It is coming up on one year since I started producing Birch tar, and since then I have found some pretty random and interesting uses for Birch tar, here they are!
1.) Snail and Slug repellent: I live along the coast in Eastern Canada and humidity is constantly high. Slugs and snails are devastating in gardens, greenhouses and flowerbeds. Mix tar and Vaseline in 4:1 ratio and use a brush to paint stocks of plants or perimeters such as a doorway in a greenhouse. You need very little and it is highly effective, the little buggers can’t stand it.
2.) Animal deterrent: Where I live we have everything from moose to rabbits, to wild cats getting into the garden. As an experiment I took some straight about 1 inch round branches and hammered in three per side around our main garden. I painted the bottom and top 4 inches of these poles with tar and Vaseline mixture. I did not have a single issue with critters for the remaining 2 months of garden season, they don’t like the smell at all, possibly guess because it smells a lot like woodsmoke.
3.) The stinky garbage can: I am sure we have all had the curse of the stinky garbage can from time to time, and sometimes due to busy lifestyles may be a few days before we can wash it, or maybe just do not want to take it out until the bag is full. A very small smear around the inside edge of the bag eliminates the smell and instead you have a light smoky odor. This works extremely well without being overpowering, I have even had people ask my why my garbage smells so good!
That’s it for now, I am sure I will stumble across some other strange uses for Birch tar this summer!
