There is nothing more Australian than possums. But while they’re part of everyday lives, you might not want them to be in your garden. They’re known, for instance, to eat plants and cause damage to homes. Therefore, in this article, we look at how you can protect your plants and garden from possums naturally.
Understanding Possum Behaviour
Possums have a wide impact on a garden when they decide to make your home part of their territory. They’re known to cause damage to homes, especially when they access roof spaces to make dens. Another issue is that they can also cause damage to plants.
Plants are a natural part of their diet, and they’re often eaten when their favourite food (insects) is scarce. Possums are known to prefer rotting plant material, so are essentially nature’s clean-up crew. However, if they can’t find overripe or rotting plant material and there are no insects present, then they will chew on other plants.
Those with fruit trees or vegetable gardens are most at risk, as possums prefer these plants.
However, they will eat other plants as well, such as those with large leaves.
There are numerous signs of possum damage in your garden including:
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Damaged plants/trees, especially on the bark and broken branches.
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Crushed stems of ground plants.
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Fruit missing.
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Partially eaten leaves/fruit on the ground.
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Rubbish outside of the bin as they’ve raided them.
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Scratch marks on bins.
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Bad odours
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Nesting materials are found near holes in walls.
Natural Ways to Deter Possums from Eating Plants
Possums are a protected species. Therefore, you cannot move them by force or hurt them.
Therefore, you have to find natural ways to deter possums from eating plants in your garden.
Here are some of the ways that you can do this.
Physical Barriers
The first thing that you can do is to install physical barriers around your garden. Using tree guards for young trees and installing possum-proof netting around other more mature trees in the garden can reduce the risk of them becoming dinner for a possum.
You might also want to set up fencing around your garden’s vegetable and fruit areas. If they can be completely covered and don’t allow any access, that is best.
Natural Possum Repellents
There are also some natural possum repellents that you can use. If you want to have a homemade option, use garlic, chili, and vinegar sprays. These being sprayed around the garden create an odour that is very distasteful to the possums.
Commercial possum repellent options can also be used. These can be much more effective than homemade options which have limited endurance and can be washed away with any rain or bad weather. Commercial possum repellent is also formulated precisely, whereas homemade solutions can be incorrectly designed.
You might also want to use predator scents to keep possums out of your garden. Possums can be deterred by scents such as foxes, birds, and snakes.
Garden Design Strategies to Discourage Possums
In addition to using deterrence products, you might also want to redesign your garden to keep possums out of your garden. There are numerous possum-resistant plants that you might want to try adding to your garden such as mint, lavender, citronella, rosemary, geraniums, and chrysanthemums. You might want to add these plants using companion planting techniques, which can create stunning garden features as well.
You might need to also adjust the garden layout. You want to minimise access to the garden by ensuring they have limited access to the garden, and where there might be potential access that there is clear space. Open spaces make possums nervous and they’re unlikely to transverse open areas.
Motion-Activated and Light-Based Deterrents
Other options include adding devices into the garden that can deter possums. For instance, you can use the EnviroBug sentinel device. This uses ultrasonic sounds to create a noise that is very distasteful to the possum. The device also uses motion-activated sprinklers and movement to scare away the possum.
You might also want to use bright lights to deter possums. Being a nocturnal animal, they tend to shy away from areas that are brightly lit. Using motion-activated lights can be a great option.
Protecting Specific Plants from Possums
Sometimes you might not be able to completely deter possums from your garden. So you need to look for ways to protect specific plants instead. Here are some suggestions.
How to Protect Passion Fruit from Possums
Passion fruit is a favourite of possums, but it is easy to protect. To start, add possum-proof netting to the tree to protect access to the tree. You can also protect the trunk by using tree guards.
How to Protect Vegetable Gardens from Possums
Vegetable gardens are lovely in a garden, but a great attraction for possums. To protect them, use cages to protect the plants. Or you can use high fencing, but some possums might gain access over the top. Ensure that there are no overhanging branches that possums might be able to use to gain access.
How to Protect Trees from Possums
Trees are at particular risk, partly because possums will run up and down them. To protect them use tree guards to ensure their trunk is inaccessible. Also, be sure to use a net over the tree.
Finally, check access from nearby trees, fences, and buildings. Possums can jump up to 8 feet, so anything within that range will need to be protected as well.
