Top tips for natural pest control including rats, possums and birds

PUT A LID ON IT If you have a problem with blackbirds and starlings flicking through your mulch and continuously ripping out your young seedlings, you’ll need to cover them. Use an old container, a pot with the bottom chopped out or even an old sieve. Another option is a mesh arch – grab some old reo or wire mesh from the shed and shape into an arch – these are great for covering rows of vegies. As long as it lets the light through and keeps the birds out, it’ll do the job. Leave them in place for a couple of weeks until the seedlings have developed a better root system. Simple! NICE BAG OF FRUIT One of the best ways of protecting your fruit crop is by using netting, but that can be complicated and challenging. Many old organic farmers prefer to use bags to cover ripening fruits, rather than netting the whole tree. As long as the bag has provision for airflow, it should do the job. Laundry bags and old onion bags are perfect! Another method that Tino uses to protect individual fruits is to use an old plastic pot, split up one side. This pot is placed around the fruit over the stem so that the fruits are covered, but airflow is still achieved. IT MAKES SCENTS If possums are your problem, there are a few tried and tested smell-deterrents that work a treat. Blood and bone is one of them – either sprinkle around the base of trees and shrubs that you want to protect, or make some ‘stink bombs’ by filling old stockings with a small golf ball sized amounts. These can be hung in trees near ripening fruits or favourite flowers, and are a ripper repellent for pesky possums. POLLY PUT THE KETTLE ON This one works on a similar principal as the blood and bone, given it is also a smell repellent. Lapsang Souchong tea is a Chinese herbal tea with a strong, smoky scent, and is a great possum repellent. Simple brew up a pot as you normally would, allow the brew to cool, transfer into a spray bottle and spray the possum ‘highways’ – those pathways, fences and trunks that the possums use regularly. Repeat every two weeks or after rain. Watch Gardening Australia on ABC iview: http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/gard... SUBSCRIBE: http://ab.co/GardeningYouTube About Gardening Australia: Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content. Connect with other Gardening Australia fans: Like Gardening Australia on Facebook:   / gardeningaustralia   Follow Gardening Australia on Instagram:   / gardeningaustralia   Visit the Gardening Australia website: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. ******** Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).