Mice are a common problem in gardens and can cause severe damage to potted plants. These rodents are known to nibble on plant stems and roots. Thus making holes and reducing the plant’s ability to grow.
To protect your plants and keep them healthy, it’s essential to prevent mice from getting into the pots. But before taking any steps to get rid of mice in potted plants, it is necessary to understand what it is about plants that attract mice.
Mice search for a warm, cozy place to hide when the weather outside is too harsh, and a large container with potting mix seems suitable for a nest.
They will occasionally use potted plants as a secure hiding place for food they find in your house. Although mice don’t generally eat leafy greens, a hungry rat in need of food will eat everything, including the foliage and roots of plants.
A few tips to keep mice out of potted plants include:
- Use plants as repellents.
- Use essential oils.
- Using a barrier.
- Keeping your garden tidy.
- Keeping pots on a raised bed.
Say no to waking up to holes in your plants, and let’s find out how you can keep mice away from your beloved plants.
8 Ways To Keep Mice Out of Potted Plants
Keeping mice out of potted plants can be a challenge, but several methods can be used to deter them.
Mice are attracted to the moist soil and plants in pots, so protecting your plants from these furry pests is essential.
Here are some tips for keeping mice out of potted plants:
1. Use Plants As Repellents
Mice are not particularly fans of strongly scented plants. These include Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, Geraniums, Eucalyptus, and Bay.
These can also be repellents by spraying or dusting them over the pot’s rim and the plant stand or shelf it rests on. You must do this roughly every other day to keep the scent strong enough for the mice to avoid.
If you can continue to experience mice infestations in the future, consider adding more poisonous house plants to keep them away.
Mice tend to avoid plants like philodendron, dieffenbachia, aloe, peace lily, and pothos that are poisonous if eaten.
2. Essential Oils
You can use oils or sprays to ward off mice if you prefer not to bring in other plants.
Mice have been seen to avoid bitter apple spray, cedar wood, cinnamon, garlic, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, pine, raspberry, strawberry, and sandalwood.
3. Using a Barrier
A chicken wire barrier or hardware cloth can be placed around the pot’s base to prevent mice from reaching the soil. This sturdy material will not allow the mice to chew through it.
Ensure the barrier extends several inches above the soil and is buried several inches below the surface to prevent the mice from digging underneath it.
Another option is to place a mesh cover over the top of the pot. The mesh should be fine enough that the mice cannot chew. This will prevent the mice from accessing the soil and plants in the pot.
4. Keeping Your Garden Tidy
Mice are primarily attracted to clutter.
So, keep your garden tidy by removing dead leaves, twigs, and other debris to help keep the mice out.
This will reduce hiding places for the mice and make it harder for them to reach your potted plants.
5. Keep Pots on Raised Beds
If you have many potted plants, consider growing them in raised beds.
This will make it more difficult for the mice to reach the plants and will provide a barrier to keep them away.
6. Keep Pets
While this seems like an over-the-top approach keeping pets helps in this case, as mice are afraid of predators.
So, consider keeping a cat or dog in the area to work as an effective deterrent.
You must ensure your pet is well-trained, does not harm the plants in your garden, and wreak more havoc than the mice.
7. Use Traps
Consider using mice traps to catch these pesky little creatures if all else fails.
Place the traps around the base of the potted plants, using bait such as cheese or tomatoes to attract the mice.
8. Using a Humane Deterrent
Suppose you don’t want to kill the mice. To keep them away, you can use humane deterrents such as ultrasonic rodent repellent or scarecrows.
An ultrasonic rodent repellent is an electronic pest control device. This device emits a high-pitched sound at a frequency that may cause discomfort to kill, drive away or incapacitate household pests.
Takeaway
In conclusion, several effective methods exist for keeping mice out of potted plants.
Protecting your plants from these pests is essential whether you use a barrier repellent, maintain cleanliness, or use traps.
You can keep your potted plants mice-free, healthy, and thriving with just a little effort.
So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and set up a mechanism to keep mice away from your potted plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mice Kill My House Plant?
Your plant can suffer from severe harm if a determined mouse gets it. Your plant can even die. Mice may damage the root system by burrowing into the dirt if your pot is large enough for them to dig a burrow.
As the article mentioned, mice in need of food may turn to the leaves and roots of your plant for nourishment. The size and hardiness of the plant will determine whether your house plant services or not.
How Can I Identify if There Are Mice in the Plant Pots?
Dirt on the ground close to your pot, white or brown fluff or hair, or mouse droppings are the best indicators that mice live in your potted plants.
Mice will make a mess if they make a home in your potted plants. And you will see small amounts of dirt on the ground that the mouse has dug out. The mouse will use fur when it builds a nest, which usually peaks out of the pot’s drainage holes.
What To Do When There Are Mice in Your Potted Plants?
The house plant pot should be taken outside. Take the plant out of the pot, then look for any evidence of mice in the root area. You will notice cracks, fur, mouse droppings, and maybe even a mouse jumping out and running away.
Clean and disinfect the pot thoroughly. The pot should be washed in warm, soapy water and dried in the sun for at least two hours.
