If you are someone who loves gardening and you take care of your lawn on your own then you might be having an idea about how tough it is especially when there are burrowing animals in your garden to irritate you.
If you have got burrowing animals in your garden then it can be a risk for both your garden and property. These creatures can be a great threat to your beautiful garden and they can damage it. They can destroy your favorite plants and this will only hurt you. You need to be aware of such creatures. If you have already faced such problems then you might be very much frustrated and looking for solutions.
Did countless small burrowing animals chisel on your gardenâs trees? You can also have a problem with vertebrate burrowing animals if one of these questions gets too close to home. These plagues can leave dirt and holes in your yard and wreck vegetation havoc. You may wonder how to rid your moles or squirrel or gophers of their destroying habits, and how you can remove these animals from the garden.
Today we are going to look at some of the tricks you can try to keep your garden safe from these burrowing animals. We will see the things you can do so that these creatures stay out of your beautiful garden.
What are Burrowing Animals?
Burrowing animals are the creatures that live under the ground. They stay underground and when they want food and water they come out in the light for the search.
You might be thinking that if they only do this much then whatâs the problem and letâs leave them and let them do whatever they want to but let me tell you that these beasts arenât so polite. They are capable of damaging your plants, crops, and even personal property.
It can make a large habitation below the ground. The worst thing about these animals is that they are available in groups most of the time and if you see even one of them then there are chances that there are many others and you will find many more in the same area.
It is not possible to find out if these burrowing animals have infested an area unless you see them. Only seeing them can let you know that they are present. There are many different species and most of them can be a problem for us. People who have never experienced burrowing animals and have no idea about them cannot easily identify them. They are distinct and with different looks, they can be small in size and also large.
Some of the burrowing animals are:
- Groundhog
- Kangaroo rats
- Daurian pika
- European badger
- Shrew
- Yellow-bellied marmots
- Mongoose
- Chipmunk
- Meerkat
- Aardvark
- Gopher animal
- Greater bilby
- Columbian ground squirrel
- Burrowing owl
Many others can join the list and it will keep going on. However, you need to know that not all burrowing animals are harmful to your garden and crops but few animals live on plants and crops. I have also prepared a list of such animals that are more likely to damage your plants and crops and destroy your garden.
Animals that burrow under the ground
These are some of the animals that can easily burrow inside the ground
Rats, groundhogs, gophers, and voles
They are present in different sizes and most of them are capable of damaging your garden. You will always find them in groups.
As they are present in groups they can easily destroy your whole garden in a short time. If gophers are present in your garden then it is a time to take quick action if you love your garden and want it safe.
Squirrels and Chipmunks
These are crawling creatures that have a good speed. They mostly survive on seeds. They can be found in such places where lots of seeds are found.
If your garden has a lot of seeds then squirrels and chipmunks might get attracted there. Chipmunks have a tail with a unique white strip on it. It can be easily recognized. Squirrels look similar to chipmunks as they also have a striped body and they are present in grey and brown color mixture.
Insects
Numerous insect castes are capable of destroying your beautiful garden. They will do it slowly but you wonât even know when this will happen.
You might monitor all your plants and you will feel as if all the plants are okay but these insects eat stems, leaves, fruits, and even flowers. They arenât visible in the daytime as they stay under the ground and at night they come out and start eating.
Rabbit
Rabbit is a domestic animal and they are pet to many people but here we are talking about wild rabbits that arenât good for your garden. You wonât even know when they will eat different types of vegetables in your garden, fruits, and plant stems.
Now that you know what burrowing animals are and what all they can do you must be worried and thinking how should I keep these beasts out of my garden. Donât worry we will also cover that for you and for that just keep reading.
How to identify the holes created by burrowing animals?
- You will find holes created by burrowing animals mostly at the corners and sides of your garden.
- You will be able to notice mounds of soil just near the holes when they start attacking your garden.
- There are chances that you will be able to see crawling signs of moles in your garden, you need to follow these marks to reach the holes.
- If the leaves are cut in any way it is a clear indication that there are burrowing animals nearby.
- If the rainwater follows a particular direction which isnât a draining way then there are chances you will find many holes there.
How to keep these burrowing animals out of your garden naturally?
If you are fed up with these animals or you just want to be safe and want to prevent them as soon as possible then you are doing the right thing. You must remove or prevent these animals before they destroy everything.
I have mentioned some of the things you can try to keep these beasts out of your garden.
Spray animal repellent
Animal repellent is the best and the easiest way to remove animals from your garden as they are powerful and can easily prevent intruders. You need to make sure about the animals before choosing a repellent.
You need to identify the burrowing animals that are present in your garden and after that, you can look for sprays accordingly. These repellents have a smell that can keep squirrels away from your garden and many other animals as well. Many people try sprinkling kerosene as it has got a strong smell that these animals cannot withstand. They will simply leave the place. You can find many animal repellent sprays online and I have mentioned some of them.
Click to find out the best one for your garden
https://www.amazon.com/Repels-All-Animal-Repellent-Concentrate-Ounces/dp/B00D996EUY
https://www.amazon.com/Bonide-691-MoleMax-Repellent-Granules/dp/B001BOBMYC
https://www.amazon.com/Bonide-Products-BND692-037321006923-Repellent/dp/B004CSWPS6
Pour hot water inside holes
If you have identified holes in your garden and thinking of what should you do next then you should try pouring hot water inside those holes. This is the best and the most effective way.
If you have got rats, moles, and voles then this method will be very useful and effective. If you search for how to get rid of rats, moles, and voles then this technique will be suggested. You can directly pour hot water inside the holes and keep doing it daily and make sure to keep the gates of your garden open so that these animals can escape.
Lose the soils
It is one of the best techniques of keeping burrowing animals out of your garden. This method is effective and one should think of doing this at least once or twice a year.
When you lose the soil all the ground insects and animals will start coming out from the ground and they will start leaving this way you can keep your garden safe and free of burrowing animals. You should try losing the soil to prevent these intruders.
Fencing or netting
One of the best ways of keeping burrowing animals out of your beautiful garden is setting up barriers like fencing and netting. This will just stop them to enter the garden in the first place.
You can easily get hardware clothes or chicken wires online. You can use it to make a cloche so that you can cover it around your garden plots. You can get these at hardware stores as well. The height of the fencing depends on the type of animals you are dealing with. In the case of rabbits, fencing of one or two feet will be enough as rabbits cannot climb.
However, these rabbits and other burrowers can be very feisty and they will try anything to reach your crops. They can dig and therefore you need to set up a good foundation. You can think of burying the nets at least 10 inches deep into the ground. This will restrict them from entering.
You can also think of putting a wooden pillar in four of the corners. After this, you need to wrap nets around.
Mulching
Mulch is anything that is an organic material that can be used to cover grounds and even your flower pots.
Mulch can also be attractive and well designed which can be used for decorating. It can be decaying leaves, coffee grounds, shavings, or wood chips. You can find them online or at wood shops. There is one more thing that you can do along with this, you can try sprinkling pepper or powdered cayenne over the surface. This will be effective for moles, voles, gophers, etc. Coffee grounds will prevent and keep the squirrels away from your garden.
Spray detergent and castor oil
You can even use detergent and castor oil and spray them all over to keep the burrowing animals away. You need to know how to do this first.
First, take half a cup of detergent and put it in a spraying bottle, after this take 5 cups water and mix it well. You can now spray this in your garden every day. You can also try making another mixture using soap and detergent. You need to take 1 cup detergent inside a bucket and then add water and melt the solution. You can use this solution and pour it inside the holes three times a week. Donât worry because it wonât kill any animal but it will simply let them escape.
Setting Traps
You can also try setting traps and catch those animals and for this, you need to identify the type of burrowing animals that are present inside your lawn.
A cage system will help you to catch moles and voles. You can place this cage at the entrance. You can try placing baits also to get rid of these moles. If you are going to apply bait you need to ensure that children and pets stay far away from them as it is poison.
Conclusion
Keeping their garden beautiful and all your plants safe is what every person who owns a lawn or garden wishes. Animals might come in search of food and shelter inside our garden and they can destroy it.
You need to be aware of them and if they enter they wonât easily leave so you need to try out some things or the other. It is not an impossible thing to do and you can try out many things. I have mentioned some of the things you can do to prevent these burrowing animals and keep them out of the garden. I hope you find this article useful and informative
