With all of this free time you may have enjoyed these past few months perhaps you decided to plant a garden and by chance all of that hard work might have gone right down the drain all due to a waskily rabbit. Want to know how to get rid of these munchers in a safe and humane way? Here are a few tips that might help save you from the worry of losing all that work you may have done. It might even keep away some other critters that have been feasting on your garden.
Of course the first thing to figure out is if it is even a rabbit that has been visiting your garden. They typically feed on young and tender plants as opposed to heartier plants. Rabbits also leave a clean cut instead of a holey one that would be insect based. You can also find their droppings in little piles throughout your yard, that look like little hard, round brown balls. If you have seen some of these tell tale signs around your garden then congratulations you have a bunny family nearby. Rabbits, of course, are also known to replicate quite frequently so it might be best to try and live with the situation as best you can.
Wire Barrier - This is by far the most reliable way to keep rabbits out of your garden. By burying the wire fence 6 inches deep with a height above ground of 2 feet, would be the most effective way to keep them from munching. If you have young plants then you can lay a netting over top of them to keep them at bay as well.
Unappealing Vegetation - Like most animals rabbits have their likes and dislikes and if you are strategic in your planting this may help to deter them in their foraging. Plants that have a strong smell and have prickly parts are plants they tend to stay away from. Plants like Mint, Sage, Asparagus, Rosemary, Lavender, Onions, Thyme and Tomatoes among others will make that rabbit think twice before checking out your garden.
Frighten Them/Make Them Feel Vulnerable - Rabbits often make themselves scarce whenever they feel vulnerable in a yard situation. If they have no place to hide then they will tend to go somewhere else. This can be done by clearing out any burrows you may find so that they have no place to live and hide. In order to try and keep them from coming around you can employ a natural predator to be commonplace such as a cat or dog. While a rabbit may just hop right up to the edge of your garden with a lazy dog nearby they are less likely to do so if your property is being patrolled by someone they fear. Rabbits are smart and they will learn and adapt to many situations.
Feed Them Somewhere Else - While you may think this is counter-productive to what you want to have happen there is a basis of reasoning that goes with this suggestion. If you plant some things that rabbits seek out they are less likely to hit up your garden for a snack. By planting things like a nice ground covering of clover or alfalfa might keep your common rabbit visitors happy and content. Of course you would do this in conjunction with other methods mentioned above.
Natural Rabbit Repellents - There are a bunch of natural smells that will deter a rabbit that you can incorporate right into your garden as mentioned before but you can also create a concoction that you can spray your plants with that will keep the critters at bay. By combining 5 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of crushed red pepper and a tablespoon of dish soap in a gallon jug of water you can create a homemade rabbit repellent. Let this mixture steep overnight for a more effective mix . Don’t forget that you should reapply after it rains in order to keep the plants covered.
Hopefully by using some of these tips you can find a way to coexist with your rabbit friends while still keeping your garden as lush and productive as possible!
