Tips from Trudy's Floral Design on How to Keep Pets Away from Popular Spring Houseplants

Tips from Trudy's Floral Design on How to Keep Pets Away from Popular Spring Houseplants While none of these remedies are sure to work with every animal, they are a place to start when determining the very best way to find a peaceful co-existence in your happy home. Small shelves in windows that leave no landing room can often be enough to keep cats away. Hanging Plants Keeping house plants out of the reach of cats is regarded as a totally different challenge. Hanging baskets work best but are not a guarantee. It releases a non-toxic spray but refills are pricey. Sprays and Other Preventative Substances Another good suggestion with wildly varied results is to apply a substance that is both undesirable to pets, but harmless to plants. Covering or limiting the amount of open soil is crucial. Apple vinegar is safe for most plants but has shown spotty effectiveness with pets. Cover the Soil Several beautiful springtime flowering plants can be very toxic to cats if ingested. Plants with too much bare soil are like an open invitation to a new litter box for felines. Positioning a nice floral arrangement on that level would be disastrous to the health of the plant, along with subject the dog to scolding that should have been reserved for the owner. Many pet owners suggest covering the dirt with foil, but for a more decorative look you can use pine cones or even assorted knickknacks. Diluted pepper paste in water reportedly is safe for plants but should be tested first on a small portion of the plant. Being able to climb and leap with such efficiency puts very few places in your home out of a curious cat's reach. They also make a rather expensive device, which uses a motion detector on top of a spray bottle that you position next to plants. Anything you can do to make it uncomfortable for cat paws, while making it difficult to dig, will most likely work. Many Seattle floral design shops, like Trudy's, provide attractive and interesting arrangements with no soil that eliminates this problem. Tips from Trudy's Floral Design on How to Keep Pets Away from Popular Spring Houseplants Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 30/03/2012