Rabbits seem to be cute and cuddling rodents in any other place, but when the rodents invade your garden, they become dangerous. But, there is no need to worry about these rodents, as there are a plethora of ways to offer protection to your garden. It becomes easy in keeping rabbits out of the garden through various ways that seem to be much safer.
Rabbits could be a significant problem in any garden regardless if the entire garden is of vegetables or flowers. Moreover, certain best techniques only work properly if the techniques are changed frequently. Rabbits possess a habit to get accustomed to one approach and learn that the current technology doesn’t hurt them.
So, to get the best out of the techniques of how to keep rabbits out of the garden, you require a change in one month.
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Signs of rabbit invasion in your garden
There are various sorts of signs that show rabbits lurking in the garden, and the major one to look for is grazing. Rabbits seem to be voracious grazers and might take the opportunity to make their way via the grass in your garden.
Moreover, if you witness a circular pattern of neatly eaten grass, that serves as a better sign that depicts a rabbit wandering through your garden for its daily food. Apart from this, there are certainly other signs that depict a rabbit in your garden. So, let’s learn about them quickly.
Damage to the backyard landscape
One of the major drawbacks of a rabbit in your garden is that it can cause harm to your landscaping in several ways. The rabbits would leave the well-manicured yard entirely in shambles. So, if you witness this, it is a sign that a rabbit would be there.
Signs of burrows
Rabbits love to burrow under hedges and bushes, and if you witness a hole or some freshly dug dirt near a bush, it serves as a sign of the rabbit’s presence. Moreover, the rodents can dig holes under the compost piles that spread the materials all over the yard. So, it becomes mandatory in keeping rabbits out of the garden.
Chewing marks
If you possess wooden furniture in your garden, ensure to check for bite marks along with its edges. Rabbits love to chew wood, so if you witness chewing marks on the furniture, it is a sign of the rabbit’s presence in your garden.
Rabbit sight
Another major clean sign of a rabbit’s presence in your garden will be the markings and droppings that the rabbit leaves behind. These markings could be easily found in a plethora of ways, such as under a shed, near a garden, or even on vegetation.
Lawn damage
If there is a rabbit in your garden, you will witness damage to your lawn. Rabbits like to chew the grass till its roots, which results in severe damage. In certain cases, the grass turns brown and dies where it is chewed. Moreover, if you witness chewed leaves, that could be another sign of rabbit invasion.
Best ways for keeping rabbits out of the garden
The major thing to do during addressing a rabbit issue in your garden is to start up early before the rodents harm your garden. Here are certain common and non-toxic ways how to keep rabbits out of the garden. Moreover, the major principle is to stay ahead of the issue by creating a rabbit-free garden before huge damage.
Addition of physical garden barriers
A rabbit fence serves as the long-term method of keeping rabbits from the entire property. Moreover, the fence needs to be designed with galvanized steel mesh with a great height that offers great protection. Motion-activated sprinklers seem to be another barrier that gardeners might use against rabbits.
Protection of garden beds
To protect all garden beds, you require placing chicken netting over the rabbit’s favorite food that helps in keeping rabbits out of the garden. Also, ensure to bury hardware cloth near the base of the garden bed just to avoid the rabbits from burrowing under chicken netting.
Surround young shrubs and trees
You can easily protect your garden’s young shrubs and trees with half-inch mesh hardware cloth or with one-inch chicken netting. Form chicken netting or hardware cloth into cylinder form and force it into the ground to hold it upright.
Repellent setting
Repellents along with putrescent whole egg solids could greatly reduce rabbits browsing in your garden. However, you can end up attracting various other pests to decaying organic matter. Or, you can even spray a liquid mixture of any sort of combination of red pepper, garlic, strong-smelling soap, and other things that would allow you to know how to keep rabbits out of the garden.
Removal of hiding places
Rabbits don’t like various exposed spaces where they are much more vulnerable to predators. Remove potential hiding and nesting places by clearing off weed patches, brush piles, rock piles, and other debris. An open area surrounding your garden would give your plants much more protection.
Grow food that rabbits don’t like
Rabbits serve as the most opportunistic feeders who enjoy tender seedling shoots, which include young shrubs and trees. So, ensure to grow certain things that rabbits don’t like at all, that will help you to protect your garden from rabbits.
Try certain home remedies
You can even try out some home remedies to keep rabbits away from your garden, and here comes the most famous remedy. Cut up or shred a bar of ivory soap then wrap the part in cheesecloth, attach it to the stake, and then place the wrapped part around the garden. Lightly sprinkle crushed red pepper, black pepper, or garlic powder over your garden. Ensure to reapply it after a few weeks or after rain.
Plants that resist rabbits
If your garden has witnessed huge damage in recent years, it must be due to various plants that rabbits like. When the rabbit population rises, you might experience certain losses as hungry rabbits feed on lush greenery all through summer and spring along with various plants. For that, ensure to use rabbit-resistant plants in your garden that allows keeping rabbits out of the garden. Let’s dive into various rabbit-resistant plants.
Aster
Aster is a type of plant that serves as a rabbit-resistant plant as it has a strong capability to attract pollinators. The plant is very famous among butterflies and bees, and these don’t need any special care. In late summer through fall, they flower in various shades and rabbits don’t come near them.
Butterfly weed
The vibrant orange flowers of butterfly weed have become more common along the roadside, in fields, and home gardens. The flower supports migrating monarch butterflies that possess some toxicity, and due to this rabbits stay away from them.
Coral bells
Coral bells, one of the most renowned shade plants, make rabbits away from your garden. This is because the plant blooms with significant spikes of white or pink flowers that make the rabbit stay away from the plant.
Daylily
Daylilies seem to be classic harbingers of summers in your garden, and the rabbits leave the plant alone. The plant offers narrow strap-like foliage along with vibrantly colored flowers to complement the color palette and is easy to grow. Moreover, the plant grows well in moist soil that drains well.
English lavender
Though the plant seems appealing, its lavender scent could be pungent for various wild animals, especially rabbits. Rabbits stay away from its fragrant patches, even though the plant is tender, non-toxic, and could be consumed safely. This rabbit-resistant plant adds color to your garden and makes it attractive.
Purple rhododendron
Not damaged by rabbits, the plant serves as a perennial shrub that offers leathery and fragrant leaves. The plant is well-known for offering ornamental species because of its incredible display of flowers every spring. The plant keeps rabbits from entering your garden and attracts birds and honey bees.
Common sage
The sage is also known for getting rabbits to enter your garden, due to its slightly bitter and fragrant leaves that seem unappetizing. Apart from this, its fine trichomes cover both the lower and upper leaf that keeps rabbits away. A better option is to protect the garden from rabbits with the use of harmless features.
Conclusion
With the help of the above-mentioned tips, you would get to know how to keep rabbits out of the garden. Protect your garden from the devastating effects of rabbits by practicing these tips. Moreover, a cat or dog wandering in your garden is also enough to keep rabbits away from your garden. The best means to control rabbit damage in your garden is by discouraging the presence of rabbits by preventing access to certain plants.