Cottontail rabbits ate my cherry bushes

[Mattemma]

I never had issue with the rabbits eating my shrubs,but they sure went to town on my 3 year old nanking bushes. I was sooooo looking forward to cherries.

I am going to pot the little bushes and nurture them near the home.

In the meantime I want to rid my yard of the rabbits. Anyone find a successful method?

Will bloodmeal on the plants protect them till I can move or fence them in?

Will they eat my elderberry and plum seedlings?

 

[digitS']

Sorry about those cherry bushes, Mattema.

Perhaps they will leave the elderberry plants alone since they are supposed to be toxic.

Plum? I once left a pile of wild plum branches in the garden over the winter. A fall windstorm had damaged the tree and I removed the broken branches. By late winter, those branches had all been carefully stripped by the cottontail bunnies.

Repellent? I don't know maybe bloodmeal would work. Be sure to wear a mask when applying. Small dog would clear them out. .22 rifle would also. These days, there seems to be no shortage of these durn varmi'ts in suburbia.

Steve

 

[lesa]

I would get everything surrounded by a little chicken wire, at least. I make a circle of it, around small plantings. After a few years, the plants will be less appealing and able to handle a bit of chewing. More attractive fencing options exist, if these are located in the front yard, etc. Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

You might try Scoot. It is a paste (but can be diluted with water to apply via spraybottle), I believe technically it is a fungicide of some sort? but it is labelled and sold as a rabbit (etc) deterrent.

I have had pretty good luck with it over winter.

It is not a permanent yard-wide solution, as it needs to be reapplied after too many days of too much rain; but as an addition to other methods it may be of use.

I have not seen any rabbits around here (tho, this is not a *very* rabbit-infested area) since we got the dog. He is not outside on his own ever, so it is not like he's chasing them; but maybe they can smell that he lives here, his poo/pee etc? Maybe you have a neighbor with a dog who'd let you scoop their yard once a week and transfer the parcels into your garden?

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Mattemma]

Thanks for the posts! I have forced my dogs out in the cold,and only let them in when they are barking at the door.

I have a couple plums I planted last summer,so I will cut some chicken wire around those.

Debating adding chicken wire along my fenceline.It is a bit under an acre,but I guess over time I could do it. Don't care much about looks.To many neighbors anyway,so maybe the ugliness will get those eyes off my yard.

I will look into the paste. I read they don't like garlic. Maybe the rotten egg/garlic mix my mom makes will deter them. I would love something to spray along the chainlink fence. It still amazes me that they fit through the chainlink.I thought the adults would be to big.

My yard was bare but I have been planting it up over the past 5 years(only garden around on this side of the road),and all the animals have noticed.

My elder across the road has a pellet gun.Time to give some eggs and iquire about a cheap brand for rabbit hunting.The conibear trap makes me to nervous!

Thank you again.Guess I will have to buy dh the cherry.Maybe he will buy me a big tree this year!

 

[digitS']

. . . I read they don't like garlic. . . It still amazes me that they fit through the chainlink.I thought the adults would be to big.
. . .

They often eat some of my onions but I don't grow garlic.

Fitting thru a chainlink fence? Ah, but they can . . . and do it almost in stride .

Steve

 

[vfem]

I wish I had suggestions... I just watched the last of cabbages get munched down by the rabbits!

They did not touch a single cabbage that was bolting though?!?!

 

[Collector]

sorry to hear about all of your losses rabbits can devour a garden rather quickly when they find one then show all of thier freinds. the chicken wire along the bottom of your fence would work pretty good i think. Hopefully your dogs can keep them at bay till you come up with a strategy to keep them out!

 

[thistlebloom]

I will look into the paste. I read they don't like garlic. Maybe the rotten egg/garlic mix my mom makes will deter them. I would love something to spray along the chainlink fence.

Another good repellent is "Plantskydd". I have several customers with Arborvitae hedges (deer candy! ) who had an awful time with the gangs of deer that roam their neighborhood until I sprayed with that. It will last about 3 months, even after a lot of rain. They also sell
a granular form to repel rabbits and other little critters. I buy mine on line, tho I notice the local Ace hardware carries it now.

 

[Mattemma]

Thank you again for the posts.

I spent yesterday cutting up my old chicken wire to wrap around the tree seedlings that I planted all over the yard.

I hope the rabbits don't chew through chicken wire. I had a groundhog that chewed apart the chainlink fence!