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Send Rats Running From Your Garden With This Colorful Shrub
By DESIRÉE O
Rats can be harmful to your garden, but luckily, there is a way to deter these pests by simply growing the Christ plant, also known as the Christ Thorn plant or Crown of Thorns.
This plant earned its name due to the spikes that cover each branch, and it’s these painful thorns that help make it difficult for rats to pass them without being injured.
The shrub also produces a toxic sap that animals are wary of. These combined factors mean that Christ plants can keep rats out of your garden if you know how and where to use them.
Once you have identified the problem area, plant a few Christ shrubs to repel the invading rodents. You should know, however, that these plants don’t thrive just anywhere.
This shrub prefers to live in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 and can’t thrive in overly wet or cold conditions. It’s also best to grow it in an area with plenty of sunshine.
If you want it to produce its gorgeous blooms, give it a little shade during midday, and keep it in soil that has medium moisture levels. The plant will also need room to expand.
An important thing to bear in mind is that the plant is toxic. You’ll want to keep yourself, your family, and any pets from contacting the Christ plant directly.
Although you want to avoid touching it, you might want to leave the sap exposed after pruning for rats to come across so they know your garden isn’t a welcoming place for them.