How To Protect Your Trees & Shrubs From Rabbits
Posted on: 18 May 2019
Rabbits may look cute when they are jumping all around your yard, however, when you see the damage that they can do to your trees and shrubs, those little rabbits quickly lose their cute factor.
Rabbits like to eat wood and they are known to strip the bark off both trees and shrubs as far as they can reach. Your trees and shrubs, however, need that bark. Bark helps protect your trees from damage and disease and helps carry nutrients throughout your trees.
Protect Your Trees Before They Are Damaged
If you know that there are lots of rabbits in your neighborhood, you are going to want to protect your trees and shrubs before they are damaged.
The best way to do this is by taking either chicken wire or hardware cloth and putting it around your trees and shrubs. For the most effective fence take the chicken wire and bury it about six inches into the ground. That way, the rabbits will not be able to easily dig under the fence and get to the tasty bark that they want to enjoy.
Make sure the fence is tall enough. You want the fence to be at least three feet high; keep in mind that rabbits can jump high, so a taller fence is better than a shorter one.
Spray some repellent designed specifically to keep rabbits away to further protect your plants and trees from damage.
Take Care of Damaged Trees
If the rabbits have already damaged the tree, the tree may be able to be saved. If the bark is still in place in a few areas, your tree has a chance of making it. If your tree has some bark still in place, contact an arborist to inspect your tree. They will let you know if your tree stands a chance of making it and will let you know how to protect the tree.
If the bark has been removed around the entire base of the tree, and there is no bark left, you tree is more than likely not going to make it. In that case, you will need a tree service to remove the tree for you before it falls on its own.
If you have rabbits in your yard, you are going to need to be proactive and protect your trees and shrubs from rabbit's desire to consume bark. If the bark is eaten all away, you will need to remove the tree. If some bark is left, an arborist or company like Brown's Tree Service may be able to save the tree
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