Even though they are quite cute, you probably don’t want bunnies devouring flowers or vegetables in your garden, no matter how kind-hearted you are. Regretfully, what repels fluffy intruders for one gardener might not do the same for another. For instance, your neighbor might advise you to put marigolds around the edge of your yard to deter bunnies from devouring your plants. However, the bunnies may gladly eat your marigolds as well as everything nearby.
You don’t have to fill your garden with only plants that rabbits won’t touch, even though there are varieties that are resistant to them. Take steps to keep rabbits away from your plants, and make sure that any visitors with long ears jackrabbits or cottontails look elsewhere for their meal.
Read also: Easy And Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Cutworms In Your Garden
How To Stop Rabbits From Eating Your Garden Plants
Fencing
Installing fencing is the greatest technique to prevent rabbits from devouring plants in your garden. Although installing a fence requires time and work, the result is a permanent barrier. This implies that you won’t need to frantically apply repellents following each downpour.
Rabbits can be kept out of a 2-foot fence since they can’t jump very high. The best type of wire fencing is chicken wire, which has gaps of no more than one inch. To prevent rabbits from slithering underneath, secure the bottom of the fencing with landscape pins and reinforce it with strong pegs.
Burying the bottom 2 to 3 inches of fencing underground is a good idea since more determined rabbits might try to tunnel under the fence.
Alternatively, surround the few plants that the rabbits regularly eat with a chicken wire cage that is firmly anchored to the ground. When a plant is young or experiencing a lot of new growth in the spring, this might be very significant. To keep plants out of reach, try growing ones you know rabbits adore, such as fragile lettuces, in hanging baskets or tall containers.
Rabbit Repellents
Your greatest option in situations where building a fence is impractical or impossible is to infuse your garden with an unpleasant smell. Garlic or rotten eggs in a repellent for gardens will make rabbits wrinkle their noses. (Bonus: You may use these scents around kids and pets without worrying about them attracting deer.) To avoid smelling bad while spraying, put on waterproof gloves. Make sure the repellent spray you purchase is suitable for food plants, and remember to reapply the product after every downpour. You should also use it on your vegetables.
Fear-Based Strategies
In the Peter Rabbit tale, Mr. McGregor found that chasing after a rabbit with a rake didn’t work well, and it probably won’t work for you either. Fear-based strategies are only effective in the short term since the rabbits quickly come to understand that they are not in danger.
Air horn sounds, motion sensor lights or water sprays, flashing CDs dangling from branches, or glittery streamers swishing in the breeze could all seem helpful at first, but eventually, your resident bunnies will grow indifferent to them. The one exception is that dogs who pursue rabbits away with great enthusiasm could permanently scare them away. You might be better off concentrating your efforts on repellents and fences otherwise.
Read also: Beautiful Rabbit-Resistant Plants For Your Flower Garden