Possums love fruit trees as much as we do.
The best way to protect young plants and seedlings from possum attack is to create a barrier to physically stop them from getting to your tree. You can add shade cloth or white bird netting at night time.
Other methods work on taste and smell:
- Sprinkle blood and bone fertiliser around the base of your tree. Possums hate the smell and will be less inclined to eat if they can't stand the smell!
- Spray garlic: try two tablespoons of crushed garlic in one litre of hot water, leave to stand overnight, strain and then spray directly onto your foliage. This also works with chillies or Tabasco sauce.
- Spray tea: boil two litres of water; add four heaped teaspoons of Lapsang Souchong tea and leave to cool. Strain liquid and apply from a plastic spray bottle directly onto affected plants. Reapply every two weeks and always after rain. Make a fresh brew every time.
- A spray made from Quassia chips: add 100g chips to two litres of water and heat for one hour before straining. Add one tablespoon detergent. Dilute one part of the solution to four parts water and apply as a spray. Quassia chips are available at many nurseries, and are pretty effective, forming the base ingredient of many commercially available possum repellents
- Commercially available possum deterrents such as Poss-Off or Scat, work by emitting an unpleasant odour, so, when used according to the instructions on the products, claim to deter the little blighters!
Just remember if you use any of these options that you will need to wash your produce before eating!
It should be remembered that no one solution is guaranteed, and re-application of sprays should be a regular and on-going activity. It is recommended that most sprays be re-applied every two to three weeks, and after rain. Persistence is the key!
Possums are creatures of habit, and habits are not easy change, so keep up the spraying, and over time the possum will move away and seek food elsewhere.
Good luck!
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