I love reading all the lily information and I thank each of you for the helpful information. I have suffered with bunny problems this year. I have tried so many products with little sucess. I have lots if stems with the leaves chewed off and I am not sure what to do. Would it be wise to dig them and replant with amendments? Is there a chance that they will bloom next year if left alone or even fertilized now. I am at a loss as what to do. I spent so much money ordereing the ones I wanted and planting them in just the right places with my roses and perennials. Any suggestions would be so..... appreciated. Thanks.... Lesley
I have a question!!
Hi Lesley, welcome to the lily forum, glad you've joined us!
I know how heartbreaking it is to lose lilies to those rotten rabbits. Other than physical barriers, the best product so far is Plantskydd. I lost only 1 lily this year. It's available at some nurseries and online. http://www.plantskydd.com/
Hi Lesley,
I have had all sorts of problems with deer and rabbits in my rural location. I have had success with Liquid Fence, but I think I am going to use more physical barriers this Fall because it seems like I was a bit late starting the Liquid Fence this Spring and I too had damage. I don't think Liquid Barriers work when there is snow involved. Someone else might dispute me on this, but that is just my experience.
For trees and shrubs, physical barrier is the best option.
Mag ~ have you tried Plantskydd? I used Liquid Fence for a couple of years and it worked fairly well as long as you kept up with the spraying. That was until I tried Plantskydd ~ works much, much better and isn't any more expensive than Liquid Fence. The added benefit is that one or two through applications is good for the season.
I confess to using it a bit more often than that on my lilies, because I have really vicious bunnies. Haven't used it for at least a month and still have no damage ~ even to the hostas. It's seems to be somewhat effective at deterring the digging squirrels in areas that we were starting grass.
I credit Plantskydd with the fact that I got to see my lilies bloom this year. Bunnies still got a few when they came up and I was distracted by the iris blooms...
I'm going to wrap my chin link fence in chicken wire next year--let's see them go thru THAT!
I have vigilant cats and a .22. Bunny's aren't a problem. Deer were till I got Deer Fortress, now they walk right past my tasty flowers and go for the more tasty fall apples.
Diann
Moby-
I hadn't ever heard of Plantskydd, but went to the website and I see there is a vendor in my area. I'll try it. Trust me on this, I am always looking for ways to improve in this area. Losing bulbs to critters is frustrating. The thought of less applications appeals to me, for certain. Thanks for the tip, Moby.
You're certainly welcome. I think it's especially frustrating with lilies because you only get 1 chance with them and that's it for the year.
Ticker mentioned Deer Fortress so I checked that out too ~ http://www.deerfortress.com/
Moby,
I stopped by the place that Plantskydd says is a dealer and they said they hadn't heard of it , then led me to products I have used before. Rats! Deer Fortress also sounds interesting, but would be quite an investment in my yard, based on what the website recommends as an application.
One chance with lilies is right. Once they eat it, it's not likely to return the next year either.
How I love lily season!
Thanks!
I was surprised how many lilies that were eaten or froze last year managed to return this year. Some just got eaten again....
Magnolialover, I put my Deer Fortress about 10 to 15 feet apart and I haven't had a problem with deer since I put it out. I know you are supposed to put it every 6 to 8 feet, but that wasn't going to happen. Now, maybe, I'm just lucky and the deer decided that the corn and apples are better than my plants, who knows. But I see them come into the back yard, eat apples off the ground and leave without touching any of my flower beds. I do live in the country, so maybe urban deer are different from country deer. :)
Diann
Diann
Hey Ticker, what I have is rural deer. If it works the way you use it, maybe it would be worth it. The deer eat my trees in the winter...their favorites are my Magnolias, of course, UGH! Does this product work year round? Or is it something to use in Spring and Summer and barriers in the Winter?
We have a herd of at least 13 deer. I have apple trees too. I think they eat the trees, not the apples!
It's supposed to last all season. For me that is from March through November. There was a lady that I bought hosta from earlier this year and she feeds the deer in the winter. I assume it was to keep them away from her shrubs. But in the spring as soon as things start breaking ground she puts out her Deer Fortress and the deer leave things alone.
I put mine out in April when I noticed that I'd lost a couple of tulips. :) Now, whether they will eventually get use to it over the years, I don't know. I have some pretty brave deer, but they are sure skittish in the back yard after I put this stuff out.
I sometimes thing we are lucky to have rural deer, cause they have lots of room to wander and a variety of things to eat, so it's just easier to avoid us humans.
Here is Deer Fortress' web site. I have no affiliation with this company at all other than they have gotten some of my money. :) http://www.deerfortress.com/
Diann
Diann
I'm willing to do just about anything to save my plants from destruction. This year was very sad. Does this product only work on deer? Rabbits are another problem I need to solve, there may be more, but short of getting animal surveillance, I'm doing the best I can. Perhaps the product Moby mentioned, plus this one. Thanks for your advice.
I don't think it works on rabbits, but a .22 does. :) But if you have a prohibition on thinning out the rabbit population, plantskydd is probably a better choice for you. I don't have a a problem with rabbits, but like I said, I have vigilant cats and a .22. Actually, the husband uses the .22. I just wave it at them as a threat.
Diann
Maybe between the two you'll be in good shape. Plantskydd is good for deer also and would be easier to use in the winter when you could go out and spritz your trees. Come Spring, they would have a different scent to encounter with the Deer Fortress.
Moby is correct in doing a change up on deterrents. For change up, I make my hubby go piddle back by the pines. :) Remember, we live on ten acres in the middle of cornfields and pastures. :)
Diann
Ah, yes... the "husbandly bush watering". How could I have forgotten??
It works. :) heh heh
Diann
You guys make me laugh. I wonder if anything changes when it becomes frozen in the tundra, ex. Plantskydd. No guns here. Plenty of clover in my lawn to eat, why can't they choose that, and the deer, those apples that nobody here will eat. My daughter once told me to make signs like "eat this" and "don't eat this". She was 6 when she thought of that one...if only it could be that easy.
With a feral cat population around here, we should not have a bunny problem. I'll have to tell them they aren't doing their jobs!