Plants against voles: what really helps?

As cute as they look, voles are real garden pests. You can find out here which plants help against voles and how to drive them away.

Even if the little rodents might remind some of the cute hamsters and mice from the pet trade, voles (Arvicolinae) anything but welcome in our gardens. Because the little ones are always hungry and like to nibble on the roots of many a plant, which then becomes ill or even stunted. Thus, voles can quickly do quite a bit of damage to our plant favorites.

Plants against voles

Luckily, there are some plants that can help repel voles. We reveal which plants these are and what else you can do against voles in the garden.

Repel voles with smell

Since you usually don't see much underground, the rodents orientate themselves mostly by smell and can therefore be confused by smelly plants. Unfortunately, the fight against voles cannot be done with such plants alone, because the Although the following plants are not eaten by the mice, they do not have any permanent repellent either Effect. However, you can plant these plants scattered around the garden to spoil the appetite of the mice properly.

Cruciferous Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris)

This biennial plant, which often self-propagates in our gardens, belongs to the spurge family. Many of us may already know these plants under the name "mouse tree" or also as "witch's milk". They can grow up to a meter in height and produce typical fruits consisting of three chambers that exude a milky liquid when ripped off. Spurge contains ingenol and ingeol ester and is poisonous due to these ingredients.

There is a method of throwing the fruits of the spurge into the vole burrows. Whether this approach scares the voles is controversial, but you spread it to them Wise the milkweed in the garden and thus create more unsavory plants for there voles.

The effect against voles is partially confirmed, in any case it is noticeable that voles and moles stay away from these plants. So if a spurge strays into your garden, you should not remove it when weeding, but rather enjoy their interesting appearance and anti-vole activity to use.

Black elder (Sambucus nigra)

Black elder or Holler, as it is also called in Austria and Bavaria, is a delicacy for us, but exactly the opposite for voles. If you like fruit and berries in your garden, but have frequent problems with voles, then your best bet is elder. The voles shy away from this and usually do not eat its roots. So enjoy the tasty fruits and flowers of the elderberry bush and the fact that it will certainly not fall victim to voles.

garlic (Allium sativum)

When you take a seat next to someone on the train or bus who previously enjoyed a Once the garlic soup has been eaten, we too are happy to take to the streets and look for a new one place far away. The same is true of voles and garlic plants. So sit down garlic in your garden, preferably near particularly vulnerable vegetable plants to protect them. How strong the effect against voles really is is described in different ways, but the garlic is actually avoided by these rodents.

imperial crown (Fritillaria imperialis)

The imperial crown in our beds is particularly beautiful to look at and also deters voles. First and foremost, the imperial crown is extremely poisonous - to humans and animals alike - and it also gives off an unpleasant odor that keeps many pests away. Unfortunately, individual plants have only a limited deterrent effect on voles. Therefore, it is advisable not to place the imperial crowns in one spot, but to distribute them individually or in small groups in the garden.

Lure voles away with Jerusalem artichoke

Of course, you can also use another method for a vole plague, namely the little animals to steer specifically towards certain cultures, which one sacrifices, so to speak, in order to close the rest of the cultures rescue. In this way, you lure the voles to another area of ​​the garden and hopefully have peace and quiet in the vegetable patch. Such an alluring effect they say Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) after, but also tulip bulbs (Tulipa), carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) and celery (Apium) are among the favorite foods of voles. So you can plant a strip of Jerusalem artichokes at the edge of the garden, for example. The tubers are then eaten by the voles, but the rest of the garden is protected in this way.

Protect roots from voles

One often reads that digging in thuja or elder branches is effective against voles and thus protects the roots of different plants from being eaten. However, this effect is not necessarily proven. Walnut leaves are also said to protect roots from being eaten. A short-term effect can be explained by the strong smell of these parts of the plant, but it is Burying these branches or leaves when planting fruit trees, for example, is not a long-term solution. The use of wire baskets shows a much better effect here. Some gardeners swear by burying such strong-smelling branches and leaves, and since you can does not cause any damage, you should simply try this method and experience it yourself collect. Since these annoying mice don't necessarily want to cross paths with us either, they are said to be deterred by the smell of human hair that is scattered in their corridors. If you're in the process of trimming your bangs into shape, it's best to catch the hair and sprinkle it into the vole burrows.

More tips on how to be successful Control of voles we have compiled for you here.