Rabbit or deer chewing bark - Ask Extension
Is there anything I can do to save the plants ( see attached pictures) ? As you see some of the plants are budding, some of the plants are budding on ...
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Rabbit or deer chewing bark #830449
Asked May 16, 2023, 7:51 PM EDT
Is there anything I can do to save the plants ( see attached pictures) ? As you see some of the plants are budding, some of the plants are budding on some of the branches, while some appear to have died. On the plant’s that are budding with bark chewed off is there some kind of coating I could apply to repair or preserve?
Thanks
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for writing.
You are not alone.
Many of us had horrendous rabbit damage.
You can let the branches be for a while but anything that is gnawed half way around is not going to make it. Sometimes dying branches bloom. https://gardenprofessors.com/when-trees-dont-know-theyre-dead/
The roots are not dead so the plant will start up again from roots.
Next winter, protect plants with a cage of hardware cloth. Chicken wire is not enough.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/smallfarms/protecting-trees-and-shrubs-against-rabbits-winter
You are not alone.
Many of us had horrendous rabbit damage.
You can let the branches be for a while but anything that is gnawed half way around is not going to make it. Sometimes dying branches bloom. https://gardenprofessors.com/when-trees-dont-know-theyre-dead/
The roots are not dead so the plant will start up again from roots.
Next winter, protect plants with a cage of hardware cloth. Chicken wire is not enough.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/smallfarms/protecting-trees-and-shrubs-against-rabbits-winter
