Plectranthus Species, Cat Repellent Plant, Dogs Be Gone, Piss-Off Plant, Scaredy Cat Plant

WARNING: For those of you who live where the European brown garden snail is a pest (the big one they use for escargot) they find this pla...Read Morent delicious! In order to supply San Francisco restaurants, they were imported in the 19th Century. S.F. was too cold to breed them, so snail farms were set up in the Sacramento Valley which has the Mediterranean climate they thrive in. Of course they escaped, and they've caused havoc for California gardeners ever since. I planted 3 of them outdoors, and within 48 hrs. every leaf was gone! When new tender leaf buds appear, they are immediately eaten. Eventually the plants run out of energy and die. Unless you plan to constantly surround them with unattractive expensive snail pellets or keep them in a snail proof vegetable bed or table top garden (which defeats the purpose I got them for, repelling the neighborhood cats from my front yard flower beds) they won't survive the vigorous assault. Luckily I discovered citrus (any citrus tree) does the trick! Cats can't stand the leaf odor or the fruits and the snails leave the trees alone! If you can't plant a tree, spread orange or lemon peels in the cat's favorite spots, they won't go near them!

I'm growing this plant in a suburb about a mile southwest of Detroit, MI city limits. It grows very well here, seems to like full sun and...Read More lots of water, and it also does seem to repel cats. I was having trouble with cats using my new flower bed as a litter box. I planted two of these plants about 6' apart, and I haven't had one cat use the flower bed as a toilet since.

My question is, can this plant be pruned without hurting it? Mine have gotten much too big and they are crowding out the plants around them in the garden.

I'm from Oahu and I recently bought coleus from Pearl City Walmart. Works like a charm.

Smells bad (like skunk) whenever brushed against or bumped, but it does appear to work. I got a plant a couple years ago to keep squirrel...Read Mores and rabbits from digging up my garden and planters. I overwintered it and planted it outside the following year. Now I am overwintering it again. over wintering It doesn't get rid of the animals completely but I noticed ever since using them the squirrels usually ignore the planters, or at least don't dig into them as frequently as before.

It helps to take several cuttings and scatter them everywhere in the garden and in each planter. They root easily. Just about any moisture seems to do. It overwinters well as a houseplant. (provided it gets plenty of light, pinched back, and you can tolerate the smell when watering it.)