Having a garden is such a joy, but taking care of it is another story. If you are one proud person with a green thumb, you would want to protect your beloved plants from wandering animals such as rabbits and squirrels, right?
This seems to be a tedious task at first, and you might consider hiring a professional. But you can save extra bucks if you do it yourself using these safe and easy tactics.
Read on to learn how to keep rabbits out of garden without a fence!
Table of Contents
- 8 Most Effective Methods to Keep Rabbits Out of Yard
- Method 1: Make a Rabbit Repellent
- Method 2: Create Diy Plant Cages to Protect From Rabbits
- Method 3: Try Scare Tactics
- Method 4: Utilize an Electronic Pest Repeller
- Method 5: Use Coffee Grounds
- Method 6: Consider Planting Rabbit-resistant Plants
- Method 7: Seek assistance from your furbabies
- Method 8: Keep Your Garden Tidy
- Conclusion
8 Most Effective Methods to Keep Rabbits Out of Yard
Method 1: Make a Rabbit Repellent
Ingredients/materials:
- 1 liter of water
- 1-2 tbsp garlic powder or 5-6 pieces crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of cayenne pepper or red pepper
- 1 tbsp of dish soap
- an empty container with a lid
- a garden sprayer
Steps to make the spray:
- First, mix all the ingredients in the empty container.
- Next, close the lid firmly and shake the container well.
- Third, let the solution sit for three days under the sun, making its odor strong.
- After three days, transfer the solution to a garden sprayer.
You now have an effective rabbit repellent that you may spray directly on your plants to deter rabbits from garden.
Method 2: Create Diy Plant Cages to Protect From Rabbits
Another way to keep rabbits out of your vulnerable plants is to make DIY plant cages.
What you need to prepare are the following:
- A chicken wire
- A wire cutter
- Some wire cage clips
- Several old forks
- A tomato cage (optional)
Steps to follow:
- First, cut the chicken wire to suitable dimensions to enclose the plant you wish to protect but roomy enough for it to grow.
- Second, put together the open ends of the chicken wire by bending and twisting it to form a cylindrical shape or making use of wire cage clips.
- Third, make a circular-shaped or arc-shaped chicken wire using a wire cutter and attach it at the top of the cylindrical shape to form a dome.
- Fourth, bend the old forks and hook them to the plant cage as you bury it at least 6 inches below the ground for it not to be easily dug by rabbits.
- Next, you may also try using a tomato cage as a foundation for your plant cage. A Tomato cage is a garden tool that helps support crawling plants growing upward. It is usually made from steel.
- Just surround the chicken wire around the tomato cage and fasten it by doing the first step above. By making use of a tomato cage, your plant cage will be sturdier because it is already well-structured.
Voila! You now have plant protectors that stop rabbits from eating plants.
Method 3: Try Scare Tactics
Using a physical deterrent seems like a funny idea, but some gardeners and farmers are still using it. You may opt for decoy structures like hay figures, owl replicas, or plastic snakes, or make your own garden spinner to keep rabbits away from flowers.
Materials required for the task:
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Some cardboard paper
- Scissors
- Metal stick or barbecue stick
- Glue gun and glue paste
- Pushpin or round-head paper fastener
- Foil strips
Steps that you can follow:
- First, cut the cardboard paper into a square shape.
- Second, mark the center of the paper and draw 4 horizontal lines on each side.
- Third, cut the diagonal lines you made, leaving at least an inch from the center of the cardboard.
- Fourth, fold each side of the paper into the center and use a glue gun or pushpin to fasten it, creating a fan-like form.
- After that, attach two strips of aluminum foil to each side of the spinner using glue.
- Finally, affix the spinner to the metal or barbecue stick using a pushpin or fastener.
There you have it! The garden spinner’s shininess, motion, and produced sound will scare and keep rabbits out of yard.
Method 4: Utilize an Electronic Pest Repeller
Electronic pest repellers are small machines that produce high-frequency sounds that are only audible to pests but indistinct to human ears. These are valuable tools that prevent rabbits from eating garden as it gives off a dangerous vibe to backyard animals.
They come in various shapes & sizes, cost an average of $50, and are readily available in the market.
Method 5: Use Coffee Grounds
Another way to naturally repel rabbits is through coffee grounds. The strong smell of caffeine in coffee grounds displeases rabbits. Moreover, it is generally safe, economical, and can even work as a fertilizer.
For as easy as sprinkling the coffee grounds on the soil around the plants every other week, you will be able to keep bunnies out of yard and eventually protect plants from rabbits.
Method 6: Consider Planting Rabbit-resistant Plants
There are rabbit repellent plants regarded as remedies that you might want to put in your garden.
- These include mostly scented herbs such as oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, and mint.
- There are also ornamental plants that rabbits don’t like and some of these are marigolds, daffodils, agave, and geranium.
The reason why rabbits hate these plants is because of the strong odor they produce. Rabbits have a hundred million scent cells, making them prone to upper respiratory diseases if exposed to chemicals, perfumes, and the like.
Although this is not a foolproof method, chances are you’ll need to do a little trial and error to see what specific plants work for your garden since rabbits have the ability to get used to strong scents.
Method 7: Seek assistance from your furbabies
Having your own pet dog or cat is also a great way to keep rabbits out of yard. Rabbits consider these domestic pets as predators since these animals are fond of running after them.
If ever you don’t own one, a gunny sack or sheer tights filled with dog and cat fur from a pet groomer will suffice. Make enough pieces of it to be placed around your garden.
In doing so, the scent of the fur will trick the rabbits into thinking that there is a predator nearby. Just replace them once in a while, especially once they get wet, because they will eventually lose their odor and effectiveness.
Method 8: Keep Your Garden Tidy
Rabbits love a place that is grassy and messy. They love areas with confined spots that are perfect for their nesting. These include piles of wood, boxes, tires, debris, or any other backyard materials that are just sitting there for so long.
It is important to clear away all these materials and, as much as possible, trim grasses regularly to avoid creating a hiding spot for them.
Conclusion
There are several ways on how to keep rabbits out of garden without a fence, and it’s really up to you what method suits you best. What is important is you get to maintain the beauty of your garden with the available resources you have without causing any harm to rabbits and other backyard animals.
Furthermore, there are also some types of animals that destroy your garden. Let’s see each type and how to prevent them in the articles below:
- 4 steps to get rid of ground moles with dawn soap
- 5 easy ways get rid of stink bugs in the garden
- 8 easy ways to how to keep raccoons from digging up plants
If you find this article helpful, please feel free to share it with others who might be bothered by the same troubles. Thank you for reading!
Hi, I am William – Floridayards’ digital content creator. My job is to find answers to all your concerns with thorough research and our team’s expert advice. I will also bring you honest reviews on the best products and equipment for raising your beautiful garden. Please look forward to our work!
