How to stop possums eating your balcony plants (humanely)
You water your seedlings in the evening, and by morning they're chewed to stubs. In Brisbane, even high-rise balconies get visits from possums, which travel along trees, fences, power lines and rooftops. The good news is that you can protect your plants without harming them.
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First, make sure it's a possum
Before buying anything, confirm what's eating your plants. Different culprits need different fixes:
- Possums: damage appears overnight, often to new shoots, flowers, fruit and soft leaves, and whole seedlings can vanish. You may find small droppings on the balcony or hear thumping on the roof at night.
- Rats: also nocturnal, often gnaw fruit and leave smaller, darker droppings.
- Birds: cockatoos, lorikeets and others do their damage in daylight, often to fruit, flowers and seedlings. Brush turkeys are more of a ground-floor courtyard problem, where they scratch up mulch and pots.
- Caterpillars and grasshoppers: leave chewed holes and edges, and you'll often find droppings (frass) or the insects themselves on the leaves if you look closely, including at night with a torch.
A quick check with a torch after dark usually solves the mystery.
Possums are protected
Brushtail and ringtail possums are native animals and are protected in Queensland. You must not harm them, and trapping and relocating them is regulated. Relocated possums also tend to do badly in unfamiliar territory, and another possum often moves in to replace them. If a possum is living in your roof space, rather than just visiting your plants, the Queensland Government's wildlife guidance and a licensed possum catcher are the right places to start. For balcony plants, the focus is on making them hard to reach and less appealing.
1. Physical protection works best
The most reliable way to stop possums eating plants is to put a barrier between them. On a balcony, that's usually easy because pots are small.
- Mesh covers over individual pots. A pop-up mesh plant cover sits over a pot or trough and can be lifted off to water and harvest.
- Hoops and netting. For troughs and grouped pots, bend garden hoops over the plants and cover them with fine netting, tucked or clipped under the pot rim so nothing can push underneath.
- Bring precious seedlings in at night. If you only have a few small pots, moving them inside or into a closed cupboard overnight is free and completely effective.
Use wildlife-friendly netting
Loose netting with large holes can entangle and seriously injure possums, flying foxes, birds and snakes. Wildlife carers see these injuries regularly. Choose fine mesh: a common rule of thumb is that if you can poke your finger through the holes, the mesh is too coarse. Fine insect exclusion netting meets this easily and has the bonus of keeping out caterpillar moths and fruit fly too. Keep netting taut and secured, not draped loosely.
2. Make the balcony harder to reach
Possums often reach balconies via overhanging branches, trellises, power lines or a neighbour's roof. Look for the route:
- If a tree branch touches your balcony or roof, ask your body corporate or landlord about trimming it back.
- Don't stack pots or furniture in a way that creates a ladder from a fence or wall.
- Ground-floor courtyards can use smooth possum guards around posts, but on upper floors, access is usually from above or from trees.
3. Deterrents: worth a try, but not a guarantee
Deterrents can reduce damage, especially if you combine them with other methods, but results vary a lot from one possum to the next.
- Repellent sprays. Commercial possum repellent sprays are usually based on bitter-tasting or strong-smelling ingredients. They need reapplying after rain and as new growth appears. Always check the label to see whether a product is suitable for edible plants and how long to wait before harvesting.
- Lights. A solar motion sensor light can startle possums for a while, although many get used to it. Be considerate of neighbours.
- Moving pots around. Possums are creatures of habit. Changing the layout occasionally can disrupt their routine.
Avoid home remedies that could hurt animals, and never use poisons or glue traps.
4. Choose plants possums like less
No plant is completely possum-proof, but possums tend to go for soft, tender growth, flowers, fruit, roses and young vegetables. Plants with strong scents, tough or hairy leaves, or bitter sap are usually less popular. On a possum-heavy balcony, consider:
- Strongly aromatic herbs such as rosemary and lemongrass.
- Tough-leaved plants like lomandra, bromeliads and many succulents.
- Chillies, which are often left alone once established, although possums may still nibble young plants and flowers.
The low-maintenance balcony plants guide has more tough options. Protect seedlings and anything fruiting, whatever you grow.
5. Don't feed them
It's tempting to leave out fruit to "distract" a possum, but feeding wildlife teaches them to visit more often, can make them sick, and may bring more possums. Keep fruit bowls, pet food and compost caddies indoors or sealed.
A realistic plan
- Confirm it's a possum with a torch check at night.
- Cover your most valuable pots with fine mesh or bring them in at night.
- Look for and remove the access route if you can.
- Add a repellent or light if damage continues.
- Gradually shift towards tougher plants in the most exposed spots.
Fine mesh covers also help with other summer pests. If you're growing chillies or tomatoes, the same netting keeps fruit fly off the fruit.