A fellow Garden Railroader has a problem. His RR is near a stream and is being invaded by King Snakes. Anyone know of an organic solution to keep the rascals off his RR...something that maybe he could put around the perimeter.
Thanks for your help

I have no idea what a Railroader is, but why on earth would he want to get rid of king snakes? I know they eat other snakes, which is a bad thing, but they also control rodents and other little nasties that you definitely don't want in your garden. And they're completely harmless to humans and plants.

If he really wants to get rid of them, the only safe solution I can think of is to get an owl.

I'm with Heather, I'd always heard that King snakes were terrific rat-catchers. They will coil up like a poisonous snake and strike at you if you bother them, but have only the regular teeth and not poison fangs...tell your friend just to leave them alone.

If he's deathly afraid of them, then I understand and sympathize. Don't know what he could do to discourage them, tho'.

Sky, please tell us about Railroaders. You've got me interested.

We run large scale model trains outside in our organic flower gardens. A snake can cause a derailment of the train if it decides to be on the track at the same time. He just wants to protect his track and trains so he needs something to put around the perimeter to discourage them from entering the layout...right now he is using cayenne pepper but of course that disappears with every rain. He would like something better.

The snakes are attracted by their food source. Get rid of their food and they will leave. They are probably doing your friend a favor by getting rid of the mice and rats. When the varmints are gone the snakes will leave also.

Wow, that's cool! What a neat way to combine hobbies. My husband talks about a man in his childhood home of Newton GA who had a pint-sized train, retired from the coal mines or something, set up in his yard--but that was many years ago.

Given the time of year, the snakes may be sunning themselves, trying to warm up in the exposed area around the rails. Especially if they've recently eaten--the warmth helps to hasten digestion in cold-blooded animals. As the temperature rises, they ought to move on.

(Don't imagine a modified 'cowcatcher' would be appropriate--models would have to be accurate to period or type...or are y'all that strict? Something with broom like bristles just touching the rails to brush snakes aside? Sorry, other than elevating the rails a bit with gaps every so often so snakes could pass beneath, that's all that comes to mind for prevention.

BTW--What zone/area are you in?

Ahh. That makes sense. If the cayenne pepper is working, I'd stick with it, personally. Replacing it after it rains seems a small price to pay for the fact that it is harmless, organic, and deters the snakes only from the railway, not the entire garden (since they are so good for the garden). I agree with the thought about their food source--I suspect they are finding plenty of rodents to eat in the garden, and if he were to get rid of them entirely, he'd have a rodent problem.

I did a quick search, and garden railways look really cool! If I had the time and energy (and money!), I think I'd like one too. They're really neat. It seems like, since he probably has to do some work each time it rains anyway (bring in some of the models or more delicate pieces, clean up any debris on the track, etc), that sprinkling cayenne pepper would be a minor chore in the scheme of things.

I can think of a few things that might be more permanent, but might be more trouble, or less attractive. You could lay broken glass or something else jagged around the track--I don't think snakes like to climb over jagged things. Maybe a low fence with a sharp edge at the top. Even barbed wire, laid on the ground, if it has the spikes close together, might help, although they could probably slither between the spikes.

Or perhaps there are products out there like those produced to deter rats and mice with ultrasonic waves, but designed for snakes. Of course, that would keep them out of the garden altogether, which could be a bad thing.

Good luck, and I hope he finds something that works satisfactorily.

Heather

I am in NorthEastern Pennsylvania (zone 6)...the railroader with the problem lives in Conecticut.
Speaking of sharp objects...would crushed oyster shells deter them??? They are attractive but sharp..I use them to keep voles and such from eating my bulbs from underneath...don't know if they would bother snakes however...anybody know???

You can also hang blow-up owls up in the trees, snakes won't hang around where owls and hawks are. You'd have to move them around from time to time, but they can be quite convincing.

http://www.biconet.com/critter/owl.html

I canÂ’t help you with the snakes but the RR thing is so cool. B-) B-) B-)

I donÂ’t know anyone that does the large scale but I have done a couple of HO scale layouts and am now thinking about trying the N scale to save some space with the layout now that we are retired and are downsizing.