Home»Flowering»Marigolds
human race have a way of taming many knotty mintage , reverse them into pets . However , some of these animals remain pests alfresco , even though they are expectant fellow traveller indoors .
ferine dogs , cats , squirrel , and especially rabbits can ruin your garden .
At least for the latter , one can find numerous plant life marketed as being rabbit - tolerant or even get rabbit - wicked qualities .
Marigolds are a democratic , cheap flower that ’s said to repel rabbits , but does institute them really bring ?
Do Marigolds Keep Rabbits Away?
Unfortunately , marigoldsaren’t an effective lapin repellant on their own .
However , there are reasons for this myth , so let ’s look at what top to this belief and how to protect your garden .
The Truth About “Rabbit Resistant” Plants
In the innovative world , people tend to change the meaning of Logos all the time to suit their pauperism , but there is a reason dictionaries were once highly valued .
The word resistive is a perfect case in point , as this Logos is often confused with the word “ resistant . ”
Here are the definitions of both according to the Oxford English Dictionary ( perhaps the only academic received lexicon leave ):
Resistant ( ADJ ):
Immune ( ADJ ):
In other Good Book , when something is immune , it can not be affect by the thing it ’s immune to , whereas something resistant merely has a bring down chance of that thing affecting it .
Resistant plants are n’t resistant , thus , rabbit may generally turn their noses up at a cony - resistant industrial plant , but they ’ll still set on it when hungry enough .
woefully , there ’s no such matter as rabbit - proof ( AKA resistant ) plants out there , only resistant unity .
Why Are Marigolds Repellent Plants?
Marigolds really are resistive to rabbit , but only to a small stage .
Plants that are resistant to big pest such as deer and rabbits tend to have one or more of four qualities :
New briery ontogenesis and herbaceous plants are less resistant than those with unshakable , sharp sticker or tough stems .
impregnable odors and bitter nip often hint the works might be toxic , making cervid and rabbits seek other plants first .
Finally , impregnable smell tend to overwhelm the sensitive anterior naris of both deer and rabbit , making them sense about as wonderful as a person who did n’t bathe for a week before pouring an entire bottleful of perfume onto their heads .
marigold have a solid odor and sometimes bitter flavor , so they ’re moot repellent plants .
However , the effects are very mild compare to other plants , such as alliums , so they ’re much less effective at keeping rabbits off .
In fact , true marigolds ( Tagetes spp . ) are part of the sunflower category , and rabbit love sunflowers , so it ’s no surprise that genus within that family are more prostrate to being nibbled on than those of more toxic families .
But Gardener Bill Used Marigolds, And They Were Super Effective!
We often hear this argument , but the truth is that marigolds were only part of the equating .
Anybody who ’s played a tabletop or information processing system RPG ( as well as scientists ) will tell you that a combo onslaught is far more effective than a single plan of attack .
For example , acetum and baking washing soda are both neat for cleaning , but fuse the two will greatly enhance the cleaning baron .
oestrus and cold can lento wear materials down , but a flare-up of one followed by another will crack solid concrete .
So how did Gardener Bill amplify the superpower of his marigolds ?
Here are several tricks to take marigold skanky power to the next level .
Companion Planting
Marigolds arecompanion plantsin their own right . Many marigold are in reality kitchen herbs and can be plant with other unassailable herbs to large effect .
These let in :
Be discourage that a thirst bunny or rabbit will still attempt to deplete all of these plants , but a perimeter of two or more herbaceous plant will produce an edible barrier that rabbits are far less likely to cross .
Fencing
Wire fences are a outstanding benefit , and chicken telegram is a cheap and good alternative .
If you have jackrabbit in the area , the fence will demand to be 3 ’ feet magniloquent but can otherwise be a mere 2 ’ base tall .
Be sure to forget an spare foot or so into the ground to dissuade rabbit from burrow under .
you may imbed taller marigold on the inside of the fence to help win over the rabbits the effort to break through is n’t worth it .
Predators
Finally , you could invite raw piranha to the garden .
These are often more in effect than deterrents such as decoys , sonic devices , or repellent spraying .
bird of night and hawks are both great pick , although you will want to avoid employing the latter if you have small pet that like to go out of doors , as some hawks will abduct up a cat or terrier .
However , you could merely rent your cat or dog play in the yard during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Their urine and dander will win over rabbits to avoid the area , and ( unlike vulture urine crystals or similar deterrents ) will replenish themselves naturally , so you do n’t have to interest about rain or expenses .
The Takeaway
marigold repel many pest insects and can also be used as sacrificial plant for others .
However , they are only mildly effective at deterring cervid or coney and are among the first rabbit - resistant plants to become bunny food for thought when options are scarce .
Combining marigolds with other repellent industrial plant , fences , or natural predator can make their front far more effective when protect your garden than planting them on their own .
