Animal manure is a commonly used fertilizer. It has been in use for hundreds of years by farmers and gardeners. Raccoons are the common animals found in almost all neighborhoods. They use gardens and yards as their lanterns. Many people worry about planting seeds in soil with raccoon poop. Therefore, the question arises here is raccoon poop a good fertilizer?
No, you cannot use raccoon poop as a fertilizer. Raccoon poop will not impact plants that are not in direct contact with the soil. However, you cannot plant leafy vegetables in the yard with raccoon poop as the worms can eat the leafy vegetables planted on it.
According to many types of research, raccoons carry many different diseases, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. They shed numerous parasites like a roundworm in their droppings. These diseases can transmit to humans and cause infection.
Read the article till the end to find the detail on the raccoon manure.
Can You Use Raccoon Poop As Fertilizer?
Raccoons use yards and gardens as latrines. It is a common problem faced by numerous people. Raccoons dropping cannot infect plants but can cause infection in humans. Therefore, I recommend avoiding growing plants on raccoon manure.
The most common parasite found in raccoon poop is roundworms and their eggs. Roundworms can live for years in the soil and are resistant to many pesticides. Plus, roundworms can cause disease in humans, cats, and dogs.
However, this parasite can not cause any harm to the plant. The roundworm eggs are incapable of entering the plants. Roundworms can attack only certain parts of the plant which are in direct contact with the soil.
It is safe to grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, plums, and other veggies, which are grown on the branches.
However, you should avoid planting leafy vegetables, potatoes, carrots, radish, other vegetables, and fruits that can come in contact with the parasite in soil.
Do Raccoons Always Poop In The Same Place?
Raccoons do not poop in their den. They use the bathroom for defecating. Raccoons make their latrines separate from their sleeping areas or den. However, the raccoon latrine is near its habitat.
They can use trees, decks, backyards, gardens, patios, attics, and garages for pooping. Once the raccoon decides on the place for a latrine, it will mark it as territory.
Typically, many raccoons use one area for defecating. Raccoons leave piles and piles of their poops until they move on to the next place for a latrine.
Raccoons living alone will also mark one large area like the bathroom to show that many raccoons are residing in one place.
Can You Get Sick From Raccoon Feces?
Raccoon feces can cause some severe diseases in humans.
Raccoons commonly shed roundworms and its egg in their feces. The worm causes Baylis Ascaris infection in humans. Humans can get infected with these diseases by either inhaling or intaking the roundworm eggs.
Raccoons can poop near the vegetation and plantations. When humans intake the contaminated veggies, they will become infected. Additionally, humans can also inhale roundworm eggs from the dirt.
The roundworm causes damage to the eyes, heart, and brain. The disease can be severe and cause death as well.
What Can You Do With Raccoon Poop?
It is necessary to get rid of raccoon feces from your house. Raccoon digging up a hole in the garden to make a lantern is common and annoying. Sometimes it cannot be safe for the plants you are growing there.
Raccoons shed numerous microorganisms in poop which can infect humans and house pets. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of the raccoon latrine.
Before cleaning the raccoon poop from your garden, you should take safety precautions. Below mentioned are some pointers to help you in cleaning raccoon poop.
- Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from getting contaminated by the microbes in poop.
- Wear disposable gardening overalls and cover your boots as well. It will prevent you from carrying the microbes inside your home.
- To avoid inhaling the roundworm eggs that can cause disease, you should wear a mask.
After you have taken all the precautionary measures, begin the cleaning process. You can use the following methods.
- Use a shovel to remove the raccoon poop from your garden, lawn, or yard. Toss the poop in a large bucket or disposable trash bag. Make sure you dispose of it off properly. Either send it to a landfill or burn the poop. It is also essential to get rid of the soil around the poop because the parasite in poop can infect the underground veggies and roots of the plant.
- The next step after shoveling is to kill the larvae with the heat. You can do it by boiling a large bucket of water. Pour the boiling water on the sites with raccoon poop.
- After the entire procedure, wash your hands properly with disinfectant soap. If you cannot tackle the problem by yourself, call a sanitization specialist to help you with it.
How Do I Stop Raccoons From Pooping In My Yard?
To keep your garden and pets safe from getting infected. It is important to scare the raccoons from entering your property. You can try the following methods to stop raccoons from pooping in your yard.
- Keep trained hunting dogs. The hunting dog will not injure the raccoon, but it will scare it away.
- Place some furniture in your yard. Raccoons are habitual and prefer to use the same space. Placing the furniture; will break the raccoon latrine space and the routine. Raccoons will move away and will look for new space.
- Cover the latrine area with plastic sheets. Raccoons have sensitive paws, and they do not like slippery surfaces.
- Install a motion-activated sprinkler. Raccoons hate wet and muddy surfaces. They will avoid moist ground for pooping.
Conclusion
The above article must have cleared all your questions. By now, you must know that the raccoons shed multiple diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid using raccoon poop as fertilizer.
Raccoons can poop in gardens and yards. They cannot harm the plant but can cause infections in humans. If there are raccoons in your surroundings, you should avoid eating veggies from the garden.
The most common parasite raccoon shed is roundworms which cause severe infection in humans. Therefore, it is necessary to remove raccoons from pooping in your garden. Be careful while cleaning the poop from your garden.
References
Raccoons roundworm infection- Willey Online Library
Biodiversity and Conservation