A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems rabbits and mason jars

I was doing some reading online for ways to control rabbits. I read that putting mason jars every 3 feet around the garden prevents them from entering. Has anyone heard of this? I got two dozen jars out and I am going to try it. (too tired today)
Also if I get a bail of grass hay and dump it closer to the little woods where the deer and rabbits live will they be less likely to eat my stuff? The usual tips for rabbits and deer have limited results I have found and people tend to disagree about it too. The hot pepper, garlic, hair, urines, blood meal etc don't really work. They just ate some of the brussel sprouts I had hot pepper all over. Fences and motion detector sprinklers are not options at my field.

Do you remember how we blew across the top of coke bottles to make a low whistling sound? The tone varied depending on how much liquid was in the bottle. A friend collected a lot of wine bottles and put them all around his backyard yard to scare off the critters. I went over one day and the bottles were gone. I asked about them. He said they didn't work. That is when I told him he was supposed to take the tops off of them.
I wonder if the mason jars are used in a similar way?

Many people know that I am The Bird Man. but not as many people know that I am THE BUNNY MAN!!! I now have two Life-Companion male Lop-Eared rabbits, Two Bean Bags, a black rabbit, and my NEW bunny, Rainbow, a silver-grey male Lop-eared. If you are having rabbit problems, send them to me. I will love them, and hug them, and squeeze them, and I will call them, "George".

So the jars are supposed to be upright? I was going to put them hole down. I thought they saw their reflection in them or something.

I honestly don't know about the jar up or down, Tamara. But they would see a reflection either way, wouldn't they?

I think the main reason why putting mason jars down would keep the critters away is that it would just be something new that would make them skittish. Once they have been there for a while they will probably loose their effect. I have never heard of particular one, but that is how most ole wives tales got started I believe.

"The hot pepper, garlic, hair, urines, blood meal etc don't really work." All of these were new scents to the critters at some point. So that is why they may have worked for a while. Some of them such as urine have no real basis at all, and just makes me wonder how the tale even got started. Even commercial scent repellents need to be changed up every so often to keep the critters on their toes and at bay. The best things that you can use are things that carry a strong scent. Those little bars of soap we are all guilty of stealing from hotels, perfume soaked rags, mothballs, human or animal hair, will all work for a short period of time.

Taste repellents are a bit of a different story. The use of hot pepper on a plant will work if the pepper stays there. Unfortunately most of the time wind or watering wash it off. There are commercial taste repellents on the market which will adhere to the plant. (they usually have a latex base) This makes them much more effective, but you can't use them on veggies once they start producing fruit, or you will suffer the taste of the products as well.
You say that fences are not an option in your situation. If that is the case, what about some of that black nylon bird netting. This may help to keep the little furry critters away. It is light weight and easy to put over the plants.