Home - Garden
TikTok's DIY Planter Will Naturally Repel Mosquitoes From Your Home
By BROOKE YOUNGER
Mosquitoes can ruin your time outdoors, so either cover yourself in smelly repellents or create an easy planter that TikToker @armstronggarden says will stop them from bugging you.
From your local garden center, get some lavender, marigolds, catnip, and spearmint; a large, well-draining planter big enough to hold multiple plants; and a cactus blend soil mix.
The nepetalactone in catnip is 10 times more effective than DEET, while a Journal for the Society of Vector Ecology study found linalool in lavender repels up to 93% of mosquitoes.
Marigolds contain pyrethrum and thiophenes, which repel or even kill mosquitoes and their larvae, and spearmint contains menthol, which repels mites, mosquitoes, and other pests.
Assemble your anti-mosquito planter and put it near your outdoor area. You can also rub lavender and catnip leaves on your skin, as it smells good to humans but mosquitoes hate it.
These plants have similar needs, so you can also grow them together in raised beds or near bird baths, pools, or ponds, in full sun to partial shade, watering once or twice a week.