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jimmy0058

Rabbit profing

jimmy0058
15 years ago

I fenced in my garden last year in hops of keeping most all critters out,only to find out rabbits can squeeze through the rectangle openings. I plan on putting chicken wire around the lower third of the fence, buy a roll and cut in half. Would this work or will the rabbits climb?

My idea I'm using this year to keep deer away...I have a motion sensor light with two sockets, one socket has a bulb, the other a receptical. In the receptical I have pluged in a old weed wacker motor mounted to a piece of ply wood that'll rest on the fence.

With the light that comes on and the sound of the motor, that should be enough to scare deer away.

Comments (8)

  • DYH
    15 years ago

    I've been told 2 feet high for rabbits, so you should be okay. I'm thinking about something for the bottom of my cottage garden fence, but it's our front yard! I ended up getting I MUST GARDEN rabbit repellant yesterday. First time that I've used a repellant, but the rabbits have started burrowing in my flower garden, too.

    Cameron

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    Deer fencing should be 7' tall and rabbit fencing 2 1/2 - 3' tall. Rabbit do not climb so don't fret.

    Cameron, You can put the chicken wire on the back side of the cottage fence. It will be all but invisible. Remember that repellents must be reapplied at specific time intervals and after water gets on the plants.

  • jimmy0058
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I made a small round cage with the extra wire I used for the big garden to help my sun flowers grow. The rabbits squeezed their heads into it and one had a dent... deer nosing into it I assume. So I put chicken wire around and on top of it and used a spray repellent and didn't have any problems afterward.
    This year I'll test the repellent without the cages and see what happens.
    Thanks for the replies!

  • DYH
    15 years ago

    Our fence is our front yard and we just don't want to put chicken wire on the bottom of it. I'd love to, but it's just too front and center, as you can see in the photo.

    Thanks,
    Cameron {{gwi:655117}}From Defining Your Home Garden

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    How about this? Plant greek oregano on the outside of the fence. Rabbits/deer do not like the very strong aroma of this semi-perennial which has fussy leave and white flowers. There are ornamental oregano but they don't the same aroma level. I doubt you can buy greek oregano locally so you'll have go online.

  • florrie2
    15 years ago

    I have critters of all kinds, rabbits, deer, gophers, birds (yes, they eat some plants). I use fine plastic netting around my most sensitive plants. Seems to work well and is all but invisible. The only trouble I've had with it is that sometimes snakes weave their way into the netting and have to be cut out. And I take it up in the winter, but it's so easy to work with even someone with a "garden impaired" husband like me can do it!

    Look at this link for Gardener's Supply and click on "yard pest controls"
    Florrie

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gardener's supply

  • MissMyGardens
    14 years ago

    Someone on the Winter Sowing forum caught rabbits climbing her veggie garden fence. Her daughter went after them with a SuperSoaker...LOL.

    Some rabbits and groundhogs will climb fences.

    Haven't caught the rabbits in the act yet but miserable groundhogs are another story...4' high fence and they loved the Liatris, Gaillardia and Aster in particular.

    No gaps in fence at ground, earth staples punched in all along perimeter between stakes weren't disturbed and no digging along fence. They got in there somehow. Up and over is the only alternative.

    I've grown tons of seedlings of Thyme, Broadleaf Sage and Tarragon since reading these have heightened aroma and might "confuse" critters. Thyme is the only one that's perennial in my zone but it's worth a try to scatter them among other plants even though ones that aren't fenced are suppposedly "resistant." Everything else goes inside ugly green fence cages that aren't so visible from the street that they're noticeable at foliage level.

  • scarletdaisies
    14 years ago

    I doubt you want corn growing at your fence, but growing it into a fence in a square around my garden in two rows of corn, worked for me until the corn died. The rabbits ate the bean plants to a nub. Last year they terrorized the thing! This year, just as the corn plants died, they started to come back.

    Maybe a tall flower, sunflowers? They can't be planted as close as corn, corn every 6 inches and sunflowers every 2 feet. There is a sunflower that just flowers tall enough. I think out of sight, out of mind is the rule for bunnies. I'm trying to grow a prickly rose hedge fence around my garden that will take years to grow, but it will be worth it.

    You can put your hedge next to the fence and your chicken wire behind the hedge and at least 8 inches under ground, so not to be noticed. Any prickly green hedges will work. I've been told nothing will dig past 8 inches. They use this method for chicken coops, so if it's safe from the raccoons and other animals that prey on chickens, 8 inch underground boarder should work for bunnies.

    Good luck on the rabbits. I was very disappointed when I woke up to 1 inch tall plants through out the garden.

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