Where have all the flowers gone?

Forums: Rabbits, Garden Pests
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Every so often I have seen a rabbit in my back yard. No big deal. Now I see
an adult rabbit and several kits. Uh-oh. Now I know why some of my
perennials aren't getting any bigger. The bunnies must find them tasty.

So now I have to protect the flora from the fauna. I've seen rabbit repellent
on line and been told that scattering pepper flakes around the plants will
work. I don't want to trap and relocate them. I don't want to put up
fencing.

Does anybody have a method they have tried and found effective?

(Cwazy wabbits!)

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Type: Question • Score: 8 • Views: 1,600 • Replies: 21

rabbit + .22 rimfire rifle = rabbit stew

2 Replies

@George,

Visit the local barber shop and collect the hair trimmings, then strew them around your garden. Sounds strange, I admit; yet, it works. All natural, no chemicals or wires.

3 Replies

@oralloy,

oralloy wrote:

rabbit + .22 rimfire rifle = rabbit stew

And.... that will go nice with the pepper.

0 Replies

@oralloy,

oralloy wrote:

rabbit + .22 rimfire rifle = rabbit stew

OK, I also should have mentioned that I don't want to kill them.

1 Reply

@George,

Hopefully there's something here.

Quote:

How to Get Rid of Rabbits

Though we’ve mostly been discussing eastern cottontails, keep in mind—these tips should work for any type of rabbit that loves to munch on your plants!
•As their twitching noses indicate, rabbits sniff a lot. Try sprinkling dried sulfur around or on your plants. Rabbits also dislike the smell of onions, so try planting these around your garden to further deter the furry creatures.
•To discourage pesky rabbits, try dusting your plants with plain talcum powder.
•Since rabbits are great sniffers, powdered red pepper sprinkled around the garden or on targeted plants may keep them out.
•Irish Spring soap shavings placed in little drawstring bags around the garden will also help to keep rabbits away.
•Make a bad-tasting rabbit cocktail by grinding together three hot peppers, three large onions, and one whole bunch of garlic. Add water to cover, and place into a covered container overnight. Strain, and then add enough additional water to make a gallon of the mixture. Spray onto plants, repeating after rainfall. Commercial products using pungent garlic oil are also worth a try.
•Spray your plants with a mixture of 1 teaspoon Lysol and 1 gallon of water.
•Some people protect plants with individual “collars” of tin cans or screening so that the plants may reach a less vulnerable size. Put the collar around each stem for protection.
•Use cylinders of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth to keep rabbits from nibbling on young fruit and landscape trees. The cylinders should extend higher than a rabbit’s reach while the rabbit is standing on the expected depth of snow, and they should stand one to two inches out from the tree trunk.
•Some of the deer techniques related to odor are also said to work against rabbits. Deter rabbits with commercially-available deer repellents that contain a mixture of dried bovine blood, sulfured eggs, and garlic.
•Legend has it that rabbits are terrified of their own reflection, so try an old-time rabbit remedy and place large, clear glass jars of water throughout the garden. Garden centers sell ready-made reflectors, as well as other devices—crouching cats, fake snakes, menacing owls—designed to frighten bunnies away from your plants.
•Sometimes, humane traps are the best solution. If you don’t want to buy a trap, consider building one. Place the trap where you’ve seen the rabbits feeding or resting, and cover it with a piece of canvas. Apples, carrots, cabbage, and other fresh green veggies make excellent bait. Check it often, and release bunnies in rural areas several miles away.

https://www.almanac.com/pest/rabbits

1 Reply

@Sturgis,

Sturgis wrote:

Visit the local barber shop and collect the hair trimmings . . .

I don't know why, but the thought of spreading other people's hair around
my yard creeps me out.

Maybe I'll save my own trimmings. I haven't been to a barber in years.
I keep my beard and hair short myself with a beard trimmer.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

That's some interesting stuff, Iz. A few of those solutions would keep ME
out of the yard.

2 Replies

Put up a sign: "No Rabbits allowed"

1 Reply

@edgarblythe,

edgarblythe wrote:

Put up a sign: "No Rabbits allowed"

Damn! Why didn't I think of that?

1 Reply

@George,

I was thinking of a more scatological approach. I heard about a zoo that sells tiger **** to gardeners. That keeps cats out. I was thinking of fox ****, or wolf ****, something like that.

Where to procure such items is something I'll leave to you.

0 Replies

On the subject of garden wildlife I've just seen a hedgehog in my new back garden. Cool as you like, walked right past without paying me any notice at all.

0 Replies

@George,

exclusionary signs are not rabbitically correct...

0 Replies

@George,

George wrote:

Maybe I'll save my own trimmings. I haven't been to a barber in years.
I keep my beard and hair short myself with a beard trimmer.

Hey, George! The picture of you in your avatar does not show any hair or beard. Who you kiddin'?

1 Reply

@Sturgis,

Sturgis wrote:

Visit the local barber shop and collect the hair trimmings, then strew them around your garden. Sounds strange, I admit; yet, it works. All natural, no chemicals or wires.

I was going to say the same thing- just was at the salon last weekend and talking about gardens - my hair stylist told me the same thing - one of her clients used to ask for the hair that they swept up to put in her garden - apparently it smells like humans so the bunnies and other creatures stay away - not sure how often you need to replace so the scent stays.

I also had coyote urine - came bottled - have no idea how much it costs or where you get it (ebay?amazon?) - it was left behind by the previous owners so I used that as well - just sprinkle around.

0 Replies

Just seen the hedgehog again. It seems to come out just as it gets dark which is about 10pm at the moment. This time the cats were out, they gave each other a sniff, seemed to get on OK. My boy was really excited, he gave it some cat food, it had a good old munch before going back through the hole in the fence. We've decided to call it Spiny Norman.

0 Replies

@George,

with a body like yours who needs hair anyway

0 Replies

@Roberta,

Roberta wrote:

Hey, George! The picture of you in your avatar does not show any hair or
beard. Who you kiddin'?

Well, yours has plenty! Gonna share?

0 Replies

@Sturgis,

That definitely works for keeping squirrels out of tulip/daff bulbs.

My old hairdresser kept a bag of hair clippings in the cupboard for customers who came by to pick them up for the garden. It's a thing.

0 Replies

@George,

Uhhhhh if you've got rabbits, have you got deer as well? they're notorious garden chompers

Rabbits aren't usually big fans of flora other than hostas. My parents had rabbits in their yard for years, the only thing they ever went after was the hostas - little nibbly bites around the edges.

1 Reply

Where have all the flowers gone?

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