little apple trees and rabbit damage

I have two little apple trees that the blinkety blank rabbits chewed the bark off from the ground to about 3.5 feet on one and from below the graft to about 2 feet on the other. The branches are still flexible, the buds are swelling slightly. Is there anything I can do to save these trees?

If the bark is completely gone all the way around down through the cambium layer, they are toast. If there's a bit of it left feeding the upper part of the tree, it will take a long, long time, but it might manage to regenerate enough to feed a full grown tree eventually. But, you're probably better off replacing them and circling them immediately with some chicken wire to protect them.

Kathleen, here's a post I made on another one of our forums. I hope something helps. :)

Terri

To Repel Rabbits:
1. Tree guards: In fall wrap the lower portions of the trunks with commercial tree wrap, burlap, foil, or metal window screen. The wrapping should be 2' above the height of the deepest snow expected, rabbits can walk on top of the snow. Remove wrappings from the trunks in spring.

2. Sprinkle or hang cheesecloth bags of bloodmeal around plants. If sprinkled it must be redone after rain.

3. Vinegar: Soak corn cobs (cut in half) left over from a meal in vinegar for 5 minutes, then scatter throughout the flower or vegetable garden. Two weeks later soak them again in the same vinegar. You can keep reusing this same vinegar again and again.

4. Spray a tea made from cow manure and water as a repellent.

5. Soybean plants will repel rabbits.

6. Onions will repel them. So will bonemeal.

7. Use red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, paprika etc. as a dust to repel. Rabbits are always sniffing so they snort this up and it sends them packing.

8. Mix 1 well beaten egg, 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, and 1 gal. of water. Paint this on the tree trunks to prevent munching. This will not harm the trees.

9. Plant "Mexican Marigolds" (Tagetes Minuta) and garlic in the garden to repel them.

10. Set old leather shoes (from the thrift shop) around the garden to give it that "humans are here" smell.
11. Garlic Oil Spray may help to repel rabbits.

To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours or longer. Strain. Next mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this. Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container this mixture will stay viable for several months. To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1 pint of water and spray.

I just saw Rebecca of Rebecca's Garden say tha cocoa mulch will keep rabbits and deer away.................. It's worth a try.

these trees were wrapped at one point andd i'm trying to remember the VERY good reason we unwrapped them, but it escapes me. Back to square one. Thank you for all your help and good suggestions. kathleen

I just read the way to repel rabbits....when, how much, how often, what to do after raining or especially, do you reapply everything after watering! a nuisance. Do they go away for a while and then come back when you slough off doing these repelling things? help! I have deer too. How to put cayenne pepper on the stalk of a meadow rue whose branches have been stripped of their foilage!