Raine & Horne Dalby Blog

Possums are cute little animals aren’t they?

Not if you are a gardener and they're eating your favourite plants, knocking over pots, leaving droppings and generally making a mess. Especially when it comes to your veggie patch, the possum is a relentless pest.

What do possums eat? 

The natural diet of possums is gumtree leaves, but they are known to be fond of eating new plant growth, fruit on fruit trees and many flowers, like camellias, roses, gardenias, and fuchsias.

They also can be found rummaging around in compost bins and often snack on native and exotic garden plants, so keeping your garden possum-free is important. 

Here are 5 simple ways to deter possums and block their routes in. 

Brew tea

Rather than hiding away all your precious plants every night before the nocturnal creatures come out on the prowl, brew yourself a cup of tea. Lapsang souchong tea has a strong smoky scent and possums don’t like it at all.

Stink bomb

For something a bit stronger, simply grab an old sock and fill it with a handful of blood and bone fertiliser. Identify the possum’s main point of entry to your garden and secure your stink bomb to block their path. 

Hook up a net

If the smell of tea or a stink bomb isn’t enough to deter possums, you might have to hook up a netting system over your patch. Bird netting can deter possums as they cannot climb it, however they can break through it. To stop possums from digging underneath, plant the wire about 30 centimetres into the ground.

LED lights

Chicken wire cages over pots can also be a successful way to stop possums but can be quite unsightly. A solution for that is solar LED bud lights. Place lights in pots or in the garden to scare away any unwanted visitors. No possums and no ugly wire cages.

Spray fish oil 

Add about half a cup of oil to one litre of water and spray it on the shoots. It won’t harm the roses but the possums hate the smell. Naturally, you’ll have to put more on after it rains but it works a treat and is very cheap.

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