Can Cypress Mulch Protect Your Garden From Ticks? Here's What You Should Know

Ticks are a particularly unpleasant garden pest. Not only do they look pretty vile, these blood-sucking parasites can also carry all sorts of bacteria and viruses, including Lyme disease, which causes a host of debilitating conditions. To make matters worse, tick bites are painless, and baby ticks are tiny, so they might feed on your pets or you for several days before they become engorged enough for you to notice them. If you do discover a tick, there are several ways to deal with it safely, but crushing it upon sight is one thing you should never do, so make sure you take care.

Some people choose to spray their yard to defend against ticks, while others prefer not to spread dangerous or toxic chemicals around the garden and look for safer, more eco-friendly methods to deter them. Cypress mulch is suggested by some as an easy, affordable solution, as cypress contains natural oils that repel insects, including ticks. The problem, it seems, is that mulch is often made from young cypress trees, and only mature ones have the necessary compound to be effective. It could be that the cypress mulch you buy will protect your garden from ticks, but unfortunately, there's no way to know. Additionally, there are major environmental concerns over how cypress is forested, so you might want to look for alternatives.

Ticks can't hop or fly, so they like to crawl up grass or plant stems and attach themselves to you (or your cat or dog) when you brush past. Mulch provides a barrier that ticks struggle to deal with, so you're less likely to find them in these areas. Bark mulch can also help reduce weeds and will eventually break down naturally to feed the soil. When it comes to alternatives to cypress, cedar has similar oils, and mulch producers claim these are retained in their products. If you look for the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) label on the bag, you can be assured that eco-friendly practices are being followed. Eucalyptus is another tree with oils that deter insects and is specifically planted for mulch production.

There are also dozens of plants that can help keep ticks out of your yard, from decorative flowers for the border to culinary herbs for the kitchen. Ticks can be a real nuisance and unfortunately, are increasingly common, so they are not something you can ignore. That said, with a little work, there are a number of environmentally conscious ways to help keep ticks out of your garden so you can relax and enjoy it.