I've finally tackled the overgrown plants in my yard, which were harboring a lot of ticks. Now, I'm looking for advice on what plants, if any, can help keep ticks away in the future. I live next to a nature sanctuary and deal with deer in the area, so I'm considering landscaping ideas, especially near the yard's border. Any suggestions?
5 Answers
Honestly, no plant is going to directly keep ticks away. But planting native species can support other wildlife that eats ticks. Plus, I've noticed that encouraging bird life, and even getting chickens, can really help manage tick populations since they eat insects!
The most effective way to manage ticks is really by keeping deer away. A proper deer fence would do wonders for your landscaping and tick prevention.
I had to install a deer fence, and since then, I haven't had any tick problems! It's been a game changer for my backyard, so I definitely recommend that as a first step.
Keep in mind that rodents can actually carry more ticks than deer. Consider using permethrin-treated cotton balls in areas where mice might nest. And, while it might seem counterintuitive, reducing bird feeders can help because feeding birds leads to more rodents around, which might compound the tick issue.
There aren't really specific plants that repel ticks, but planting native vegetation can help because they attract natural predators of ticks. It's also important to keep your yard diverse and maintain it regularly to control invasives. If you can do any management practices like controlled burns, they can temporarily reduce tick populations, but you might want to check if that's allowed in your area.
I had a lot of weeds and overgrown flowerbeds that I've cleared out for more sunlight and airflow. Sadly, burning isn’t an option where I live, but I’m on top of removing invasive plants!