If you need a way to deter rabbits from eating your flowers, try this organic rabbit repellent recipe. It uses garlic and crushed red peppers to repel the rabbits naturally without damaging your plants.
If you have had any contact with me in the last three years, you know that I struggle with rabbits. I have annuals hanging in baskets far out of reach of the rabbits and my vegetables growing safely behind chicken wire, but I really wanted to see some bulbs come up out of the ground unobstructed. When I found tulip bulbs on sale for $1.00 a bag at Walmart last fall I decided to try them in my yard. As you can see from the picture below, it didn’t start so well! Then I discovered how to make a natural rabbit repellent at home using common household ingredients.
How to Make Rabbit Repellent
You just need a few items to make this DIY rabbit deterrent: garlic, peppers, dish soap, and an empty milk jug. Once you mix the ingredients, let it sit for at least 6 hours in the sun before applying it to plants. Use this organic rabbit-repellent recipe to deter rabbits from eating your flowers. Reapply after a rain.
DIY Rabbit Repellent Recipe
Items needed:
- empty milk jug
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1-gallon water
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
Directions:
- To make the repellent fill an old milk jug with water, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of crushed red peppers (you can save a packet from the pizza delivery) and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.
- Shake well; then let it sit in the sun for a day or two to ensure the water is saturated with the flavors and smells.
- Shake well, then spray or pour the deterrent on the plants you don’t want the rabbits to eat.
I had to reapply the rabbit repellent once a week for a couple of weeks to convince the rabbits that my tulips were never going to taste good again. With my other bulbs, I sprayed them with the natural rabbit repellent as soon as they started to poke through the ground and then reapplied the repellent once a week and after it rains.
Flowers before I started applying my homemade rabbit repellent:
Flowers treated with the homemade rabbit repellent:
You will notice that the tulips treated with my DIY rabbit repellent survived unscathed!Printable Recipe for Homemade Rabbit Repellent
Homemade Rabbit Repellent Recipe
Equipment
- empty milk jug
Materials
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1- gallon water
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
Instructions
- To make the repellent fill an old milk jug with water, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of crushed red peppers, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.
- Shake well; then let it sit in the sun for a day or two to ensure the water is saturated with the flavors and smells.
- After the mixture has sat in the sun for at least one day, shake it well, then spray or pour the deterrent on the plants you don't want the rabbits to eat.
Notes
More Frugal Gardening Tips:
How to Make a Planter Out of a Tree Stump
Tips for Extending a Short Growing Season
How to Make a Mini-Greenhouse with Recycled Items
Fast and Easy Compost Pile Using Hay Bales
How to Extend Your Growing Season with a Container Garden
Grow More In Your Square Foot Garden with Succession Planting
This Rabbit Deterrent Tutorial was originally published on June 6, 2013. It was updated on April 4, 2024, to include printable directions.
Eileen says
The bunnies in my yard are eating my black-eyed susan plants (which supposedly rabbits don’t eat!). If I spray this mix on them, will it bother the hummingbirds/butterflies that the flower garden has been planted to attract??
Judy says
Will it work on fig trees because the are eating all my figs every year
Rob says
I’m tempted to put more than 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the recipe to really make it spicy for the rabbits. But would more red pepper flakes be harmful to the plants?
P.S. I too tried human hair and it didn’t work.
Chrissy Losey says
Thank you for the recipe. I have rabits eating new gowthvon my roses, bulbs & hollyhocks. I’ve made 2 batches and sprayed twice but the spray bottle gets clogged. What do you use to spray freely without clogging?
tom b says
thanks for all the comments, have to try what others are suggesting , love the rabbits but love them less when and if they’ve breakfasted lunched and dinnered on my on plants, im not so much concerned with their eating grass
Jasmine says
Thanks I’ll try this!
Pat Eltz says
I live in FL, surrounded by wetlands and scrub preserve. During the dry season in particular (Jan thru June) the deer love to chew down Hibiscus, Trinette and some other tasty shrubs. I tried planting Rosemary near them with no success. Irish Spring soap seems to help a bit. But the best thing that works is putting stakes around the plants and clipping window screening to the stakes, surrounding the plants screening so the deer can’t get to them. Cheap and easy to do and it definitely works! Rabbits have just devoured my ornamental peanut and diamond frost….so I will be trying this natural remedy. We are having a bunny invasion this year!
Tina says
Is the pepper, water, garlic mix safe for the plants. Does it hurt the leaves and flowers in any way?
Alea Milham says
It has not hurt any of the plants I have used it on.
margie marsden says
I always plant hot peppers around the perimeter of my garden and that keeps all animals out.
Jackie says
Works like a charm. I have spent so much money to fail every year :(. This year so far so good. Thank You Thank You Thank You.
Rick chivers says
How you deter rabbits from digging holes all over our lawns and driveway.we fill them up and are redug the next night.any suggestions.we live in the bush on the Murray river
Joe f says
What type of sprayer did you use? I tried making something similar to what you recommend and the sprayer nozzle blocked up with the mixture and quit. Do you strain the mixture before you spray?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Alea Milham says
I just put holes in the milk jug lid and sprinkle it over the plants.