How to Keep Pets Out of Flower Beds
We love to share our yards with family and friends. This includes the furry members of our family. However, you may want to keep your pets out of the flower beds. Cats like to use flower beds as an outside litter box and dogs love to dig around our favorite plants. There are commercial products available to deter pets from flower beds. Many are chemical-based products. For those who prefer to keep a natural environment, there are home treatments you can use to keep pets out of flower beds. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rags
- Vinegar
- Stakes
- Coffee grounds
- Citrus fruit
- Pepper
- Spray bottle
- Rubbing alcohol
Instructions
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Vinegar
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1
Soak several rags with white vinegar. Ammonia can substitute for the vinegar.
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2
Place rags on the ground around your flower garden. Animals do not like the vinegar smell and will stay away from the rags.
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3
Re-soak the rags once a week. This will keep the smell more pungent. Stakes can be used to prevent the rags from blowing away.
Citrus
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4
Save and collect the rinds from citrus fruit such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes.
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5
Tear the rinds into small pieces and place around the flower garden. Animals do not like the citrus smell and will avoid the area.
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6
Add coffee grounds to the area as an added deterrent. The fruit and coffee mixture is also an excellent fertilizer for your flowers.
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7
Replace whenever you have fresh rinds. Moisten the mixture to rejuvenate the smell.
Pepper
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8
Buy black, or cayenne, pepper in bulk.
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9
Sprinkle pepper around the base of your plants.
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10
Place pepper into a spray bottle. Fill remainder of bottle with rubbing alcohol.
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11
Spritz mixture around the flower bed.
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12
Replenish mixture after rainstorms.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Do not leave your pets unattended in the yard. This way you can monitor their flower box activity.
Invest in a motion activated sprinkler system. The surprise spray will keep the pets away from the flower beds.
Do not spray vinegar directly onto the plants or pour onto the ground surrounding plants. It is very acidic and could harm your flowers.
Sprinkling mothballs around the base of plants is often recommended as a way to keep pets out of flower beds. Mothballs are toxic to humans and animals if ingested.
