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Barriers help keep the less clever rabbits at bay

Q. Rabbits are eating my tulips and lilies, what can I do?

A. We have several acres and are greatly troubled with rabbit and other animals. Being a common suburban resident, rabbits can be an issue for gardeners. One method we've used with some success is to walk outside every morning and state in a loud voice, "I love rabbit stew." Rabbits with any sense will leave your yard and dine at the neighbor's.

However, if your rabbits don't speak English, or feel they're tougher than you, here are some methods we've employed over 40 years of rabbit battles that would make Elmer Fudd wince. Our rabbits are direct descendants of Bugs Bunny. As such, they are very clever and find ways around fencing and both scent-based and visual deterrents.

Physical barriers. Fencing is most effective to keep rabbits from your garden. As a practical matter, constructing a fence around plants in bloom can be problematical. Any fence should be 30 to 36 inches in height, extending 6 to 8 inches underground to prevent digging underneath. Mesh should be no larger than 1 inch, or young rabbits will be able to enter. Any gate area must be tight, as well.

Chemical barriers. Chemical barriers, both organic and inorganic, are less effective. Some rely on taste, some on scent. Both are less effective as time elapses and they are dispersed by water. The taste category means the rabbits will have to eat some plants and they will likely try a number of them before giving up. The scent category makes plants repulsive to rabbits. If you have an aversion to strong peppermint, or rotten egg scent, you may be as repulsed, as well.

Not every spray or powder is certified for every plant, especially edible crops. We've had some success with powders that use dried blood meal and tobacco. Tobacco can transmit mosaic virus to tomato plants, so caution must be advised. We've had instances of leaf burn when chemical deterrents are applied at a level to reduce rabbit damage.

There are reflective tapes, plastic snakes and owls, that purport to discourage rabbits, but we've found that these merely amuse them.

In the long run, the approach we've taken is to use scent deterrents sparingly, and add additional plants so the damage is less noticeable.

As disconcerting as it is to find the middle of a tulip stem eaten out, the leaves standing naked and the bloom lying on the ground, it's yet a vernal image, a rabbit in the middle of your spring lawn. Place the bud in a vase. Enjoy it inside, and share your yard with nature as best you can.

- Matt Steichmann

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.

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