Rodent Control!

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by simonek, Mar 31, 2008.

  1. simonek

    simonek Junior Member

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    Hi there,

    I know that chickens and their feed can attract rodents. I was wondering, is there a plant/herb/ground covering that deters rodents? This is mainly for my benefit as I cannot stand the sight of them, but I also don't want to attract any other undesirable creatures! I have a cat, but she's mostly indoors and only spends about 3 hours a day outdoors and is in before dark. I don't want to keep traps as I don't want my cat or the chickens to get injured.

    Thanks in advance :D
     
  2. IntensiveGardener

    IntensiveGardener Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    I have a couple of wormwood bushes in my chook yard which seem to work quite well. Recently i had mice in the house so i brought in a bunch of wormwood and it seems to keep them away.
     
  3. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    If chooks eat too much wormwood it can/may be poisonous. Plant it where they can't get to it.

    There is a thread here about small amounts of wormwood can help chooks in some circumstances, but it's important to control the amounts.

    viewtopic.php?t=990

    I use dryer fabric softener sheets - not sure what you guys call them -- on my mowers and equipment to keep all rodents off, and so far it's working. The scent is strong, and is effective for a few feet around each one. Not sure if this scent would upset the chooks, but it doesn't take much scent to keep the rodents away.
     
  4. JoanVL

    JoanVL Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    I have planted wormwood all around my chook pen and chook run: I actually planted it to deter flies, but it seems to deter mice too - haven't seen one anyway. I keep my chook pellets in a plastic garbage bin which I bought for the purpose. The lid clips on firmly so it is perfect. I feed them their greens and other fruit/veggie waste first thing on a morning so it is gone by nighttime.

    I'm also new to keeping chooks, only had them 8 months, but so far the three of them are laying about a dozen a week between them. Plus of course the manure is great for the garden. Some goes in the compost bins, and some goes in the leg of an old pair of tights, suspended in an old brewing barrel filled with rainwater. Diluted, it makes a good liquid fertiliser.

    Two little girls from next door come round most afternoons after school, to bring me peelings and such from their Mum, to dig for grubs to feed the chooks, and to search for purslane and other good weeds for them. Rather sneakily and low-key, I'm teaching them how the whole garden eco-system works, in the hope they'll grow up with a 'green' attitude. Schools are a great help in this: these days they teach the children all about recycling, water conservation etc.
     
  5. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    Joan, do you live where there's lots of mice? And you're not seeing any droppings? There are several kinds of wormwood, and one is called Powice Castle. Do you know what kind yours is? I've also heard it can deter gophers, and I would love to give it a try.
     
  6. JoanVL

    JoanVL Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    Well, we've had the occasional mouse in the house, but our cat, Mao, puts them off a bit. The Wormwood I have planted is Artemisia absinthium: it was the only one available at the herb stall at the time, and I love it.

    It looks great, and is easy to propogate from.
     
  7. simonek

    simonek Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the tips/advice :D

    Is there a possibility that someone could send me some Wormwood seeds/cuttings? I have nothing to trade at the moment and but will do in the near future. Please PM me if you can.

    Thanks!!
     
  8. Ojo

    Ojo Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    And the squash delivered yet another companion-planting benefit to its neighbors -- one that might not come to mind quite as readily. Namely, the squash vines discouraged mammal pests from entering the garden.
    https://landscaping.about.com/cs/soilsfe ... _plant.htm
    from
    https://landscaping.about.com/od/pestcon ... _Pests.htm

    CATNIP: Deters flea beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, ants and weevils. We have found it repels mice quite well: mice were wreaking havoc in our outbuildings, we spread sprigs of mint throughout and the mice split! Use sprigs of mint anywhere in the house you want deter mice and ants. Smells good and very safe.

    WORMWOOD:
    The two best varieties for making insect spray are Silver King and Powis Castle. Adversely Powis castle attracts ladybugs which in turn breed directly on the plant. Silver Mound is great as a border plant and the most toxic wormwood. Note: As wormwood actually produces a botanical poison do not use it directly on food crops.
    See More on wormwood. for more details.
    For insect spray: See wormwood spray
    excerpts
    https://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
     
  9. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Re: Rodent Control!

    Sounds like the wormwood has some interesting effects, that might be worth some experiments!

    I don't know where about.com gets its info, but the raccoons at my place tear through squashes and pumpkins, on the vine or hardened off the vine, like butter. One of their favorites. They try to climb an 8 foot chickenwire fence to get to them, so I wouldn't rely on a squash vine to do much more than it already does. :)
     

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