It's Not Plants Or Trees: There's Another Yard Mistake Attracting Snakes

It's true that snakes are an important part of any thriving ecosystem, but that doesn't mean you have to tolerate them in your yard! It's possible to support snakes' role in the environment by simply encouraging them to naturally move along, instead of killing them. While you might think there are certain plants or trees in your yard that are attracting these reptiles, there's actually one mistake that's definitely luring them in — and it's very easy to fix! To potentially get rid of snakes in your home, you just need to cut your grass a bit shorter, so the snakes don't have a cozy place to hide from their predators. 

Tall grass is a common outdoor feature that attract snakes because it offers great cover for many animals, not just the snakes. The food they like to eat, like mice, lizards, and even other snakes, also find shelter among the blades. This results in the perfect combination to lure larger snakes onto your property because they can roam your lawn for their own food, while remaining out of sight from birds of prey overhead. If you cut the grass down, you disrupt this circle of life. Suddenly, there isn't as much to eat or safety, either. , and hopefully, the snakes will move on. While cutting your grass isn't 100% effective at keeping snakes out of your yard, creating an environment that is slightly hostile to them can still help. 

Asides from the fact that keeping tall grass is an easy mistake that attracts snakes to the yard, cutting your grass short can keep you safe, too! Snakes typically only bite when threatened. And startling them because you (or your pet!) didn't see them in the tall grass is a great way to get bitten. The ideal height for your lawn depends on the type of grass you have. Cool-season and shade grasses should be between three and four inches tall, while warm-season grasses should be cut much shorter — sometimes only an inch! Maintaining these heights keeps the grass in good shape and the snakes away. 

Experts recommend mowing your lawn at least once a week. However, don't think you can simply cut your lawn extremely short to get out of doing the chore more frequently. Cutting your lawn too short is called scalping, and it can really harm your grass! "By cutting deep into the lawn when you mow, you're damaging the plant and removing a large part of its carbohydrate and water stores," Craig Elworthy, founder of Lawnbright, told Martha Stewart. "This makes it susceptible to disease and opens up the canopy to the harsh rays of the sun. It also stunts the growth of your lawn, thinning it out and inviting weeds." So don't go too short, either. You don't want to ruin your lawn in your bid to keep snakes away.