This is a Journal entry by paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 1

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

If it's Friday, then I will use Liquid Fence as a rabbit repellent. It smells like rotten eggs, so I may not use it in places where people are likely to wonder what that terrible smell is smiley - yuk. I'd rather use "I'd rather garden," which smells like peppermint, but I'm running low on that. The next round of repellents will consist of equal parts of garlic powder and chili powder (with a hint of dishwashing detergent) mixed in water and aged for a few hours.

I have to laugh when I see some of the lists of plants that rabbits prefer not to eat. Some lists include Echinacea (which my rabbits feast on), Rudbeckia (likewise), yarrow (ditto), and squash (one year they devastated my squash leaves).

Meanwhile, foods that rabbits are supposed to love seem to go totally unscathed: hostas, petunias, grass.

Rabbits seem to have individual food preferences that bear no resemblance to thosen of other rabbits. Individualists! smiley - cross


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 2

Prof Animal Chaos.C.E.O..err! C.E.Idiot of H2G2 Fools Guild (Official).... A recipient of S.F.L and S.S.J.A.D.D...plus...S.N.A.F.U.

"If it's Friday" ?
not being funny as such, but do rabbits know the days of the week then ?
I don't follow the Friday bit ?


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 3

Rev Nick - dead man walking (mostly)

If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium.


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 4

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

It is obvious to me that bostonian rabbits are illiterate - or read the wrongs books smiley - geek

smiley - pirate


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 5

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Yes, yes, and yes. smiley - smiley

The day of the week refers to my choices. I was trying to be funny,
but none of the three rabbit repellents I use are tolerable for more than a couple of days (mainly the odor smiley - yuk), so I have to alternate to give my poor neighbors a break. Yes, the rabbits are illiterate, which is fortunate in a way. Otherwise they would know that milkweed is not toxic after it has been cooked. Echinacea has some value for one's health; thankfully, the rabbits don't know this, and just enjoy he yummy tenderest buds and smallest leaves. The tough stalks don't get eaten, so the plant can refoliate. Many of the plants that they defoliated in years past grew new leaves and are still in reasonable health considering.

Even the hapless Juneberry bush in my backyard has bounced back from repeated defoliation. Be that as it may, I still dose it with repellent, just in case....


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 6

Prof Animal Chaos.C.E.O..err! C.E.Idiot of H2G2 Fools Guild (Official).... A recipient of S.F.L and S.S.J.A.D.D...plus...S.N.A.F.U.

smiley - winkeyecould chicken wire around the area be more cost effective against various rabbit repellents ?


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 7

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Chicken wire would spoil the appearance. Our gardens are supposed to give people a sense of peace and repose, not remind them of a prison smiley - tongueout.

In years past, the rabbit apocalypse fizzled out after mid-July*. I only have to protect the plants for three or four weeks ore, and then they will be in bloom, and mostly too tall for the bunnies to consider for their buffet.

I walk through once a day, spray can in hand, squirting plants that seem vulnerable. I planted almost a dozen plants this past week, and they will get established within about a month. In the meantime, they will be much healthier if they don't get eaten smiley - footinmouth.



*This year might not be like years past. There's a new family of bunnies along the ridge facing our entrance ramp. They have a lot of lawn to cross (no cover), but at night this is not an obstacle. I just want to make sure they associate our gardens with bad-smelling stuff smiley - yuk. Bad-smelling to bunnies, of course.


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 8

Prof Animal Chaos.C.E.O..err! C.E.Idiot of H2G2 Fools Guild (Official).... A recipient of S.F.L and S.S.J.A.D.D...plus...S.N.A.F.U.

smiley - rofl paint it pink smiley - winkeye


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 9

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

What, the smiley - bunny?

smiley - pirate


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 10

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I had lunch at my brother's place. He has no rabbits, but deer are constantly eating his hostas (Plantain Lilies). some people have a nickname for hostas: Dear candy smiley - biggrin

He's going to get me a yellow peony, if they go on sale at his local garden center.


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 11

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

First a pink rabbit and now a yellow pony smiley - huh This is getting curiouser and curiouser smiley - weird

smiley - sillysmiley - pirate


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 12

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Regardless of their color, rabbits are unlikely to bother peonies.
Fluffy Pink Rabbit continues to hibernate, so I'm not inclined to blame him for any missing leaves


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 13

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

We could blame 2legs as per usual but he don't look like no wabbit to me

smiley - pirate


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 14

Prof Animal Chaos.C.E.O..err! C.E.Idiot of H2G2 Fools Guild (Official).... A recipient of S.F.L and S.S.J.A.D.D...plus...S.N.A.F.U.

smiley - whistle A howitzer would stop any wildlife intrusion smiley - winkeye plus it'd redesign the garden smiley - ermsmiley - erm


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 15

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I have some large planters sitting on my porch. The animals don't bother the porch, so I will at least have some unscathed plants in a few weeks when they starting blooming.


The rabbit apocalypse is upon us

Post 16

ITIWBS

Rabbits also have regional tastes.

Only a hundred miles from here, west of the Santa Rosa Mts., a row of giant chollas a foot tall in six inch pots makes an effective thorn barrier against desert hare invasions.

Here in the desert the sames species of hare chews them to the ground.


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