A yard can be a buffet for rabbits. During the warm months where grass, flowers and vegetables grow, rabbits will come around and help themselves. This could be a huge problem when trying to keep your lawn well-manicured. Rabbits have the ability to devour spouts, seeds and create holes. Homeowners can find creative ways to prevent rabbits from eating their grass, including fences and foul-smelling products.
Items you will need
Chicken fence
Commercially processed animal blood
Oven racks
Traps (cage)
Rabbit-resistant plants
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Coffee filter
Spray bottle
Dish washing soap
Various Methods
Create a wire fence that encompasses the entire garden. Building a fence out of chicken wire is a labor-intensive way to prevent rabbits from entering the yard and consuming grass in flowers. Bear in mind that rabbits can dig, so make sure the chicken wire penetrates deep within the top soil, preferably 8 inches deep.
Pour an animal-blood mixture around your yard to deter rabbits and other four-legged animals from entering. Many garden retailers sell commercially available products designed to spread around the bases of lawns and specifically within plants and other areas. Blood does not have any unpleasant odor and is not detectable to humans, but rabbits will avoid its scent.
Insert oven racks around sections of your yard. Some gardeners have positive experiences placing steel oven racks around specific plants within the garden, as the rabbits tend to avoid these racks -- a rabbit will get jittery when walking upon the metal and hearing the sound that occurs.
Apply a smelly spray adhesive to the grass. Many commercial animal repellents are rain-resistant, biodegradable as well as pet friendly.
Use various trapping methods to catch rabbits and release them. Purchase a rabbit trap that you can transport to a location far from your home. Do not leave a rabbit within the trap for any unnecessary period.
Place rabbit-resistant plants around the yard. Plants such as ageratum, geraniums and marigolds will make rabbits stay clear of the area. The bitter taste of these flowers will leave a sour taste, and rabbits will go elsewhere to feed.
The Hot Pepper Method
Make a homemade repellent out of hot pepper that is organic in nature, which will deter rabbits from entering the yard.
Add 2 tablespoons of hot pepper, preferably cayenne pepper, as well as 3 tablespoons of fresh garlic powder to a coffee filter. Twist the coffee filter close with a twisty string.
Transfer the "makeshift teabag" in a pitcher and pour in about 1 liter of hot water. Let the mixture sit overnight; consider placing it outside where elements can cook it. The water will have a potent odor when the filter is removed.
Pour the concoction into a spray bottle and add a half ounce of dish washing soap. The dishwashing soap will allow the mixture to stick to the grass as well as leaves and plants. Concentrate the spray on areas where rabbits have eaten grass. After heavy rains, reapply the mixture to the lawn.
References
Writer Bio
Thomas Ganio began writing in 2006 for the "Northern Virginia Daily," a community newspaper in Richmond, Va. As a freelance writer, he has also contributed to "The Maryland Springs Gazette" and the Parks and Recreation Department of Richmond County, Md. Ganio holds a Bachelor of Arts in social science and English from James Madison University.
