Introduction
Every marijuana grower faces the unique challenge of protecting their precious plants from garden pests. En somme, the family Procyonidae possesses a member that combines intelligence and destructiveness; it is none other than the raccoon. Raccoons can be described as cartoon characters come to life, and they’re always looking for something to steal. It’s not an exaggerated statement to say these nocturnal furry bandits can entirely wipe out an extremely well-nurtured marijuana farm. The question then arises—how do you keep raccoons at bay from your marijuana crops without causing any harm to them? To put it simply, riding raccoons off your marijuana braids can be achieved through suitable home remedies.
In this guide, we’ll explore the home remedie for keeping raccoons away from your marijuana plants. After reading the post, expect to gain valuable knowledge that will enable you to keep the plants safe without disturbing ecological balance.
Understanding Raccoon Behavior
Habits and Characteristics of Raccoons
Raccoons are animals that are adept at urban life and are more active during the night. These mammals have a great sense of smell and possess dexterous paws, enabling them to forage easily, trash be opened, and gardens raided as well. These animals are smart, and they usually get attracted to gardens since they contain food such as fruits, vegetables and in some cases, cannabis plants.
Like all other animals, raccoons also start frequenting the same place each night if they associate that place with an abundance of food. If you are a gardener, you may find it hard to monitor the activities of these animals as their effective use of gardens makes it easy to target fruits and vegetables and allows them to avoid you. And due to their nocturnal nature, they are usually outside when you are less likely to be able to see them. As a result, growers have difficulty guarding their plantations, thus, focusing more on precautionary measures than actual action.
Why Raccoons Target Marijuana Plants
Considering how efficient raccoons are as gardeners, raccoons are definitely curious whether out of amusement or hunger, the smell of marijuana alone is enough to catch their attention. And the plant’s full-bodied deciduous foliage bolsters it as a target for these masked bandits. However, as a side effect of their curiosity, they tend to be destructive, uprooting, chomping down on stems, or even stamping on bushes and grass.
In addition to the damage to the plants themselves, raccoons can also alter the landscape around them. Their scavenging behaviours might contribute to soil compaction, erosion, and possible pollution by waste or debris. This impacts not just the well-being and development of your marijuana plants but may also pose problems in the future regarding the quality of soil and sustainability of the garden.
Effective Home Remedies
Natural Deterrents
To keep raccoons away from your garden, it is recommended to use their weak sense of smell against them in the form of natural deterrents. A combination of garlic powder and chilli can do wonders as it repels raccoons and prevents them from entering the areas around those two spices. Just dust the three ingredients along the borders of your plants, or Mix with water and spray the solution over your plants.
A more unorthodox way of repelling raccoons from plants would be by using apple cider vinegar. It’s A strong pungent smell that is deemed unpleasant by raccoons and mixed with water it is plant safe. Mix apple cider with water and spray it around the edge of the garden or non-edible parts of the marijuana plants.
Commercially Available Solutions
If you do not want to make a repellent at home then you can buy numerous products to fend off raccoons. Coyote urine is a predator chemical repellant that When sprayed on the perimeter of the garden, makes raccoons uncomfortable and prevents them from approaching the vicinity of the garden.
On the other hand, there are organic pellets safe for plants and animals which can be an efficient mode of defence as well. Their usage instead of cumbersome fences serves the same purpose, seeing that raccoons won’t come looking for food around the area treated with the pellets.
Homemade Concoctions and Barriers
To save money whilst keeping the raccoons away from the plants, one wouldn’t need again the range of expensive barriers. It would be worthwhile to try physical means with the racoon mesh of netting rides over the plants.
As for the plants being targeted, a water and essential oil mix spray can help with deterrence. These essential oils can include peppermint or eucalyptus, aromatherapy features, and smell great. Use these sprays on the leaves, stems, and the soil around the plants literally making raccoons avoid that area altogether.
Additional Tips for Plant Protection
Enhancing Garden Security
Fencing and netting options are also worth exploring. Functions of such a fence is to constitute a physical barrier, whereas netting hung over the plants may provide supplementary coverage. With a couple of inches of fencing buried in the ground, raccoons won’t be able to dig under to gain entry.
Consider, also, the installation of sound or light sensors that will frighten raccoons away and prevent them from coming close to your marijuana plants. Raccoons are quite timid most of the time, and a loud noise or a sudden burst of light can drive them off in the opposite direction quite easily. And remember to thank the Lord and only gaze at their tracks the next day.
Raccoon intrusion can be prevented also by increasing the security of your garden. Intrusion prevention is also possible through motion activated sound or light devices that scare the intrepid raccoon away from the cannabis plants.
Maintaining a Clean and Unattractive Environment for Raccoons
In conjunction with the above-mentioned, it is also essential to maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding area such as the trash to be devoid of any potential food scraps like the fallen fruits or vegetables which will attract raccoons literally baling into your garden and will not be fun at all.
Make a move by considering the use of scare tactics which work as a substitution, reflective tape can be tied to the plants and pinwheels placed on the soil to instil fear in the raccoon as these wildlife animals do not fancy those types of things.
Conclusion
Here is the thing about raccoons; they are very clever and will approach your marijuana plants persistently, but what if the plants are growing in an area where home remedies are used against raccoons, the chances of coming across them will slim down for sure. Knowing their behaviour allows for the implementation of appropriate strategies that will ultimately protect your outside space, without having an adverse effect on the animals.
There are many options to consider, starting with simple mixtures of garlic, powders of chilli right up to commercial applications of coyote urine and organic pellets. It is recommended to improve the security barriers of your garden and hygiene factors, as that can also add to reducing the chances of raccoons coming into the property.
It is critical that a right equilibrium is maintained between safeguarding the plants and life on earth in the above case the raccoons. Adherence to such policies and being a little more thoughtful of your plants, your garden gets relief from the unwanted guests.
