Plants that repel moles are found in abundance with varying characteristics. From lavender to daffodils to crown imperials we’ve got them all.
How to naturally deter moles with plants? What are the best plants for the job?
Continue reading to know the answer to how to repel moles and so much more!
Contents
Plants That Repel Moles Efficiently
We are sure that you, like us, must have tried homemade mole repellents, like using coffee grounds to make those moles disappear, but have failed. Similarly, you might have found yourselves googling questions like how to get rid of ground moles with vinegar, what plants deter voles and moles, etc.
People might have recommended commercially available repellents like victor mole & gopher repellent, etc., and materials like hardware cloth, but like always, they must have failed. Now is the time to try our recommended plants if you need help with the solutions.
1. Lavender
Lavender is a herbaceous perennial that belongs to the Lamiaceae family of plants and is homegrown in the Mediterranean region. Does lavender repel moles? Yes, it does! How, you ask? Let’s see more of this. Animals often detest fragrant plants like lavender-like moles. This is your sign to plant them in your garden now!
The best time to plant lavender is spring after the threat of fall has passed and the soil has warmed up. It grows moderately, adding a few inches to its height every year. The plant blooms mesmerizing purple blooms every summer.
The plant reaches a height of 2 to 3 feet and a width of 2 to 4 feet when mature. The gray-green foliage bears spikes of purple flowers, and the plant assumes the shape of a shrub.
– Specific Needs
Lavender is a full sun lover. The abundance of light ensures lots of buds and voluminous bushes. It prefers dry, well-drained soil with an alkaline pH. Ensure that the soil is lean, meaning it must not have too much organic matter mixed in it. Such types of soil boost the plant’s oil production.
Once mature, lavender is a drought-tolerant plant, but until then, it requires frequent watering, especially in its first growing season. Too much water leads to problems like root rot or fungal diseases.
Add a handful of compost in the hole when you plant lavender. Please do not add more fertilizers as they detract from the plant’s natural potency. Lavender is flexible and withstands a diverse range of climates. The cold does the plant more harm than the warm weather. Protect your plant from the harsh cold by planting it next to a brick wall for heat. Apply mulch if the ground frequently freezes and thaws throughout the winter season. This added mulch helps protect the roots.
Both softwood and hardwood cuttings are the best way to propagate lavender. All you require to do is take a 3-inch long shoot cutting from a healthy plant. Take a small pot, add a seed-starting mix, and moisten it with water.
Dip the cut end of the shot into a rooting hormone and carefully place it in the mix. Make sure to feed the plant a diluted liquid fertilizer once a week.
Allow the roots to develop for about two to three weeks, and then transfer the cutting to a larger pot or even in your outdoor garden with a regular potting mix. Add a commercial fertilizer to the plant for its nutrient needs.
2. Daffodils
These plants are bulb perennials that belong to the Amaryllidaceae family and are native to Europe and North Africa.
Do daffodils repel moles? Yes, they do! The bulbs of these plants are toxic to humans and, specifically, to animals. Moles roaming around are certainly not pleased by the presence of Daffodils.
– Growing Season
Daffodils are best planted in the mid to late Autumn. They begin bearing heads as spring approaches and produce a beautiful pink bloom approximately a month before the expected frost date. The flowers are tall, split, or even lamp-shaped.
Different cultivators bloom white and orange flowers. The expected height range for these plants is between 6 to 30 inches, mostly 6 to 12 inches wide.
– Specific Needs
Daffodils grow in full to partial sun and rich, moist, well-drained, neutral, and acidic soils. Give your daffodils enough water regularly in spring and fall, and avoid watering in mid to late spring. They enter a dormant state in the summer and prefer dry soil during this phase.
You do not need to add additional fertilizers, as daffodils are self-sufficient. But if the plants are not flowering, add bulb food when the leaves emerge. Following the instructions mentioned on the product’s label is a good idea.
Daffodils are easily propagated by the offshoot bulbs formed underground. This division is not carried out to promote the plant’s growth; rather, it is done when the plants have overgrown or outgrown the space, roughly every four years or so.
To propagate the plant, you must wait until summer, when the leaves have turned yellow and died. Pull up the clump and shake it to get rid of the dirt. Find and place a shaded area for the roots to dry for about two days, then remove the small bulbs from the parent bulbs.
Plant the parent bulbs, offsets, or both immediately at a depth double or triple their diameter with a space of 10 to 12 inches in between. Another way is to wait till the late summer or fall and then plant.
3. Castor Bean Plant
Castor bean is a herbaceous perennial that is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family and is native to Africa and the Middle East.
The plant is also known as a castor oil plant. It is grown more on a commercial level because of its pharmaceutical uses. The castor oil is a natural repellent that travels down to the moles’ holes and ensures they do not return to their original location. Readily available oil forms include 100 percent castor oil.
– Growing Season
The bean plants are mostly grown during summer, and in most environments, they reach elongated heights quickly.
Beautiful blooms of green and yellow are seen in summer and fall. The red encapsulated seeds hold more ornamental value than the flowers. The seeds launch as projectiles when the pods get dry. Seeds themselves are of striking colors and patterns. The plant’s leaves are coarsely textured and make an attractive combination with any plant.
– Specific Needs
The plants are full sun lovers and need to be planted somewhere that receives at least eight hours of sunlight daily. Avoid placing the plant near towering plants or trees, as they might hinder its light needs. The growth of these plants is directly related to the amount of sunlight they receive.
A rich and moist soil produces the best growth conditions for your plants. Incorporate soils that are nutrient-rich and retain moisture well. Add organic manure to increase the soil’s quality if your planting area could be more fertile.
Castor beans appreciate frequent watering but try not to overwater. One glass of water per week, either through rainfall or manually, is sufficient for healthy growth. If your area is experiencing a drought, water your plant more frequently.
Add an all-purpose fertilizer to your plants once a month to ensure balanced growth.
These plants are easily propagated through seeds. Simply sow the seeds 1 to 1.5 inches deep into the soil. Seedlings emerge anywhere between one to three weeks. Keep an eye on the plant as it has a fast growth rate and requires replanting soon. After you have transplanted, or replanted, the plant, keep it under full sun, and if there is more than one, keep a distance of 4 feet.
4. Crown Imperial (Fritillaria Imperialis)
Crown Imperial belongs to the Liliaceae family and is native to Asia. Crown Imperials are perennial bulbs if you are looking for options for bulbs to deter moles.
The large waxy bulbs have a fox-like smell, a huge turning-off point for the moles. These crown plants are toxic to humans, cats, and dogs, so plant them accordingly.
– Growing Season
The plants show the best growth when planted in Autumn and root in a bulb-like structure. They bloom pendant, bell-shaped, red, orange, and yellow flowers from mid to late spring, approximately for two to three weeks, and enter their dormancy by summer. A crown-like bloom at the top of the stalk grows up to 3 feet tall above the glossy leaves.
These plants are not very tall. The height range lies between 1 to 3 feet, and the width is between 8 to 12 feet.
– Specific Needs
The Crown Imperials prefer full sun. Place it somewhere that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight daily. They also grow in semi-shade or woodland conditions.
These plants are quite flexible regarding the choice of soil: acidic, neutral, or alkaline. They are adaptive to different textures, as light as loamy soil and as heavy as clay. Since the plants are native to regions like Turkey and the Himalayas, they are happy when grown on cliffs or rocky slopes in well-draining soils.
Spring is the best time to water them, as they grow the most active during this season. If it does not rain, water them about an inch per week. The top 6 inches of the soil need to be kept moist as the plant is drought tolerant.
Fertilize them with an organic fertilizer in spring and a liquid fertilizer in the fall. Read the instructions carefully to know the exact amount. In Autumn, add an inch of compost to the soil bed and a couple of inches of mulch to shelter the bulbs and keep the weeds from growing.
If it is late summer or early fall, it is time to dig up all the plant’s mature bulbs, divide, and replant them. This technique not only helps in plant propagation but also helps the plant put up a flower show every growing season. After you have dug up the bulbs, plant the mature ones at the same depth as the parent plant. Cover the smaller bulbs with potting soil to save them from cold injury.
Allow the bulbs to grow a year before replanting them. Make sure that they receive indirect but bright sunlight and water, just enough to keep the soil moist.
5. Caper Spurge (Euphorbia Lathyris)
Caper Spurge is an annual/biennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is native to Europe.
It grows on grasslands, dunes, marshes, and scrub habitats. These repellent plants have toxic roots that make sure that the moles run away as far as they can.
– Growing Season
The plants are not fully frost resistant, so the best time to grow them is spring for them to have enough time to develop till the winter. They have a slow growth rate and are mostly 20 to 24 inches long.
Stems are upright and hardy, and considerably leafy. The leaves are beautiful shades of blue and green that spike horizontally from the stems, while the flowers are a pale yellow-green that last between July and August. The height range of these plants lies between 24 and 40 inches, while the width is between 20 to 24 inches.
– Specific Needs
Caper Spurge needs plentiful, dazzling, and direct sunlight throughout the day, so make sure you plant it somewhere accordingly. Do not surround it with tall plants. It grows anywhere as long as the soil is loose and well-drained.
The plant survives in moderate climate conditions with little to no water. But during hot spells, you must water the plant as much as you would any other plant. Water the plant just when the top 2 inches seem dry.
You do not need to add any additional fertilizer as it does not have a vigorous growth rate. Replace the plant’s potting soil every year to fulfill its nutrient deficiencies. Remember, plants get most of their food from the sun and not fertilizers!
Propagate Caper Spurge through cuttings as the seeds are not readily available in the market because they take a lot of time to germinate and are workable for a short period. Take your stem cuttings and allow them to dry for at least two to three days.
This drying out halts root growth. Plant your cuttings in soilless mediums, for example, peat moss, to ensure optimal root development. Water your cuttings regularly to keep the soil moist. To ensure that the moisture remains locked, wrap your plant with a foil or a plastic bag, but do make sure that you remove the foil or bag for at least two hours a day to avoid root rot and molds.
Once the roots have developed, transfer your cuttings to their new and forever home.
Conclusion
Creeping and crawling animals like moles are not liked by anyone, and if your garden is home to moles, we are sure you must have gone through many natural mole-deterrent solutions. There are plenty of plants that do ward off moles. Whichever plant you decide to have to tackle the moles, always remember the following points from the article above:
- Lavender is pleasing to look at and makes a great mole repellent. Moles seem to hate its fragrance.
- If you want a quick and effective plant for making the moles leave their holes for good, add castor plants without much thinking.
- Daffodils have toxic bulbs that ensure that most of the moles leave your garden for good.
Select the right mole-repelling plants and enjoy the results!
References
- https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender
- https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/castor-bean-ricinus-communis/
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/euphorbia-lathyris/
- 25 Kalanchoe Types and Colorful Varieties for Your Garden - October 3, 2023
- 17 Hawaiian Flowers That Grow and Thrive in the Hot Summer - October 2, 2023
- Watering a Poinsettia and How is it Done Correctly? - September 30, 2023
