If you encounter a mole attacking your garden, lawn, and flower beds, it's time to think about the different ways to get rid of them and keep them away from your garden. Moles are shy mammals with immense digging talent who can dig an underground tunnel of up to 18 feet in less than an hour.
Moles dig a part of the soil in search of easy access to food, making a mess in your garden and lawn with scattered food. It's always good to repel moles by using vinegar rather than using lethal ways. If you are looking for methods to "how to get rid of ground moles with vinegar," you are on the right page. We'll take you through the ways to use vinegar to keep moles away along with other methods.
How to Know if Moles Have Made Their Way Into Your Garden?
It's important to identify moles because you may get confused between moles and voles. Moles have gray or black fur, hairless snouts, small eyes, large and hairless front claws, and invisible ears. If you encounter such a creature, it means moles have invaded your garden or lawn.
Also Read: 13 Tips for Starting a Sustainable Backyard Garden
Why is It Important to Repel Moles?
Moles dig up the soil in search of food, such as insects, worms, and grubs that they get from underground areas. Moles also like to eat spiders, snails, woodlice, centipedes, slugs, small rodents and millipedes. With their strong smelling sense, they smell their food underground and make tunnels to search for prey and damage the plants and their roots while moving underground, so it's essential to repel them. They eat some food and leave some across the lawn, making a mess all around.
How to Get Rid of Ground Moles Using Vinegar?
Vinegar has a strong odor that repels pests and moles. All you have to do is mix one cup of white vinegar and three cups of water in a spray bottle and spray near the moles’ track and also dig a small hole in the raised soil area to spray inside the hole. This will let them know that something is fishy around their habitat and they will keep distance from those areas. Repeat the process until there's no sign of moles.
Tips: Make sure you don't harm large bushes or small bedding plants. Don't use it close to the landscaping. Vinegar may damage the roots of turf grass, so use it with utmost care.
To avoid spraying vinegar around the plants and to prevent damage to the lawn, you can use another method: dip sponges in distilled vinegar in a bowl and keep it near the holes where you detect mole activity. Re-soak the sponges if it rains.
Reasons to Use Vinegar to Repel Mole
- It is natural.
- Safe for use with children and pets around.
- Wallet-friendly and easily available.
- It has a natural acid that helps get rid of moles. The acid will irritate moles and not kill them, so you can quickly get away from them without killing them.
Other Methods to Get Rid of Moles
Apple Cider Vinegar
One of the best ways to stop moles from infiltrating your backyard is to strategically use apple cider vinegar at their probable locations. Moles have a strong sense of smell, so when they smell vinegar that they can't recognize, they run away from those places. Spray apple cider vinegar in the mole holes and also in the areas with bugs and worms. The best part of vinegar is its natural feature, which won't harm plants, pets, or kids.
Organic and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is the best way to repel moles, with a pH of 3.2 and a little alkaline. If you properly apply the vinegar solution, it will surely keep pests and moles away from your garden.
Use Nematodes in Your Yard
Nematodes are harmless parasites that eat a variety of insects which moles love to eat. Spray nematodes in the lawn to reduce the food supply of moles to force moles to leave the garden due to dearth of food supply. Another advantage of nematodes is they eat insects that may damage your lawn and leave grubs like earthworms, which are beneficial for the garden.
Sprinkle Milky Spore Powder
Sprinkle milky spore powder on soil infested with grubs around the mole holes and water the top. This is a smart way to control Japanese beetle grubs, reducing the food supply of moles. This will force moles to leave your garden.
Ultrasonic Mole Repeller
These repellers are available at local shops. An ultrasonic repeller emits a low-frequency sound through the soil that makes the moles feel as if some predator is digging, and they run away. The repeller also drives away rodents, snakes, and insects.
Spray a Solution of Castor Oil, Dish Soap, and Water
Prepare a solution by mixing three parts castor oil, one part dish soap, and one gallon of water in a spray bottle. Spray it wherever you identify mole activity. Castor oil upsets the mole stomach because it's toxic for them, so they run away to another location in search of food. Castor oil is budget-friendly and environment-friendly. The only disadvantage is that it may harm earthworms and other helpful garden insects.
Plant Marigolds, Alliums, and Daffodils
Planting flowers like marigolds and daffodils in the garden and lawn produces a smell that the Mole hates. It also threatens the Mole with digging soil in your garden.
Hang a Bird Feeder in the Yard
Bird feeders will attract birds into your garden, who will eat grubs and insects, which are the favorite food of Moles. In such a case, the Mole will look for other locations for food, making your garden mole-free.
Improve the Drainage System
Moles prefer to live in moist areas, so improve the drainage system of your house and ensure there is no leakage anywhere.
Use Barriers Around Your Property
If you encounter moles frequently in your yard, install a barrier with metal or wood under the fence to prevent moles from intruding on your property.
Conclusion
Getting rid of ground moles with vinegar is undoubtedly a good idea; however, apart from vinegar, there are several other ideas to repel moles from your garden, and each one of them is safe for moles. You can deter moles without killing them.
