Problems with Cat Poo
A few weeks ago, we had our first bit of good sunshine. I, like so many of my fellow PNW gardening friends, was filled with gardening glee and quickly made my way outside to freshen up my flower beds. To my dismay, my nostrils were assaulted by the horrific smell, of.....cat poop.
My beautiful, newly built flower beds, besieged by the neighborhood cats. (and maybe a few of my own cats) The horrors!
Determined to enjoy my front porch, without offense to my nostrils, I began a search for the perfect solution.
I had heard of other gardeners utilizing this local source of garden bed mulch and I found a vendor at the nearby farmers market in Oregon City.
As luck would have it, here in the Portland Metro Area, we enjoyed sunshine and mild day temps this past weekend. Perfect weather for solving my stinky flower bed problem!
David, over at He Sells These Shells, was fun to talk to as we loaded up hazelnut shells in the our truck. He shared they are great for naturally repelling slugs and deterring cats from using my flower beds as a litter box. He said it was also a good choice for weed reduction and moisture retention, all items on my wish list.
I felt comfortable choosing this type of mulch because for the most part, the beds are set. I do not plan to disturb the beds unless I have lost a plant.
I will have to report back on whether or not this method works the way I want it too, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Cheers, Jenni
My beautiful, newly built flower beds, besieged by the neighborhood cats. (and maybe a few of my own cats) The horrors!
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| Surely, not my dear Pooka |
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| Nor, the darling Silver Cat |
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| Hazelnut Shells! |
As luck would have it, here in the Portland Metro Area, we enjoyed sunshine and mild day temps this past weekend. Perfect weather for solving my stinky flower bed problem!
David, over at He Sells These Shells, was fun to talk to as we loaded up hazelnut shells in the our truck. He shared they are great for naturally repelling slugs and deterring cats from using my flower beds as a litter box. He said it was also a good choice for weed reduction and moisture retention, all items on my wish list.
I felt comfortable choosing this type of mulch because for the most part, the beds are set. I do not plan to disturb the beds unless I have lost a plant.
I will have to report back on whether or not this method works the way I want it too, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Cheers, Jenni
Sounds like a great idea to me...I've also heard that they will return to the scent, to one up each other.
ReplyDeleteSo it was recommended to remove said poops...lol, and wash down area. Somehow I think you will have enough rain to do the job for you.
Jen
haha, yes, more than enough..and I'm tired of picking up after the neighborhood cats. I'm really hoping this works.
DeleteI have this problem where ever there is bare soil in my garden...it drives me CRAZY! Not only does it stink but (sorry this is really gross) my dog looks at them as treats. I hope this solution works for you!
ReplyDeleteYou and me both! It is so foul and I am quite over cleaning it up. My goodness..we have a litter box!
DeleteI hope you keep us updated on how well this mulch works, I might have to buy some. I know my cats, who only go out under my supervision and hardly ever stray off the patio, really don't like stepping on anything with sharp edges, like cut grass. So I'm really hopeful that the shells will work. Our problem is lots of neighbor cats who roam all over. In my veggie beds I use wooden BBQ skewers, pushed halfway into the soil with the sharp end up. That has worked quite well, although they do rot and need to be replaced, plus they look ugly (so it's not a solution for your front ornamental beds). I got that idea from danger garden.
ReplyDeleteThat might be a solution I try in my veggie beds if I need too. One of the nice things about having a dog, is that she keeps the cats out of the backyard. (but I do hate cleaning up after her as well). My main problem in the front is that a next door neighbor, leaves food outside for the feral cats. They have long used this old house's flower beds for their personal litter boxes. Good Grief!!
DeleteLooks great and even better if it keeps the cats out. My problem are the neighbor cats that pee all over things on our porch. Still haven't figured out how to stop that.
ReplyDeleteThat seriously sucks Catherine!
DeleteAlmost nothing worse, except maybe mice poo. When we lived in Lead I live trapped 8 cats in one week. They were all different! I sure hope your hazelnuts work. Keep us updated.
ReplyDeleteYour hazelnut shell mulch looks really good! I hope it works for you.
ReplyDeleteMm I can relate to neighbourhood cats using the bare soil as a litter tray - it has caused me to have quite a few unpleasant gardening experiences! Hope the shells work we once used cocoa shells in the same way but they soon rotted down and also can be a poison hazard to dogs which as we have a regular dog visitor isn't something we wanted to risk
ReplyDeleteI have a neighbor who uses hazelnut shells in her garden. Thanks for telling me why. Great idea, but don't step on them barefoot!
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see if it works, and how long the shell lasts before they rot down. I have bark mulch in all my flower beds, nothing to do with the cats but mostly to stop the weeds from growing, but it also deters the cats in the area, mine including, from pooping in the beds. My cat is happy to have a wee anywhere, but he won't have a poop, he only goes in one area which I have made for him, behind a bush at the end of the garden, where there is no bark. I regularly clear out this area so it will look clean and inviting for him. The bark only works as a cat deterrent if it is a thick layer, if I don’t top it up and it gets a bit thin here and there the cats in the area come streaming.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenni, Pooka & Nor! I'll look forward to hearing if the hazelnut shells work well. Franki remains indoors, but all the neighborhood cats like to hang out in our yard & leave "presents." Ugh.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried to cat repellent plants or ultrasonic repellent. They truly help to keep cat away.
ReplyDelete