Many animals will dig through landscaping stones in an attempt to mark their territory or find food. Discover three natural ways to deter these animals from damaging your landscaping and leaving their waste behind on your property.

Three Natural Ways to Keep Animals Away From Your Landscaping

Many animals, including raccoons, stray cats, neighborhood dogs and deer have a natural inclination to dig. While this behavior might seem cute, it is a lot less cute when it happens in the middle of your carefully placed landscape rocks. If you discover that an animal has been digging in your landscaping, try these three safe and natural techniques to put an end to the behavior.

Motion-Detecting Sprinklers

Consider installing motion-detecting sprinklers. These sprinklers can be placed near your landscaping rocks, flower beds and other features that are being disturbed by animals. When an animal approaches one of the sprinklers, it will be activated. The water shooting out of the sprinkler heads will send the animal off in a hurry. Recurrent visitors may even change their behavior and completely avoid your yard.

Scent Repellents

Most animals have a keen sense of smell. If you can figure out which type of animal is digging in your landscaping, you can use an appropriate scent repellent to deter the visitor. For stray cats and dogs, an ammonia or hot pepper spray is effective. For deer, try a fox urine spray. Scented pellets are also an option. These products will not harm your flowers, grass, vegetables or any other vegetation. They will also not harm the unwanted visitors.

Tulle

Tulle is a type of fabric that consists of a fine mesh. It is inexpensive, comes in many colors and can be found at most fabric stores or online. Use metal or wooden stakes to keep the fabric in place. Use the tulle to create a perimeter around the area where the animals have been digging and damaging your landscaping. Once the animals have changed their behavior, you can remove the tulle and stakes.