10 Best Snake-Repelling Plants to Keep Your Garden Safe Naturally

Q: Is there one single 'best' plant to repel snakes?

There really isn't one sure 'magic' plant. While marigolds or lemongrass are often mentioned anecdotally, their effectiveness is inconsistent. The best strategy involves integrating deterrent plants with strong yard maintenance and the removal of food and shelter sources, rather than relying on a single plant species.

Q: What smells do snakes actually hate most?

Snakes are believed to dislike strong, confusing smells such as citrus (citronella), garlic, onions, ammonia, cinnamon, and clove oils. Some repellents use naphthalene (mothballs), but many of these substances are either environmentally harmful or not very effective long-term.

Q: What deterrents are proven to work best for snakes?

The most effective deterrents involve environmental modification: maintaining tidy gardens, removing hiding spots like woodpiles or ground cover, controlling rodent populations, sealing entry points, and installing snake-proof fencing. These actions remove food and shelter sources, making the area less attractive to snakes.

Q: Does the type of mulch used in garden beds affect snakes?

Yes. Loose, soft mulches like pine straw or bark can offer cover for snakes, especially near house foundations. Instead, sharper materials like gravel or crushed rock, or textured deterrents like pine cones or eggshells, may discourage snake presence.

Q: We talked about garlic – do snakes really hate it that much?

Garlic emits strong sulphuric compounds that may mask prey scent and disturb a snake’s sensory perception. While not proven to be a consistent repellent, its sharp odor fits the profile of substances snakes tend to avoid.

Q: Is the Snake Plant (Mother-in-Law's Tongue) beneficial beyond potentially deterring snakes?

Yes. Sansevieria trifasciata is a durable houseplant that tolerates low light and purifies indoor air by removing pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene. Even if its role in deterring snakes is uncertain, it's beneficial for indoor environments.

Q: What is the strongest or most effective commercial snake repellent?

Many commercial snake repellents rely on chemicals like naphthalene or sulphur, which can harm pets, people, and the environment. Their effectiveness is questionable. Habitat modification and physical exclusion remain the safest and most reliable strategies.

Q: Are onions actually toxic to snakes if they were to eat them?

Onions contain N-propyl disulfide, which is toxic to many animals. However, snakes are carnivores and unlikely to consume onions. Their role as a deterrent comes from their strong scent, not toxicity.

Q: Does sprinkling salt around the yard keep snakes away?

No, this is a myth. Unlike slugs or snails, snakes have protective scales and are not affected by salt. Applying salt can harm soil and plant life and does not deter snakes.

Marzena Rewers (Horticulturist)

April 13, 2025

19 mins read

Imagine you’re savouring a peaceful time in your garden, maybe weeding the flower beds or monitoring your ripening veggies, when unexpectedly a fast, slithering motion grabs your attention. The snake! Common in many places, it often raises a quick, sensible question: what plants repel snakes? Hoping for a natural, green solution to inspire these animals to keep their distance, it’s a question arising from a wish to make our yards feel safer and more pleasant.

Let’s therefore tackle that query head-on. The simple reality is that the concept of a plant serving as some sort magical, impenetrable barrier for snakes is mostly garden folklore. No one plant kind can totally ensure that snakes will stay away from your land completely. But that does not imply plants have no influence! Certain particular plants are commonly thought to help keep snakes away, mostly by making the immediate surroundings less desirable for them. Consider the famously strong smell coming from marigold roots, or the physically imposing, sharp leaves of the ironically called Snake Plant (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) – these are usually emphasised as possible snake repellent plants.

But how much weight should we give these assertions?

Is their reputation founded on scientific observation or just decades of anecdotal knowledge?
How exactly are these plants meant to work their deterrent magic?
And maybe most importantly, what other activities could you do to provide a more consistent approach to dissuade snakes from making their home in?

This article will explore those common plant selections, investigate the theories (and the facts) supporting their alleged efficacy, and present a feasible, integrated approach combining planting with other yard management practices to really make your area less appealing to unwanted slithery visitors.

Plants Often Said to Discourage Snakes

Okay, so you’ve heard the garden gossip: plant this, sprinkle that, and snakes will allegedly stay away. But which plants really qualify and why are they believed to function? Much of this is based on strong anecdotal evidence, historical use, or characteristics that repel other animals—such as insects or rodents, which snakes may prey on—rather than rigorous scientific research especially for snakes. Often because of their strong aromas or undesirable textures, consider these plants as possible contributors to a less snake-friendly environment. Let’s examine a few of the most often mentioned plants that repel snakes:

Marigolds (Tagetes spp.)

You likely know marigolds—those bright, sunny pops of orange and yellow that are really simple to cultivate. They are workhorses in the garden! Apart from their attractiveness, marigolds have a well-known strong smell, particularly from their roots. The theory holds that this strong odour is offensive to snakes and may also deter nematodes and other garden pests, so lowering a snake’s food source. Although there is little clear proof that snakes dislike marigolds, their reputation as snake repellent plants endures and they surely don’t harm to have around for adding colour and maybe discouraging other unwanted visitors.

Close-up of bright orange and yellow marigold flowers believed to deter snakes. — Marigolds are popular not just for their cheerful color, but also for the strong scent many gardeners believe helps deter pests, potentially including snakes.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)

On a warm day, walk past a clump of lemongrass and you will probably notice its unique, crisp citrus aroma. A well-known component in many insect repellents, citronella oil originates from this tropical grass. The strong natural snake repellent scent of lemongrass could disrupt snakes’ ability to identify prey or just be too much and unpleasant for them since they depend much on their sense of smell to hunt and navigate. Just give it plenty of sun and room to grow; it can grow rather big!

Tall green blades of a lemongrass plant known for its citronella scent — Lemongrass contains citronella oil, and its strong citrus scent might be unpleasant or confusing for snakes navigating by smell.

C. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue / Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Talk about an ironic name! Often cited as a snake deterrent, this tough houseplant—often grown outside in warmer areas—is called “Snake Plant”. The logic here is texture, not smell. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue has sharp, upright, rigid leaves. The concept is that snakes, being sensitive ground-dwellers, would find slithering over these sharp edges unpleasant and might opt for an easier route. A difficult, low-maintenance plant, it would be simple to add if you wished to experiment with the idea that sharp leaves repel snakes.

Sharp, upright variegated leaves of Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Snake Plant) — Ironically named ‘Snake Plant’, the sharp, rigid leaves of Mother-in-Law’s Tongue are thought by some to be a physical deterrent.

D. Garlic & Onions (Allium spp.)

Imagine what it could do to animals that travel the world mostly by scent if the strong aroma of garlic and onions makes your eyes water. Known for generating sulphuric chemicals that give these kitchen staples their typical sharp smell, these allium genus items. Many gardeners think this strong scent is unpleasant for snakes and recommend interplanting garlic or onions all over the garden beds. Especially if you already have a vegetable patch, including it is definitely one of the simplest natural snake repellents. You also get to consume the harvest!

Other Plants Mentioned

Sometimes other plants mentioned include:

Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia)
Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola)
Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Chaste Tree (Vitex negundo)
Cinnamon Plant (Cinnamomum spp.)
Citronella Plant (Pelargonium citrosum)
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
Narcissus spp.
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

Usually, claims are based on documented historical use, strong scents, or taste/irritation. For example, tobacco is often mentioned in ethnobotanical studies as a traditional repellent, sometimes with leaf or planting distribution. Still, for all these plants, strong scientific proof of snake repellency in a garden or landscape setting is lacking. Some, like Oleander, also run the risk of poisoning.

The Reality Check: Why Plants Alone Aren’t Infalible

Alright, we’ve examined several well-liked plant “candidates” to keep snakes at bay. Thinking that planting a strategic border of marigolds or a patch of lemongrass would produce a snake-free zone is definitely tempting. But now, it’s time for a soft but required reality check.

Lack of Scientific Backing

Though passing snakes may find those strong odours or possibly uncomfortable textures somewhat annoying, the harsh reality is that very little solid scientific data supports these plants’ consistent snake-repelling qualities as a chemical repellent would for an insect. Experts disagree greatly on the efficacy of snake repellents depending just on planting particular plants; they often depend more on tradition than on proven outcomes.

Primary Snake Motivators

What causes the ambiguity? Snakes run on far more basic impulses than just avoiding a smell they dislike. Day in and day out, their main motivations are:

looking for food—which might be rodents, insects, frogs, or even other snakes
looking for safe shelter (consider cool, dark, protected areas like under rocks, logs, debris piles, or dense shrubbery).

The smell of nearby garlic is unlikely to significantly deter a snake actively hunting or frantically seeking refuge from the midday sun or a predator if a tasty mouse or a perfectly hidden hiding spot is readily available. Its fundamental survival needs usually take precedence over any little smell irritation.

Reframing the Role of Plants

So, do plants by themselves really keep snakes away? Thinking of these plants as maybe tiny contributors to making your yard less hospitable overall rather than active “repellents” producing a barrier is probably more accurate and finally more useful. Think of it more like gently taking off the comfortable “Welcome Mat” and making the pantry somewhat less enticing than putting up a huge “Snakes Keep Out!” sign. Though they seldom tackle the fundamental snake drives of food and shelter, they could introduce a small aspect to the surroundings snakes find undesirable.

Knowing this constraint is absolutely essential since it inevitably changes our emphasis towards tactics that do directly address what draws snakes in the first place, therefore producing a far more efficient, integrated solution.

The Scientific View on Chemical and Olfactory Repellents

Theoretically, the concept of employing chemical repellents makes sense given the snake’s dependence on chemoreception—detecting chemical signals via smell and taste using the tongue and vomeronasal (Jacobson’s) organ. ²Studies have looked at different chemicals and plant extracts to see how they might keep snakes away.

Lab Studies vs. Practical Use

Various studies done under controlled laboratory settings have revealed that some concentrated chemicals can cause snakes to avoid them or act as irritants:

Oils and Plant Extracts

When evaluated in a specialised cage apparatus, hexane extracts of Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) rhizomes and commercially sourced Pine oil showed “excellent” repellent qualities against various venomous and non-venomous snake species indigenous to India. ⁴ The snakes actively fled filter paper treated with these chemicals.
Research—especially on controlling the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam—has revealed Cinnamon oil, Clove oil, and Eugenol (a main ingredient of clove oil) to be efficient repellents.²⁰ When sprayed directly, these oils make snakes retreat; when introduced as vapours, they can flush them out of confined areas including cargo containers.²⁰ Lab tests revealed Eugenol’s different repellency against four main venomous snakes of India.²¹Under particular circumstances, these particular oils are exempt from EPA registration under FIFRA Section 25(b). ²⁰
Gum exudates from the African elemi tree (Canarium schweinfurthii) were discovered to lower respiration rate and depth in guinea pigs and raise specific serum enzymes, implying possible toxicity or respiratory depressant effects that could support its conventional use as a snake repellent. This early study, however, did not mention direct repellency tests on snakes.⁵

Different Substances

In a big outdoor field enclosure experiment, Milorganite®, a commercially available fertiliser made from processed sewage sludge (biosolids), indicated promise as a repellent for non-venomous rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta).²² Snakes spent far more time inside the enclosure during the time Milorganite® was applied around the perimeter than in untreated times, implying they were hesitant to cross the boundary. It is thought to be olfactory.²² More studies are required to verify its effectiveness and relevance across various species and settings.

Important Drawbacks

One must realise the notable gap between these controlled results and actual use in an open yard or garden. Often, substances that show effects in small areas, as direct sprays, or in concentrated forms fail as landscape barriers.⁴ In an open environment, factors significantly lower the concentration and persistence of any repellent smell: ⁹

Weather (rain, sun) dilution
Wind dispersal
Ageing over time Moreover, a snake’s drive is quite important. Often, the desire to locate fundamental resources like shelter, food, water, or mates, or just to traverse familiar ground, outweighs any dislike of slightly unpleasant chemical stimuli experienced along the path.⁷ Direct sprays are not practical as a preventative tool since they call for sighting the snake. A substance making people avoid in a forced-choice laboratory test does not consistently translate into a good perimeter barrier around a property.

Home Remedies and Commercial Repellents

Though theoretically possible, the most often accessible commercial snake repellents have regularly failed scientific examination:

Sulphur and Naphthalene: Though often promoted, products with naphthalene and sulfur—such as Dr. T’s Snake-A-Way—have been shown in controlled studies against a range of snakes, including gopher snakes, western rattlesnakes, brown tree snakes, plains garter snakes, and black rat snakes, to be ineffective.³ Studies looking specifically at plains garter snakes found that neither naphthalene nor sulphur, alone or in combination, caused notable avoidance behaviour; rather, the snakes’ inclination to seek cover or investigate known/unfamiliar areas was the stronger behavioural driver.¹⁹ These results suggest that such repellents should be avoided.¹⁹
Mothballs: Often cited as a home cure, mothballs made of naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene are specifically called out by professionals as useless against snakes. 3 Furthermore, these substances harm pets and people (especially children) and using them outside breaks product labels, hence unlawful. ³
More Tested Substances: Gourd vines, cedar oil, tacky bird repellent, lime, cayenne pepper spray, sisal rope, coal tar and creosote, liquid smoke, synthetic skunk scent, and king snake musk were all tested in a study assessing possible home treatments against black rat snakes. None of these materials successfully drove the snakes away. ²³

Marketing vs. Reality

The ongoing marketing and sale of goods scientifically shown to be useless, such those based on naphthalene and sulphur, cause great public misunderstanding. ⁷ Advertising claims sometimes mislead consumers looking for answers, therefore causing them to spend money on useless goods ¹⁸ and maybe ignore really beneficial management techniques or turn to dangerous practices like using mothballs.³ Although studies on chemical repellents—especially for targeted uses like invasive species control²⁰—ongoing, a universally effective, safe, practical, and persistent landscape repellent for general use stays elusive. ⁷

A Smarter Approach: Integrated Snake Deterrence

If plants aren’t the magic bullet we could have wished for, what actually keeps snakes out of your garden? The most efficient strategy is to roll up your sleeves and actively control the items that really attract snakes: mostly, available food and safe shelter. It’s about naturally deterring snakes by building an environment where they just don’t feel comfortable, safe, or find simple meals. Consider this as your multi-pronged defence plan—a vital component of good yard maintenance for snakes.

Good Yard Maintenance Depends on Yard Hygiene: Take off the Welcome Mat

For snake habitat removal, this is maybe the one most important subject to concentrate on. Cover is something snakes really enjoy since it gives ambush sites for seizing prey and shields them from predators including hawks, owls, and even cats. Make your garden less appealing:

Mow Grass

Long, thick grass is prime snake territory. Maintain a regular short trim on your lawn.

Get rid of hiding places

Get rid of hiding places; this is crucial! Regularly remove:

grass clippings
brush piles
leaf litter Rack up stacked firewood off the ground. Get rid of general yard debris, old lumber, discarded pots and rock piles. Don’t let them simple locations to vanish! A neat garden provides less hiding chances.

Cut back on low-hanging plants

Cut the lower tree and shrub branches so they don’t touch the ground. This removes ground-level cover close to the foundation of your house and exposes the area more (which snakes hate).

tidy yard snake prevention — Keeping your yard tidy by removing debris, trimming grass, and eliminating hiding spots is a key step in deterring snakes.

Eliminate Food Sources: Shut the Buffet

Keep in mind that snakes go where the food is. Snakes are more likely to come if your yard is a haven for amphibians, large insects, or rodents. Managing their prey will help you to eliminate snake attractants:

Control Rodents

Many frequent snakes rely on rodents as a main food source, thus this is a major concern.

Cover trash cans with snug-fitting lids.
Especially overnight, avoid leaving pet food outside.
Since this is a big attraction for mice and rats, clean up spilt birdseed right away.
If required, think about rodent traps according to safety instructions.

Control Water Sources

Repair broken outdoor hoses or faucets. Remove spots of stagnant water where insects and frogs could gather as well as snakes’ prey.

Make sure to read also The Ultimate Guide to Watering Outdoor Plants: Best Methods, Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

Prevent Point of Entry: Close Up Possible Homes

Keep snakes out of your home by denying them comfortable hiding places in sheds, garages, crawl spaces, or even access into your house.

Close up gaps and cracks

Examine your home’s foundation, outside walls, steps, and places where utility lines enter closely. Securely close any holes or cracks bigger than roughly 0.6 cm (a quarter-inch) using caulk, expandable foam sealant, or strong hardware cloth (1/4-inch wire mesh). Give gaps under doors particular attention; use door sweeps as required.

Think About Physical Barriers (Optional): Improve Your Boundary

Creating a physical barrier can be a reasonable investment for a really snake proof garden area for ongoing snake problems or in regions with a high population of venomous snakes.

Snake Fences

This is not your typical garden fence. Usually, efficient snake fencing:

Is made of either very fine hardware cloth mesh (1/4-inch grid or smaller) or smooth, solid sheeting (like metal flashing or durable plastic).
Should be at least 2 feet (roughly 60 cm) high.
Should be buried a few inches into the earth to stop snakes from going under.
Should be angled outwards at approximately a 30-degree angle at the top to stop them from climbing over.

Although more expensive and time-consuming, it is among the most consistent physical deterrents.

A Brief Note on Coexistence and Safety

Adopting a mentality of safety and responsible coexistence is also useful while implementing plans to keep snakes away from your main garden area. After all, snakes are natural components of the ecosystem.

Know Your Neighbours

Spending some time on fundamental snake identification pertinent to your area will greatly help to reduce anxiety. Websites of local wildlife agencies, field guides, or nature apps are among the tools that can enable you tell harmless species from possibly venomous ones. Many frequent garden snakes are non-venomous and really rather good snakes that help to naturally reduce rodent populations, so you may be shocked.

Leave Them Alone

The golden rule of snake safety is straightforward: leave them alone. Never try to kill, corner, provoke, or handle a snake. Most bites—even from non-venomous snakes—occur when the snake feels threatened and defends itself. Usually, the safest choice for everyone is just to back away slowly and let the snake room to go on.

When to Ask for Assistance

Should you come across a snake you think is poisonous or one that gets into your home, garage, or other area where it poses an urgent threat, do not attempt to handle it yourself. Call your local wildlife agency, animal control, or professional snake removal companies. They have the knowledge and tools to manage the situation safely and humanely.

Review Local Rules

Keep in mind that snakes are native species protected by law in many areas and help to shape their surroundings. Apart from upsetting the local ecological balance, harming or killing them could have legal consequences.

Adopting these deterrent techniques while respecting wildlife will help you to control snake encounters around your house.

10 Plants Used to Deter Snakes

Relying only on plants is not a surefire approach, as we have talked; nevertheless, including some kinds thought to be hated by snakes could help you manage your garden more effectively. Here are ten frequently cited plants, bearing in mind their efficacy is mostly anecdotal.

Plant Name (Common & Scientific)	Key Feature (Deterrence Theory)	Notes/Considerations
Marigolds (Tagetes spp.)	Pungent odor (especially roots)	Easy to grow, cheerful flowers. Scent may deter snakes and nematodes (snake food source).
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)	Strong citrus scent (citronella oil)	Tropical grass, needs sun & space. Scent may be overwhelming/confusing to snakes. Used in insect repellents.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue / Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)	Stiff, sharp leaves (Texture)	Hardy, low-maintenance. Theory is snakes dislike slithering over the sharp edges. Ironically named! Great air purifier.
Garlic (Allium sativum)	Pungent odor (sulfuric compounds)	Easy to interplant in gardens. Strong smell thought to be offensive or mask prey scents.
Onions (Allium cepa)	Pungent odor (sulfuric compounds)	Similar theory to garlic. Easy to grow in vegetable patches.
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)	Strong, pungent, bitter scent	Hardy perennial herb. Historically used in repellents. Can be invasive in some areas.
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)	Strong aromatic scent	Related to wormwood, similar properties. Can spread aggressively; plant with caution or in containers.
Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)	Strong garlic-like scent when bruised	Ornamental plant with attractive purple flowers. Less potent than true garlic but shares the deterrent theory.
Rue (Ruta graveolens)	Strong, unpleasant odor; bitter taste	Evergreen shrub. Caution: Can cause skin irritation/blistering in sensitive individuals upon contact, especially in sunlight.
King of Bitters (Andrographis paniculata)	Extremely bitter taste; strong scent	Primarily used in traditional medicine. Deterrent effect is theoretical; bitterness unlikely to deter snakes directly.

Important Reminder: The best approach always combines potentially deterrent plants with consistent yard cleanup, removal of food sources (rodents), and sealing entry points, as detailed in the “Integrated Snake Deterrence” section.

Conclusion: Creating a Less Snake-Friendly Yard

After investigating the myths, the plants, and the pragmatic actions, what is the last word on keeping snakes away? Though the appeal of certain snake-repelling plants is great, the reality is a little more complicated. While they are seldom, if ever, the total solution by themselves, plants like marigolds or lemongrass could provide a small benefit to an environment snakes find less desirable.

In the end, the most efficient answer to the query “what plants keep snakes away?” is to realise that they are only one little component of a larger plan. The actual key is in using a combined snake deterrent strategy. This means combining any possible advantages of particular plants with careful, regular garden maintenance directly addressing the fundamental causes snakes appear: food and shelter.

You actively create a landscape that is fundamentally less attractive and accommodating to snakes by:

keeping your grass trimmed,
removing hiding spots like debris piles and thick undergrowth,
controlling rodent populations,
and sealing possible building entry points

—maybe in conjunction with carefully placing some of those traditionally mentioned plants. It’s about carefully managing your space to make it a place you can enjoy with more peace of mind, while also guiding wildlife to locate more appropriate habitats elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is there one single ‘best’ plant to repel snakes?

There really isn’t one sure ‘magic’ plant, as we have discussed in the paper. The efficacy of plants like marigolds or lemongrass is mostly anecdotal and differs significantly. No plant is impenetrable. Focusing on the integrated strategy – combining potentially deterrent plants with rigorous yard cleanup and removing food/shelter – is always the best bet rather than relying on a single plant species.

What smells do snakes actually hate most?

Snakes have a very acute sense of smell; it is believed that strong, annoying, or perplexing scents would drive them away. This covers possibly strong citrus scents like citronella from lemongrass, pungent natural odours like garlic, onions, ammonia (like in predator urine, which indicates danger), cinnamon and clove oils, and more. Though many are ineffective, environmentally damaging, and not advised, some commercial repellents use naphthalene (mothballs).

What deterrents are proven to work best for snakes?

Those that change the environment and eliminate attractants are the most regularly successful deterrents. This covers: careful garden upkeep (maintaining short grass, clearing ALL debris and possible hiding places like woodpiles or thick ground cover), controlling rodent populations (their main food source) and exclusion techniques (sealing foundation cracks, applying efficient snake-proof fencing). These meet the fundamental requirements of snakes—food and shelter—so your garden becomes really less attractive.

Does the type of mulch used in garden beds affect snakes?

It certainly can. Because snakes look for cover, deep, loose mulches like thick layers of pine straw or large bark nuggets can provide appealing hiding spots, especially just next to a house foundation. Although no mulch is really “snake-proof,” using sharper, less comfortable materials like gravel, crushed rock, or even including sharp-edged materials like pine cones or eggshells could make an area slightly less inviting for snakes to cross or burrow into than soft, deep mulches. Good practice is to avoid thick mulch layers directly against the foundation.

We talked about garlic – do snakes really hate it that much?

Many gardeners have a strong conviction! When disturbed, garlic produces strong sulphuric chemicals that may hide the prey’s scent and offend or confuse a snake’s sensitive sensory organs. Although there is no clear scientific evidence of regular repellency, its sharp character fits the kind of odours snakes usually appear to shun. Planting it between other plants is simple and will definitely not harm anything.

Is the Snake Plant (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) beneficial beyond potentially deterring snakes?

Certainly, yes! Whether or not its pointed leaves discourage snakes is hotly contested; Sansevieria trifasciata is a very popular and useful houseplant. Known for its remarkable durability and low light tolerance, NASA research has also shown it to be quite good at purifying the air by removing pollutants including formaldehyde and benzene from indoor settings. Therefore, given its other advantages, it’s a wonderful plant to have nearby!

What is the strongest or most effective commercial snake repellent?

Use commercial snake repellents with great care. Many goods available make audacious promises but have very little scientific support for their efficacy against snakes. Often, they depend on chemicals like naphthalene (mothballs) or sulphur, which can harm pets, children, and beneficial wildlife and might pollute soil and water. Moreover, their efficacy is quite doubtful since, if food and shelter are available, snakes are not usually deterred long-term by smell alone. The most consistent and safest approaches still are habitat alteration and exclusion. Before applying any chemical repellents, always verify local laws.

Are onions actually toxic to snakes if they were to eat them?

Although the strong smell of onions (like garlic) is the foundation for their possible repellent effect, the chemicals in onions—especially N-propyl disulfide—are harmful to many animals, including dogs and cats, and can harm red blood cells if consumed in large amounts. Snakes are carnivores and very unlikely to purposely consume an onion, though. The deterrent theory depends only on the unpleasant or confusing smell, not on toxicity by consumption.

Does sprinkling salt around the yard keep snakes away?

This is a persistent myth, likely stemming from the fact that salt is effective against slugs and snails (it dehydrates them). However, salt has no effect on snakes; they have protective scales and are not bothered by it in the same way. Applying salt liberally around your yard will not deter snakes and can seriously damage your plants and harm the soil structure. Stick to the proven methods of habitat modification.