In other words, there are a few different methods you can try.