The Lawn Care Mistake To Avoid To Keep Snakes Far Away From Your Garden

There are a lot of things you want to see in your home landscape, including gorgeous blooms in your beds and an abundance of ripe vegetables in your garden. Lush, thick grass that's the envy of your neighbors isn't bad either, and a lack of weeds is always a bonus. A lawn oasis you can escape to for relaxation or tossing the ball to your dog is great as well. Notice how "snakes" are not on the list. While snakes are beneficial by keeping pests controlled, you still might not want them in your yard. How can you minimize the screams and shivers these slithering reptiles can bring to every member of your family that encounters them in your yard? Keep the overwatering to a minimum.

Yep, it sounds almost too simple to be true, but when snakes get hungry, they opt for rodents, earthworms, slugs, and frogs, among other tasty treats. And excess water draws all these types of prey to your yard. More prey leads to more snakes. Just like you don't want to work too hard for your lunch, snakes go where the food is, and you may be drawing them in without even knowing it. Even if you spray your yard with cinnamon essential oil, a common scent used as a natural snake repellent, you won't stop snakes from showing up if you don't reign in the irrigation.

While there are many things that attract snakes to your yard, water is a big culprit. While your lawn certainly requires water to grow, there is such a thing as excess water for this thirsty landscape plant. What does overwatering look like? Unfortunately, the same symptoms that signal underwatering also can point to overwatering: yellowing grass, brown spots, and dead or bare patches. Plus, it doesn't help lawn roots grow and can lead to excess top growth, giving snakes more places to hide in your yard.

Avoid overwatering by watering deeply but intermittently. Your lawn may only need 1 inch of water weekly (including what Mother Nature delivers), so you want to ensure your lawn dries out between waterings and that you don't inadvertently schedule your irrigation system to run at repeat intervals, ignoring rainfall. Overwatering, especially during humid periods, can not only draw more snakes, but it can also lead to disease outbreaks in your lawn. That's a negative duo no homeowner wants.

The good news is, if you do encounter a snake in your home landscape, it is typically shy and will usually head for cover. Stay out of its way and take note of the amount of water in your yard to ensure you aren't attracting more of these coiled, cold-blooded creatures than you wish to see.