Strategies to Minimize Tick Presence in Your Lawn, Recommended by Professionals and Without Using Harsh Chemicals
In the peak of tick season, keeping your lawn tick-free is more important than ever. Here are some expert-recommended strategies to help you maintain a tick-free outdoor space.
Kezia Reynolds, our new News Writer, recently joined the team in September 2024. She shares valuable insights from industry professionals on how to create a hostile environment for ticks, thereby minimizing the risk of these pests in your lawn and outdoor living areas.
1. Maintain a Well-Manicured Lawn
Regularly mow your grass to keep it three inches or shorter. This practice not only makes your lawn look neat but also discourages ticks, who are intolerant to sunlight and prefer shaded, humid areas.
2. Eliminate Tick Habitats
Remove leaf litter, wood piles, and outdoor debris regularly. Ticks thrive in moist, shaded environments, so keeping your lawn clean and dry is crucial in deterring them.
3. Increase Sunlight Exposure
Trim shrubs and trees to reduce shaded, humid areas favored by ticks. Pruning low-hanging branches and dense vegetation can help increase sunlight exposure and dryness that ticks avoid.
4. Create Buffer Zones
Establish a 3-foot wide barrier of gravel, wood chips, or crushed stone between wooded areas and your lawn. This can prevent ticks from migrating into your yard.
5. Plant Natural Tick Repellents
Strategically place tick-repellent plants such as rosemary, lavender, sage, mint, and garlic around patios and yard edges. These plants naturally deter ticks.
6. Consider Hardscaping Options
Consider hardscaping options like patios or decks instead of grass for outdoor living spaces. These surfaces are less inviting for ticks.
7. Use Natural Repellents
Spray cedar oil diluted with water around the yard monthly during tick season for chemical-free control. This method is effective in repelling ticks.
8. Secure Your Yard
Securing your yard can deter wildlife that may bring ticks in. Make sure to secure your trash and fence your yard to keep ticks at bay.
Nematodes: A Natural Solution
For chemical-free control, using nematodes is an effective method to prevent ticks on your lawn. These microscopic, worm-like organisms are considered a natural predator of ticks. Nematodes can be purchased at a garden center or on Amazon for £9.99. They seek out ticks in your garden and infect them with a bacterium that can kill them, reproducing within the ticks until they have eliminated them all. Nematodes are safe to use around children and animals and won't harm your garden wildlife. Applying nematodes once the soil temperature exceeds 10°C is recommended.
Expert Advice
Richard Barker, commercial director of LBS Horticulture, advises keeping the lawn mowed short and removing tall grasses around the edge of the lawn to deter ticks. Megan Worth from RMO & Vergo Pest Management advises using rubber grass matting in high-traffic zones like around trampolines, swings, or seating areas to create a less inviting surface for ticks. Chrissie Handley, Lawn Care Specialist at Online Turf, suggests creating a barrier of bark or gravel between lawn and dense shrubbery to restrict tick movement and migration.
By following these tips, you can create a hostile environment for ticks, reducing the risk of these pests in your lawn and outdoor living areas. Ticks are known for spreading disease on humans and animals and can leave a nasty bite, so it's essential to take preventative measures to keep them at bay.
- To deter ticks, consider incorporating a variety of home-and-garden practices. This includes maintaining a well-manicured lawn by mowing the grass regularly to keep it three inches or shorter, as it discourages ticks while also creating an appealing lifestyle space.
- In addition to keeping the lawn clean, strategically place tick-repellent plants such as rosemary, lavender, sage, mint, and garlic around patios and yard edges to create a natural barrier against these pests, enhancing your home-and-garden life by making it safer.
