Rabbits – Grid Sub

Rabbits are all cute and nice until they begin to invade your garden and chew your favorite vegetables. The adorable creatures only come to your garden in search of food to nourish themselves. Unfortunately, they tend to nibble at your favorite foods, from broccoli to carrots. Sometimes they even attack bushes and flowering plants, destroying them in the long run. While it may be nice to watch them, no one wants to sit still and watch the little creatures destroy what they have worked so hard to build. As such, finding easy but safe ways to keep the rabbits out of your garden is advised. Identifying Rabbits Damage Before concluding that rabbits are causing the damage happening in your garden, you may want to be sure of this. Different rodents and small animals often cause garden infestation. Squirrels, moles, raccoons, and rabbits are major culprits. Each of these small animals behaves in a particular manner, making it easy for you to identify. You may most likely have to handle each of them differently, too. You can tell that a rabbit has been in your garden by how they eat. While it may not be easy to trace their tracks as you would do for a raccoon, rabbits have a distinct eating habit. They tend to cut clean, meaning that all vegetable leaves in your garden will have clean damage. Unlike insects and birds, which often leave jagged edges on the plants, rabbits tend to cut clean. What’s more, younger bunnies green shoots. If you notice that a lot of the clean-cut damage is happening on the ground level, you will most likely deal with a rabbit infestation. It is important to work on curbing their infestation because they can easily cause massive damage. While it is true that rabbits attack practically all season, they cause more damage during the spring when your plants are shooting again. Unless you have soft ground where the rabbits’ little paws will be imprinted as they move about, make sure you observe the type of cut on your plants. Taking Charge of the Garden Regardless of the type of rabbit affecting your garden, an amicable solution is needed. Whether you want to turn the rabbits into a delicacy, or are just interested in keeping them off your favorite vegetable garden, a few methods are effective. This article explores some of the most efficient techniques to use when dealing with stubborn rabbit. Read on to discover the method that could work for you because situations differ. 1. Fencing Off the Garden Area This is a method that will contain rabbits that cannot dig. Most of these kinds of rabbits will have their nests on the surface, meaning that they will conduct most of their activities on the ground. What’s more, you do not have to incur a lot of costs erecting a very tall fence. A simple, one-foot high fence will work. Most of the rabbits will be helpless once they are cut off the garden. Use locally available material, and if possible, environmentally friendly materials will work wonders. 2. Use Cages You can use cages around each crop you plant if this is a viable option for you. If you have a few crops and prefer to have the garden un-fenced, using individual cages per crop may be the best option. This is one of the most effective ways to keep your crops safe from bunny attacks. 3. Use Repellents You can use rabbit repellents, which can be anything from predators' urine odor to blood meal smells. You can spread these relents around the garden or yard. You can even include some dog fur, especially if you know where the bunnies nests are. Rabbits will keep off anything that smells like predators since this is a sign of threat. 4. Use Raised Beds Raised beds are excellent options, especially if the bunnies, since most of them will not be willing to climb and get to the crops. Most bunnies are lazy and only cause havoc when on the ground level. Experienced gardeners have noticed that rabbits do not disturb when the ground is raised compared to when the ground levels are low. 5. Create Specific Patches and Spots for the Bunnies If you are one of the people who appreciate balancing things, you may consider co-existing with the bunnies. Consider setting specific spaces where the bunnies can have a great time without invading your garden. This may not be an option for everyone, but it is worth trying, especially if you consider yourself a humanitarian. 6. Sprinkle Sulfur Bunnies, like dogs, are fond of sniffing around. You can naturally discourage them from invading your garden regularly if you sprinkled dried sulfur on the plants. They dislike the smell of sulfur and will most likely stay away. 7. Use Pepper and/or Onions Keep the little animals away naturally by spraying or spreading dried pepper powder all over the garden, and especially on the crops. The pepper will irritate their nose every time they sniff. If this happens a couple of times, the rabbits will keep off and consider your garden a marked area to avoid. Onion smell also will discourage the rabbits from getting close to your plants. You should consider planting them all around the garden, and you can be sure that the furry plants will not get close to your favorite vegetables. Talcum powder also works, but you should not use it on plants that you are going to consume a few days after the application. 8. Reflection Trick While it is not proven, legend has it that rabbits are terrified of their own reflection. This means that they will turn around so fast when they get to see themselves in a mirror. Try placing mirrors around the garden, especially in entry spots, and see if this will keep the rabbits away. There is no harm in trying. Reflector glasses have been said to work on other crawling animals like snakes and even cats. You may be solving several problems with one solution, after all. 9. Traps Consider using human traps when you are stuck. While many may consider this is the last resort, they are some of the most effective methods that guarantee results. You can opt to buy a ready-made trap or build your own. Place the traps in strategic positions, especially where the rabbits eat and rest. You can use their favorite vegetables as bait. Look at the crop they eat the most and set it close to the traps. 10. Minimize Potential Nests It is true that rabbits are lazy and would hardly leave their homes unless it is necessary. Unless the garden offers a great nesting ground, the rabbits will most likely feed close to their home. This means that you should clear away all bushes and piled-up leaves around your garden to keep the rabbits away. In case there are a few abandoned burrows, close them up to discourage new rabbits from taking positions near your garden. Do not encourage rabbits to form habitats. 11. Grow Crops that Rabbits Dislike If you want to keep the rabbits away from your garden, consider planting crops that the little furry animals will not get close to. Some of the crops rabbits have been known to avoid at all costs include Japanese beetles and other deer-resistant plants. Others to include in the garden are marigolds, lavender, daffodils, lilac bush, and zinnias. Keeping rabbits from your garden does not have to be a difficult process. Try out a few of the above-mentioned solutions and fix the infestation once and for all. Once you are sure that you are dealing with a rabbit problem, then loo into a solution that offers and fast and effective solution.