bunnies ate my new trees!

Factual Questions
1

I just got some young trees from the Arbor Day foundation, but the local rabbits are doing a number on them. I used to have a 4 ft Tulip Poplar, now it is 2 ft., and the bark from 2 inches to 1 ft is chewed up. My cherry trees were 6 inch cuttings with a couple of new branches growing out to about a foot. Now they are just the original stems with the new growth eaten off. I’ve got other trees that were ½ ft to 1 ft that have been nipped off too. I have since tried wrapping and caging what’s left as best as I could.

Will these trees recover, are they gone forever, or will I not know for sure until next spring?

We could have had bunny for Thanksgiving, but my wife talked me out of it.

2

The trees should recover (hopefully).

I have a bunny at home who’s eating things down to a stub, and they still come back.

For instance, the time he ate and entire geranium and peed pink for 3 days. Silly rabbit, geraniums are for kids…

3

Sigene, If you didn’t, and still don’t want this to happen, think about placing short metal fencing around the tree so the rabbits don’t take advantage of its oh so sweet taste. Ick. I’m sure the tree will be fine, but i’d watch out for it, rabbits look friendly, but have you ever seen Monty Pythons: The Quest for the Holy Grail? You’ll get the REAL story

4

Ah, welcome to my own little private “Wild Kingdom of Hell”! I had to put up about 5 miles of fence to keep the one kind of animal from eating another and everything from eating my trees.

If the bark was eaten all off around the trees, it will probably die. Sorry to be the one to tell you. I’ve seen it happen too often, hence the fence.

Ask me about the time I killed the jackrabbit with a BB Gun and a 9 Iron for eating my trees. Its a great story.

5

I, personally, think I will pass on the dead bunny story.

However. Ahem.

Cyanine pepper and zest soap sprinkled liberally over your trees and shurbs will keep critters away. It works for my mom and she’s lives in the boondocks. She actually has a pet deer. Wacky.

6

Hide behind a tree and make noises like a carrot. When the bunny comes looking for the carrot, punch him out.

7

Only one solution…

(cue Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” music from das Nibelungenlied)

<<engage “Elmer Fudd” voice>>

Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!

8

A circle of chicken wire (poultry netting) around the tree will keep rabbits out. Place a five-foot piece of the wire (18" or 24" height, 1" to 2" mesh) around the tree and fasten the wire back to itself. Rabbits aren’t aggressive, so they won’t try to push it aside or go under it. However, you may want to stake it enough to keep the wind from blowing it over.

That works for rabbits. Bunnies? I don’t know. Maybe you should ask some kiddies.