Every year as the gardening season arrives, the thought of moles that you may have to battle with is of great concern.
Through their underground burrowing activities, moles are solitary creatures that can cause a lot of damage.
Therefore, know the early signs and be ready with all-natural solutions to get rid of them from your vegetable garden.
Signs of Infestation
One sign that you may have moles in your yard or garden will most likely be the raised mounds of dirt showing up. These molehills appear all over, as the creatures dig underground to find insects.
Additionally, damage can be seen from the displacement of roots of small plants and seedlings in vegetable and flower beds. As they tunnel through, you may also notice patches of discolored or dead grass.
How to Get Rid of Moles in the Garden Naturally
Utilizing your preferred choice, or a combination of these natural methods can help rid your garden of moles and prevent recurrences.
Moreover, these are home remedies and safe and natural mole repellents and traps.
1. Eliminate Grubs
Grubs being one of the moles’ favorite foods, follows that eliminating them can deter moles from new homes.
Additionally, tilling the soil, adding beneficial nematodes, or even soapy water are ways to ward off grubs.
Also, these other natural remedies can get rid of grubs. By utilizing these, hopefully, you’ll see a diminishing amount of root damage.
2. Castor Oil
By far, one of the most noted means of controlling moles in vegetable gardens is castor oil. Applied to the soil, the smell and taste turn them off.
Combine 6 ounces of the oil with 2 tablespoons of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Afterward, shake well and spray the soil where the mammals appear.
Whether applying through this diluted homemade solution or the products discussed below, castor oil is a fabulous natural mole deterrent.
3. Plant Barriers
Known plant deterrents for getting rid of moles include:
- Daffodils
- Marigolds
- Caper spurge
- Castor beans
Plant them around gardens and lawns to deter the critters. These plants will also add beauty to your yard and control other pests.
4. Holy Moley
One ready-to-use option to eliminate moles is Holy Moly by St. Gabriel Organics. This mixture of castor oil and fuller’s earth has a taste and smell that repels them.
Additionally, this product is safe to use in organic vegetable gardens, flower beds, and on your lawn.
5. Victor M & G Repellent
This is another natural product containing fuller’s earth. It repels ground moles, voles, and Gophers.
Apply the mixture in stages to the garden or lawn area. Application in one large swoop can cause them to burrow more frantically to try and escape the smell and cause additional concerns.
Start in a healthy part of your garden. Move out slowly, systematically applying it to drive them away.
Moreover, Victor M & G can be bought in resealable bags for ease of use. It is also tested safe to use around children and pets.
6. Chase Granular Repellent
This is a granular castor oil compound that when ingested, will cause digestive interruption.
Chase Granular will drive them away, causing them to find untreated areas to retreat to get away from the product.
It is spread much like other repellents by hand or spreader and should be watered after application for absorption into the soil.
7. Root Guard
If looking for yard mole traps, this deterrent for use in flower or vegetable gardens is a basket for your plants. It stops them from chewing on roots.
However, choose a basket one size more significant than the root bulb of the plant it protects. This will allow for growth while keeping pests away.
Simply shape the basket when removed from the packaging and place it in the pre-dug hole. Finally, plant, water, and fertilize as you usually would and let the root guard go to work.
8. Dig a Trench
Another pretty simple solution is to dig a trench.
A barrier of rock or wire lined six inches wide, and two feet deep will help keep burrowing animals away.
Ideally, filling this with gravel, along with a lining at the bottom of the mesh can add stability and a wall.
When they hit this wall in their tunnel space, it will force them to retrace or head in another direction.
9. Coffee Grounds
Applying coffee grounds directly to holes found in your yard or garden deters the critters from returning to the area.
Unfortunately, this method does require you to find all holes and apply the grounds. Also, when rain breaks it down, it needs to be reapplied.
Additionally, one thing to note is that grubs, which are the primary food source for garden and lawn moles, actually enjoy coffee grounds.
So this remedy, if not carefully monitored, could backfire by creating a more common food source.
Identification
Now that you know how to rid your yard and garden of moles, let’s learn how to identify them.
Mole pests are tiny mammals that are insectivores. They spend their lives burrowing for food (insects) underground.
They live about three years and have a strange body shape consisting of extended snouts, hairy bodies, and paws that appear to flap.
Additionally, when looking at them, they appear to have no eyes.
About four weeks after mating, the female will have her babies. These babies then take about 33 days to mature, ready to begin burrowing on their own.
What Do Moles Eat?
These creatures are mammal-labeled insectivores for their choice foods of grubs, earthworms, centipedes, and insect larvae. All choices are found deep within the soil of gardens, lawns, and the like.
They burrow deep in the ground in search of food and will consume their body weight daily in insects. This sounds like good news.
Unfortunately, the incessant burrowing is what can cause concerns for roots. They will not snack directly on plants but rather cause root issues with burrowing.
However, if the plant exhibits direct damage due to being bitten; this will possibly be a gopher or vole and not a mole.
Takeaway
As the first molehill appears and you know this subsoil mammals have arrived, be prepared to deter naturally.
Smells such as castor oil applied in a variety of ways, or repellent plants that also do not appeal to their noses are excellent natural deterrents.
Additionally, try the other natural mole control methods above and you will enjoy all the benefits of a garden free of these pests.
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