snakes will actually lay on rocks to sun especially the smooth river rock. I don't know of anything that would repel them. Something sharp like lava rock might, but just guessing.
I have seen sprays and stuff at garden centers that are supposed to help keep snakes away you might look for something like that.
Chase snakes away � naturally!

Snake Stopper

I know I have often heard of putting out mothballs to help repel snakes.

try googling snake repellent

Maybe not right for you but..

in semi desert like west Texas they build tall cinderblock fences to keep out rattlesnakes.

One that I saw did not have an outside gate. It was entered by the back door. It was to give the children a safe place to play.

Have you thought of using a landscaping fabric with a thin layer of pinestraw or leaves? I never have problems with snakes.

I can second the advice to avoid stones or mulch. We have found baby rattlesnakes in a mulch pile and other snakes bith underneath rocks and sunning on top.

Do you know what kind of snakes they are? Moth balls do work but you have to be careful that children and pets can't get to them.

OMG you poor soul.... my comment would be to move...not practical I know..

bryansda, have you actually seen snakes around your home...or are you just nervous (petrified) about them?

If you have seen snakes, what kind...and what are they after?

In what state do you live?

You might go to a large nursery, County Ag department, or even if you have someone specializing in reptiles.=like a zoo etc.
We use cedar pieces, but I do think snakes would crawl over them and dig down to get out of the heat etc. Do you have mice in the area to attract them, or something else. Even when we lived in the desert we never had problems. But then we did not plant near the house due to that reason plus fires. If you want plants, you could use large barrels, or build planters on cement. Snakes are also attracted to water.

I live in KY. So far all we've seen have been black snakes in our yard. My neighbors have killed copperheads and a timber rattler was killed when a new house was built 2 lots over from us. A couple of weeks ago hubby killed one that was coming in our garage and the door wasn't open long. It was a rat snake, but I don't want any snakes. We have woods behind our house but the dogs and cats seem to keep them run off for the most part. I want to put some kind of border around the house but don't want mulch because of termites and I know snakes like it. I was thinking about plants but may go with planters so they won't have as many hiding places.

Moth balls are out of the question because of my dogs and cats. Walls are out of the question too because of the size of our yard, 9/10s of a acre. We haven't put up a fence because it was going to be in the neighborhood of $10,000 just for a chain link.

I like the idea of calling the extension office for our county. I hadn't thought of that one.

Thank you for the ideas.

Pam

Termites dont love treated mulch,you just have to get treated ,if you buy it bagged it will tell you treated por not.

Plants attract wild life. I live in the woods. I have a huge shade garden. I have slugs. Slugs attract frogs,snakes love frogs...Saying that this year is the first in 12 I ever saw a snake in my garden and this year I have seen many. They are harmless garder snakes but still they startle me. Your issue with dangerous ones is more serious. I have a feeling activity,animals, kids, BBQ's is your best deterrent. They prefer to be left alone is the impression I get. I have never heard of a ground cover that deters snakes, sorry.

I've seen a product called "Snake Away" that you shake from a can. Don't know if it works. I haven't seen a garter snake on my property in about 25 years. I wouldn't use moth balls, they hurt your environment and can kill dogs, cats, as well as get into your water system.

rhizo I know snakes are a natural part of the ecosystem. The rat snake would still be alive if it had headed back out of the garage when hubby tried to get it to go that way. When we've found snakes in the past he's taken them to the woods so they can go about their merry way. I'm just trying to come up with something to deter them rather than invite them closer to the house.

Thanks for all the information especially about the treated mulch.

Pam

I think there are commercial products that deter them. Also heard that they will not cross a lime barrier, or oyster shells, it hurts their skin?

Does any one know if snakes can crawl over broken glass?

When we lived in an area with quite a few rattlesnakes we found the best line of defense was to keep the landscaping unattractive to them. No grass or weed patches left standing- try to eliminate hiding/resting places. I always came across them in heavy grass, but it will depend on where your snakes like to hang out. Keeping the landscaping in a way that deters mice and other critters that they come for helps too.

Do coffee grounds repel snakes? They may deter rodents and other critters, which in turn might help deter snakes. I used coffee grounds to deter neighborhood cats who were pooping in our planters. It took a lot of regular sprinkling of the coffee grounds, but after a time, it seemed to work pretty well.

From personal experience, I would avoid rock. Not snake related, but it has been a pain to maintain for us.

First time post pulls up an 8 year old thread.

I just saw on TV today, they said to replace your mulch with rocks (the sharp kind) then spray with the snake rid stuff. I will not by it myself since it has snakes all over the carton.

Funny thing...I like snakes and I live on a bayou with woods and high grass and bushes all around. I very seldom see any snakes and almost never in the yard. I don't do anything to repel them, but they don't like activity and the dogs and cats are probably are the reason for that.

hey @marilyn_c! I read all you opossum posts! very cool. Im in Houston and I have 3 juveniles and a mom in my yard every night. Ive been feeding them Peters food mixed with fruits, veggies, and 3 teaspoons of yogurt. is there a way I can send you a message on here asking any diet questions for their food?