For gardeners growing culinary herbs like sage, one of the most frustrating problems is damage caused by rodents. Baby sage plants with their tender young leaves can be especially vulnerable to nibbling and destruction by mice, rats, squirrels and other pesky creatures If you’ve planted baby sage in your herb garden, be proactive about deterring rodents right from the start Implementing preventative measures will help keep these furry pests from feasting on your baby sage plant.
Why Rodents are Drawn to Baby Sage
Before learning how to deter rodents, it’s helpful to understand what attracts them to baby sage in the first place. Here are some of the reasons rodents may target your plant
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Tasty and aromatic leaves – Rodents are tempted by the fragrant smell and flavor of sage leaves. The tender young leaves of baby sage plants are particularly enticing.
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Shelter – Dense foliage and mulched beds around baby sage provide hiding spots for rodents. They may nest or take shelter around young plants.
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Pathways – Baby sage planted along edges or fences can provide access pathways into your garden for rodents.
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Gnawing instinct – Rodents have a natural urge to gnaw and will chew on tender stems and leaves. Baby plants are quite vulnerable.
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Water source – Rodents need water, and baby sage with moist soil or drip irrigation can attract them.
Effective Rodent Deterrents
Luckily there are many effective options to deter rodents and protect your baby sage plant. Here are some of the best:
Physical Barriers
Install physical barriers like wire mesh fencing or hardware cloth around the baby sage to prevent rodents from reaching the plant. Use 1⁄4 inch mesh and bury it a few inches underground to thwart burrowing pests. You can also use gravel, rocks, or wood chips as mulch around the plant base since rodents dislike digging through these.
Natural Repellents
Strong scents and oils act as natural repellents for rodents. Try planting marigolds, mint, garlic, lavender or daffodils around the baby sage. You can also sprinkle blood meal, black pepper, chili powder or peppermint oil around the plant. These create scent boundaries that deter rodents.
Predator Scents
Rodents steer clear of predator smells. Fox and coyote urine granules sprinkled around the garden mimic predator markings and frighten rodents away. Used cat litter offers a budget-friendly alternative.
Noise & Vibration
Rodents are easily startled by foreign noises and vibrations. Wind chimes, old CDs hung to clang in the breeze, or ultrasonic pest repellers will make the area uncomfortable for rodents. Vibrating stakes placed in the soil have a similar effect.
Habitat Modification
Eliminate hiding spots, debris and dense vegetation around the baby sage to deter rodents. Use gravel or wood chip mulch, avoid piled prunings, and keep the area around the plant clean. This removes shelter and food sources for rodents.
Companion Planting
Some plants naturally repel or deter rodents, like onions, garlic, and marigolds. Interplant these around the baby sage or use them as border plants to create a pest-free zone. Mint and lavender also help mask the tempting sage scent.
Rodent-Resistant Varieties
Choose naturally rodent-resistant sage varieties like Berggarten, Aurea, or Holt’s Mammoth to reduce damage. The thick leaves and pungent taste of these deters nibbling pests.
Exclusion Techniques
Prevent rodents from accessing the baby sage plant by using these exclusion techniques:
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Use 1⁄4 inch wire mesh or hardware cloth sunk several inches into soil to create rodent-proof barriers.
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Attach mesh collars around plant stems to prevent gnawing damage.
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Clear away vegetation or boards around the plant that offer rodent access or shelter.
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Use gravel, stone or wood chip mulch that rodents dislike burrowing through.
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Ensure compost or waste bins are sealed so they don’t attract pests.
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Block potential entry points like holes in fencing using wire mesh, rocks, wood, or metal flashing.
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Caulk cracks in raised beds to prevent rodents from burrowing underneath.
Maintaining a Rodent-Resistant Garden
Follow these tips to make your overall garden less inviting to rodents, thereby protecting your baby sage plant:
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Remove fallen fruit/berries, seed heads, and garden debris that can attract rodents.
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Store garden tools like spades and forks upside down to prevent nesting sites.
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Use rodent-proof compost bins, and frequently turn and disturb compost piles.
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Rake up mulch or grass around the garden edge where rodents travel.
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Trim back overgrown vegetation and prune lower branches of shrubs to reduce hiding spots.
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Keep the garden free of piles of wood, bricks or junk that offer shelter to rodents.
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Secure trash in rodent-proof bins, and avoid outdoor pet food or bird seed spills.
When to Seek Professional Help
In cases of severe rodent infestation, it may be necessary to contact a professional pest control expert. They have access to stronger chemicals, baits and fumigation methods. This is especially important if rodents have already damaged the health of your baby sage plant. A professional can fully eradicate pests and recommend preventative measures.
Baby Steps to Protect Baby Sage
Baby sage is a delicate and tasty target for rodents, but many effective deterrents are available. Take proactive steps like barriers, repellents, habitat modification and garden maintenance to make your herb garden inhospitable to rodents. Stop them before they start! With diligence and persistence, you can successfully protect your baby sage from furry pests.
This cheap and easy homemade spray will keep squirrels, rabbits, and other furry pests from chewing up your plants
Nothing is more frustrating than working hard on your garden only to have it gnawed to the ground by mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, gophers, and/or the biggest rodent of them all, deer. (Okay, deer aren’t technically rodents, but they might as well be.)
These critters are difficult to stop too. They easily climb or burrow under fences. Poisons post a risk to pets, poultry, and beneficial wildlife. Traps work, but rodents breed so quickly that for every one you trap, five more will be born (I trapped 36 ground squirrels in a single month and didn’t even make a dent in the population).
Deterrents like fake birds of prey, scarecrows, and shiny or noisy things, are quick to be recognized as non-threatening and ignored. (I’ve seen squirrels perched on top of a fake owl, using it as a lookout.)
The one rodent control method that does work fairly well is the repellent. These rely on chemical formulas to make the garden unappetizing to rodents.
Some repellents, like those that use urea (i.e., urine), are designed to keep rodents away by giving off the scent of a predator. Others use chemical combinations from spices, herbs, and other plants that either give off an unfavorable scent or taste, tricking rodents into thinking the plants aren’t edible.
But even those have their limits. The urea-based repellents make the critters cautious for a little while, but eventually they realize there are no predators around and resume munching on your plants.
Herbal repellents can be either ineffective (rodents have no problem eating members of the onion family so spraying liquid garlic on plants is actually like sending a dinner invitation), or they’re short-lived because the active ingredient is quickly broken down by the air/soil/microbe environment.
Plus, all that stuff can get expensive. I know. I must have spent $1,000 and tried everything short of a machine gun nest before I figured out how to stop critters from eating all my fruits and vegetables.
This rodent repellent tea will keep rodents away
First, a moment to geek out.
One of the common ingredients in herbal rodent repellents is cayenne pepper. You may know that what makes peppers “hot” is a compound called capsaicin. The “heat” you taste, or feel if it gets in your eyes or nose, is the capsaisin firing pain receptors in your mucus membrane very similar to being bitten by a (large) spider. So, if you like spicy food, you’re technically into self-inflicted pain.
What you may not know, is capsaisin only has this effect on mammals. It’s harmless to insects, reptiles, birds and other plants, and will break down in the presence of proteins, acids, and alcohols found in the soil. As a result, mixing it with other compounds, or simply sprinkling powdered pepper on the ground won’t do much because the capsaisin will lose its potency very quickly.
On the other hand, capsaicin is also “hydrophobic” compound, meaning it doesn’t dissolve in water. That means you can make a hot pepper “tea” and it will remain as hot as the pepper itself. Moreover, when you spray this tea on plants, the water will evaporate, but the capsaicin will not, effectively creating a plant with a spicy coating rodents need to nibble only once to realize the plant will set their nose and mouth on fire.
One application of this tea every few weeks, and no critter in its right mind is going to touch your plants for a long time.
- 4 ounces of dried cayenne (or similarly hot) peppers
- 1 gallon of water
- Coffee or spice grinder (if pepper is not already ground)
- Fine strainer or cheesecloth
- 1-gallon container with lid
- Food service gloves
- Large funnel
- Spray bottle or garden sprayer
- Put on your gloves! – Nothing’s worse than finding out you had pepper on your hands when you touch your nose or eyes.
- Grind the peppers – If your peppers are whole, use your grinder to grind your peppers into as fine a powder as possible
- Put the pepper powder in the strainer – Place your funnel over the opening of your 1 -gallon container, put the strainer and/or cheesecloth on top, and pour your pepper powder in your strainer or cheesecloth
- Brew the tea – Slowly pour 1 gallon of water over the peppers to make the “tea.” You want the liquid to be a light red to brown (not pink or clear), so may need to pour the water over the peppers multiple times to get the right concentration. You can also make a “teabag” out of the cheesecloth and submerge it in the water, letting it steep until the color is dark enough
- Pour tea in sprayer – Move the funnel in your garden sprayer and put some cheesecloth in the funnel. Then pour the “tea” into the sprayer. The cheesecloth should catch any solid pieces of pepper powder that could clog the sprayer.
- Spray your plants – Once your sprayer is filled, set it to a wide spray and give the plants you want to protect a good spray. Make sure to get the lower leaves and stem especially well so burrowing pests like gophers get a taste when they snag those lower pieces.
- Let it dry – In a couple of hours the spray will dry and be invisible, but the capsaicin will remain on the plant like a fiery hot powder coating. I may take a day for the critters to test your plants, but once they do, they won’t again.
Plants That Keep Pests Away
FAQ
Does sage attract rodents?
How do I protect my seedlings from rodents?
What can I spray on my plants to keep rodents away?
How to keep rodents out of potted plants?
Does Sage repel rats?
This fragrant herb commonly used in our pasta dishes, also makes a great pest repellent. Rats in particular hate the smells of both the green and white sage varieties. Simply sprinkle herbs onto soil, around outdoor plants, entryway crevices or crack around the house. The pungent smells should be enough to repel mice and rats from entering.
How to keep mice & rats away?
Mice and rats, also called rodents, are sensitive to the smells of these plants and run away from them. Knowing this, you can take these repellent herbs home and grow them yourself. It is an excellent eco-friendly solution to use aromatic plants to keep mice and rats away from your living area.
Do aromatic plants repel mice & rats?
There are aromatic plants that repel mice and rats and prevent these creatures from invading your home or garden. Mice and rats, also called rodents, are sensitive to the smells of these plants and run away from them. Knowing this, you can take these repellent herbs home and grow them yourself.
What plants repel rodents?
These are mint (peppermint is even stronger), sage, lavender, rosemary, basil and oregano. Garlic and onion, especially garlic, also powerfully repel rodents. All these plants are easy to be grown in the garden, as well as in big pots at home. Mint is a strong repellent against rats and mice, and this plant has different varieties.