How To Keep The Rabbits Out Of Your Garden
Do Moth Balls Keep Rabbits Away
The first thing that mothballs do is repel what they on the tin. They are also designed for repelling and killing other fabric nasties such as fleas and ticks. The second reason is that if you are going to use a mothball as a repellent, you need to be sure that it is a good one.
If it isnt, then it wont do its job and you will end up with a sticky mess on your clothes and bedding. This is why its so important to make sure you use the right kind of moth balls.
Why Are Rabbits Coming In My Yard
One of the first things to consider when getting rid of rabbits is why they are coming into your yard. Eliminating some of the reasons they want to enter you yard in the first place is a good deterrent. The two reasons rabbits enter your yard are for food or safety. If you can remove either of these easily it will fix your problem.Potted plants that rabbits eat that are close to the ground can make a good snack for a hungry rabbit. Moving potted plants to a higher position will eliminate your pest problem. Another way to deter rabbits would be trimming shrubs or bushes that create cover for the rabbits. Well also look at other proven methods to get rid of rabbits naturally.
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Faqs Getting Rid Of Rabbits
How do you stop rabbits from digging holes in the yard?
Well, theres no way to actually teach the rabbits to stop digging, but there are some things you can do to make your yard less attractive for burrowing. Firstly, fill in any existing holes before they get a chance to re-dig. If theyre hiding in them, theyll move on once they realize their homes have been destroyed . Secondly, remove any food sources around where the rabbits tend to dig. This includes plants like clover or dandelions and also anything that grows close enough together so that it would provide cover for them while they eat. Thirdly, try planting some bushes along the edge of your property line . Get creative!
How do you stop rabbits from returning to your yard?
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Plants That Rabbits Hate
If you plant flowers and vegetables that rabbits love, youll struggle to keep them away from your garden. But you can plant some plants that rabbits wont eat: herbs and flowers that are heavily scented and are known to be avoided by rabbits. Here are just a few plants with strong scent:
There are many other plants rabbits wont eat, but these are a few you can plant right away while you research what else to plant.
Verdict: How To Get Rid Of Rabbits
So, as weve seen, rabbits, although cute, can make a mess of your yard, damage your landscaping, destroy your crops, flowers, and vegetables, and otherwise be a major pain in the backside. Fortunately, there are a few effective ways to get rid of rabbits in your yard.
Your best bet will usually be a rabbit trap. The idea is to trap the bunny in a way that doesnt hurt it. Youll then need to take it a good five miles or so from your home and release it somewhere where it wont come to any harm.
There are also a few natural methods you can try that might help you get rid of the rabbits in your yard, including using ultrasonic or motion-activated noise deterrents, creating a pepper spray concoction for use on your plants, flowers, and crops, or installing a motion-activated water canon to soak the rabbits, which annoys them immensely.
When all else fails, contact your local pest control expert, who will be able to try some additional methods such as baiting their burrows or fumigating your yard. In most cases, pest control services are cost-effective and will get rid of the rabbits in your yard almost immediately.
However, once the rabbits are gone, youll still need to take a few precautions to prevent them from coming back again. The best way to do this is by installing a perimeter fence that the rabbits cant fit through. Alternatively, you may want to install fencing around your flower beds and vegetable gardens.
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Protect Plants From Rabbits
Try installing rabbit netting around your raised beds
Another way to help deter these bunnies from your garden is to stop them from getting in in the first place. Sturdy garden fence ideas can do wonders around your plot, however, if you have areas where there are gaps, or have a hedge instead, then rabbit netting is a good addition.
This is made from galvanized steel, woven into a pattern with small, hexagonal holes no larger than one inch wide. Go for a height of 30-36 inches, and bend the lower end at a 90-degree angle before burying it six inches into the ground, as suggests the team at FineGardening.com . This will deter even the most determined rabbits from digging underneath.
You can also protect the bark of trees and shrubs. Try adding cylinders made from hardware cloth, which is a galvanized wire screen bought in rolls from garden centers, around the trunks of young trees. Position an inch or so away from the trunk itself and bury the lower section into the ground.
How To Get Rid Of Rabbits Using Natural Repellents
Rabbits are adorable, but they can also be invasive and destructive, especially if you have a garden or a yard filled with beautiful plants. They may burrow nearby or in your property, and they will eat your plants and ruin the aesthetic of your garden.
In this guide, youll find quick and easy solutions on how to repel rabbits from your yard. However, if youre looking for the best rabbit repellent, you should know that there is no one way to get rid of these animals.
Depending on the kind of plants that you have and the severity of the infestation, you might need to try a couple of solutions before you find the one that works best for your situation.
Anyway, before you learn about rabbit repellents, heres everything that you need to know about wild rabbits.
Contents
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What Good Are Rabbits
In areas where native predators can keep their numbers under control, rabbits do a lot to promote a healthy natural environment. The same appetite that makes rabbits so frustrating to gardeners and farmers makes them living weed-eaters. Their constant feeding keeps down the growth of aggressive plant species, allowing for greater biodiversity. In addition, their waste helps spread seeds and improve soil quality. As previously stated, they serve as a vital food source to various predators. Their role in the ecosystem is so important that they are called a keystone species. This means that when rabbit populations suffer a decline in their natural environment , the well-being of other plants and animals in that area suffer.
Using Smell Repelling Rabbits With Scent
Rabbits have very sensitive noses you can use this against them by using a natural repellent to ward them off. This method will come in very handy for those looking for how to get rid of rabbits under shed naturally.
Even though its quite an easy method, you need to ensure its effective enough. Rabbits are sensitive to the smell of some herbs and spices, but not all. If you use the wrong ones, you wont get the results you want.
Oregano, mint, basil, and lavender are some of the herbs they dislike. And speaking of spices, cayenne, chilli, and pepper are not their friends.
If youre a farmer, a lifesaving tip is to plant some repellent spices in your vegetables. Beyond spices and herbs, strong perfumes work too. This includes sprays, perfumes, and high doses of concentrated chemicals. They also hate the scent of vinegar, linseed oil, onions, dry sulfur, eggs, garlic, and chili.
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How To Stop Rabbits From Digging Holes In Lawn & Deter Them Away
In addition to the tips above, heres how to stop rabbits from eating plants? To prevent rabbits from eating the plants, you need to curtail them from digging holes in the lawn.
One of the best ways to get rid of rabbits in yard is to ensure that the rabbits do not dig holes around your flower beds, garden, or yard. For this, you must keep it well-trimmed and moved at all times. Any overgrown weeds, grass, and bush can be a hiding space for the rabbits.
Even though this is one of the most suitable methods, if you see a rabbit digging a hole in the lawn despite this, you need to adopt some alternative methods.
A few such techniques include:
1. Creating your own homemade rabbit repellent: You can make a homemade repellant if you do not want rabbits lingering in your yard. The ingredients required are powdered pepper, garlic, dish soap, water, and a plastic container.
You can mix these ingredients and form a solution out of them. Once done, spray this mixture in your garden and home perimeter. Rabbits hate the smell or the taste of garlic. So, this trick will definitely work for you.
2. Invest in a store-bought repellent: If you think creating a homemade repellant is a lot of work, you can also shop for a repellant from a store. Natures Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellentis one such repellant. It contains sulfuric, onion, and garlic, which works well to keep rabbits away from the yard.
What Plants Keep Rabbits Away
Here is a list of plants and flowers that will keep rabbits away: garlic, Veronica, Siberian iris, bee balm, yarrow, Russian sage, Mexican marigolds, Dusty Miller, lavender, yarrow, butterflyweed, Russian sage, stylophorum, lavender, sweet alyssum, ageratum, lantana, blue fescue grass, cleome, and lambs ear.
Rabbits love to eat many of the plants and grasses in your yard and garden. One way you can deter rabbits from your yard is by planting plants that rabbits dont like to eat. Wild animals go where the food is, and if theres no food on your property, the rabbits will find someplace else. If you like variety in your yard or garden, then this may not be the method for you when it comes to removing rabbits from your property. However, it will ensure that there are no unwanted surprises of eaten up shrubbery and uneven grass.
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Install A Rabbit Proof Garden Fence
Probably one of the most efficient ways to keep rabbits out of your vegetable garden is to build a rabbit-proof fence around the garden. It doesnt have to be too tall unless you want to protect your garden from deer too. To protect against cottontail rabbits, your fence needs to be two feet high and three feet high to protect against jackrabbits.
Use chicken wire if you dont want to spend a lot, but hardware cloth is probably better in the long run: just make sure you bury the bottom of the fence into the ground so that the bunnies cant crawl under.
If youd rather use an electric fence, place the electric wires at 3 and at 10 above the ground. If you need a budget option, electric fencing is cheaper than hardware cloth.
A similar idea is to use floating row covers at night .
Will A Clean Yard Keep Rabbits Away
Besides tall grass, rabbits also flock to clutter and objects that may conceal them better. If you have lawn ornaments, rocks, tall drooping plants in your garden, and furniture in your yard, you are creating an environment where a family of rabbits would thrive. Having a clean yard will help keep rabbits away.
First, notice the areas of your yard where the rabbits may be finding the greatest benefit of concealment. Any object that a rabbit could fit under it a great place to start. Rid your yard of dark places and shelters so the rabbits wont have any place to burrow and hide. Get rid of big rocks and move lawn ornaments and furniture to the patio the rabbits will be reluctant to travel past the confines of the grass.
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Catch And Release Traps
Another good way to get rid of rabbits is with a catch and release trap. Rabbit traps are usually safe and effective.
However, you must take great care to release them away from your home and not in a place where they may be harmed. Trust me on this one, release them a good five miles or so from your home, or you might just wake up the next day to find out theyve returned.
Use Of Organic Repellents
Organic repellents can be helpful in getting the rabbits away from the garden. Some of the organic repellents are listed below:
Consider Using Raw Eggs
Rabbits do not like the smell of raw eggs, so you can use it to get rid of rabbits from the garden, although they can get used to it over time.
Mix the raw egg in the spray bottle and shake it well, now spray it on the plants and on the border of the garden.
This can attract the ants but keep the rabbits away.
Use Of Spicy Materials
You can also use spicy materials to keep the rabbits away.
You can use vinegar, hot chili pepper, black pepper, capsaicin, garlic as bitter substances to discourage the rabbits and other animals.
Always dilute these substances with soapy water to minimize the harm, and let the repellent stick on the plants.
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Let Your Dog Run Loose
One way to keep rabbits away from your yard is to let your dog run free. Dogs will instinctively chase the bunnies and scare them off. This method is particularly effective if you have multiple dogs.
Unfortunately, its not the best option if you have a small breed or if you dont want to keep your dog outside all day long.
Plants That Rabbits Love To Eat
You may wonder what are the rabbits favorite plants to eat. They LOVE fresh veggies from your garden. Bunnies will always nibble on these:
Rabbits dont just love your fruit and vegetable garden: they adore many of your beautiful flowers! Here are just a few:
- etc. the list is very long
If you plant any of these flowers and veggies, youll need to find ways to keep rabbits away from your garden. I asked my Facebook followers what they do to keep rabbits away from the vegetables, and got lots of ideas. Ill share them below, but first, lets see what plants rabbits hate.
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Reduce The Rabbit Attraction Factor
Rabbits are drawn to places that offer not only food, but also water and safe hiding spots. Creating a less rabbit-friendly landscape reduces the likelihood these creatures will make their home near yours.
Start by removing possible rabbit hiding places. Mow tall grass and brush, and remove debris such as fallen branches and piles of leaves. Trim the lower branches of your shrubbery so rabbits cant hide behind them.
Survey for other landscape features that can be fenced off to discourage rabbits. This includes the porch, garden shed, stairs and other structures outdoors that make attractive burrowing spots. Because rabbits prefer to live near a water source, a stream or pond on your property adds to its appeal. Willow, oak, and maple trees, which rabbits find especially tasty, are another potential draw.