GRRRRRRRRR

[GardenGirl]

I was so excited because I found the perfect delphiniums to offer a gorgeous blue complement to my yellow sundrops. Got them home and had them in the garden two days--the darned rabbits ate every last bud and leaf! Animal lover that I am, I am quite sure I could ring their necks if I caught them. Anyone have any ideas for rabbit control?

Will these decimated delphiniums survive as their roots are not harmed?

[Steve Foss]

GG: Step back, girl!

Just kidding. The delphiniums may come back. Don't fertilize them but keep them nicely moist. If there is enough energy in the roots, they'll re-sprout. To really baby them if they do come back, I'd make sure you mound compost or straw over them for the winter to help protect from the coldest temps. It's early enough in the year so if they're going to come back, they'll have time to make new growth soon enough to harden off before winter.

As for the rabbits, you can put tomato cages around the delphiniums. Get the tallest ones you can find. They also support the plants. Delphiniums are very prone to falling over of their own weight. Then take 1/4 inch hardware cloth from the hardware store and wrap it around the tomato cages, going a bit under the ground and extending up the full lenght of the cage or beyond. Wire it to the cages to keep it sturdy.

You can always tell Deitz that he's done fishing until he finds away to solve your rabbit problem. I reckon that'd get rid of Peter Cottontail RIGHT AWAY, though you probably wouldn't like the way he'd take care of things.

If you really want the rabbits gone but are shy about nasty methods, you can buy live traps and let the bunnies go a couple miles from your house. You'd be doing that with some frequency, though, because, well, rabbits breed LIKE RABBITS!

[GardenGirl]

Thanks, Steve. Like I said, I don't consider myself a violent person, but how aggravating!

I'll try those pointers...with a little luck, they'll be ok. (fingers crossed).

[Powerstroke]

Also consider repellant products mad efor deer and small mammals. They don't hurt the animals and do a decent job if you find the right one.

Most of them contain some form of capsacin (sp?) hot pepper or other oil or extract that is too spicy and drives the animals away. Of course you always get the one animal with a taste for spicy foods. Frequent moisture will weaken it and lots of new growth that hasn't been treated will draw in more critters.

They are a viable option with plants that get hit hard often. This is a common and reliable option for those with small shrubs and arbovitaes that get hammered by the mammals.

[grassman03]

hi gardengirl,

i know that rabbits dont like garlic and there is a product

out there that controls tics and mosquitos thats made out

of garlic juice that you might want to try.

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[Rick]

Hi Gardengirl.

Liquid Fence will do it for you. They have it at Fleet Farm and at Lowes for sure.

My garden was a shamble because of so many rabbits. Liquid fence has stopped them in their tracks.

They wiped out every bean and snow pea plant I had going and then the second batch as well. I have new buds coming up for the past week and the Liquid Fence has stopped them.

They say to spray the plants. I did that for the first 6 that came up and now I just spray the perimeter. I got the small spray bottle of it.

Believe me we are over-run with rabbits within feet of my garden (Large wood pile in the nature center and they love that spot).

It does have garlic in it and is completely organic too.

[Valv]

Rick, do you know if it works also with birds ?

I planted many raspberries, blackberries, and cherry trees and I haven't been able to eat any of them due to birds....amazingly they don't like blueberries but....neither do I.

[Steve Foss]

Rick, that's useful info. Thanks. I generally try hard to avoid chemical applications, hoping to keep everything organic, but if there's a hot pepper oil extract as the main ingrediant, that could work for me.

Valv, birds don't respond to repellants the way mammals do. Most won't work on them. Old-fashioned repellants include hanging aluminum foil strips from plants to reflect sunlight in the breeze and putting lengths of cut garden hose along the ground to resemble snakes. You can also buy the rubber joke snakes you see at novelty stores.

The only way I know of for complete protection is to suspend fine mesh netting over the plants. Not really practical for cherry trees, tho.

Out in N.D., they use propane cannons to scare the blackbirds out of the crops, but that might be a bit extreme where you live.

[Abrams]

Liquid Fence works very well, from what I remember it's mostly water, garlic and eggs or some other strange mix. It's smells terrible but works very well. Last year the rabbits ate my lupine, lilies and laritis but not this year.

[Valv]

Quote:

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R...

Out in N.D., they use propane cannons to scare the blackbirds out of the crops, but that might be a bit extreme where you live.

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Thanks a lot Steve.....I can see 3 squad cars approaching my property with a SWAT team van....

I think I'll stick to my .22, much quieter

[fishinchicks]

If you want to stick to organic applications, use cayenne pepper. Just sprinkle it on the ground around the plant, or on the plant itself. There is a "soup" you can make that involves garlic and tobasco sauce in water. I believe you let the mix sit for a day or so, then put into a spray bottle. I haven't used the soup, just the cayenne pepper. They pretty much stayed away from my petunia's last year after I sprinkled them with the pepper.

My cousin uses bottle rockets to scare away raccoons out of his sweet corn patch, but then we are out in the country. No one usually hears it but the pests.

[GardenGirl]

Thanks, Rick. I ran right down to the local hardware store, today. They had it. It's now on my beds. I look forward to watching it work! A girlfriend brought some new plants by just last night--I put those in today--they should offer a good test. Thanks for the tip!

[buzzsaw]

I could always ask my Owl friend "Shakespeare" to fly on up and take care of business.

[Fish Toys]

Ok sounds like the little critters are covered. Plinked a few rabbits but now they scatter when I pull into the yard. How about the coon & deer? The deer have trimmed some of the sweet corn to the ground. According to the tracks the coon have been checking out the sweet corn progress. Checked on electric fence and it'll cost close to $250 with all new material and fencer.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Like fishinchicks said, cayenne pepper works wonders.

We have quite a bit of asparagus around these parts and the deer love it. Until we sprinkle cayenne pepper on the buds, that is. It's kind of funny to watch Bambi after it chomps on a bud that has cayenne sprinkled on it. Needless to say, Bambi goes away and doesn't come back. Works on raccoons also.

[SteveWilson]

Liquid Fence (and similar) will work well but sometimes you will have a few that aren't affected by the repelant. I run traps and then take the caught rabbits to a large park. I also hunt their for their hideouts in the winter and kill the babies with a shovel if they're in my yard.