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Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915

6/30/03

Contacts:
Richard Jauron, Horticulture, (515) 294-1871, rjauron@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning July 4, 2003

Protecting Your Garden from Rabbits

By Richard Jauron
Extension Horticulture Specialist
Iowa State University

In their natural habitat, rabbits are enjoyable creatures. However, they're often viewed differently in the home landscape. Rabbits can cause serious damage to flowers and vegetables in home gardens. When damage becomes unacceptable, control measures are in order. Control options include habitat modification, repellents, trapping and fencing. Selecting plants that are less likely to be damaged by rabbits may also be helpful.

Habitat Modification
Brush, junk and tall weeds near flower and vegetable gardens provide food and cover for rabbits. Removing debris and cutting tall weeds should make the area less attractive to rabbits.

Repellents
Rabbit browsing can be discouraged by repellents. Taste repellents, such as Rabbit Scat (ziram), make plants distasteful. Odor repellents, such as Hinder (ammonium soaps), drive rabbits away from treated areas by their strong odor. Unfortunately, repellents are not always effective. Rabbits may become accustomed to the disagreeable odor. Others may ignore the poor taste. In addition, most repellents must be reapplied after heavy rains.

Trapping
Live traps can be used to remove rabbits from the landscape. Traps can be purchased at garden centers, hardware stores and garden catalogs. Place traps where rabbits are frequently seen eating or resting in the yard and close to protective cover. In the spring and summer months, bait the trap with apple slices, carrots, cabbage or lettuce. Check the trap daily and place fresh material in the trap. When successful, release the trapped rabbit a few miles away in an area where it will not cause problems for others.

Fencing
The most effective way to prevent rabbit damage in home gardens is to place chicken wire (the mesh should be 1-inch or smaller), 1/4-inch hardware cloth or other fencing materials around vulnerable plants. To provide adequate protection, the fence should be 1.5 to 2 feet tall. Support the fence with wooden stakes or metal posts. To keep rabbits from crawling underneath the fence, pin it tightly to the ground with u-shaped landscape pins or bury the bottom 1 to 2 inches below the ground.

Plant Materials
The feeding habits of rabbits vary due to fluctuations in the rabbit population, availability of alternate foods and other factors. However, some annuals, perennials, and vegetables are often severely damaged by browsing rabbits, while others are usually ignored. Selecting plants that are less likely to be damaged by rabbits can reduce the severity of the problem.

Annuals often severely damaged by rabbits include impatiens, petunia, marigold and pansy. Perennials that are frequent victims of rabbit feeding include aster, crocus, lily, grape hyacinth, garden phlox and tulip.

Browsing rabbits usually ignore annuals, such as ageratum, wax begonia, vinca and geranium. Perennials seldom damaged by rabbits include columbine, false indigo, garden mum, bleeding heart, hardy geranium, daylily, Siberian iris, Virginia bluebells, daffodil, peony, moss phlox and perennial salvia.
Vegetables that are frequently damaged by rabbits include snap bean, pea, beets, lettuce and spinach. Tomato, potato and onion are less likely to be damaged by rabbits.

In the home landscape, rabbit control is difficult. A combination of habitat modification, repellents, trapping and fencing usually provide the best results.

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Editors: There is no photo available for this week's column.


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