Homegrown: Protecting your trees and shrubs from deer and other critters

 Iowa State University, Linn County Extension Master Gardener Intern, Jane Schildroth, provided the following tips:

 With the excitement of the growing season winding down, you may be tempted to think that your yard and garden worries are over for several months.  If you aren't careful, however, you may provide the local deer and rabbit community with a ready smorgasbord throughout the winter months by giving them easy access to your trees and shrubs.  Your woody plants could become their favorite menu items, so it might be a good idea to take some precautions now while the weather is still good.

 Rabbits seem to prefer trees with thin bark such as willow, poplar and apple but will also indulge on maples and ash until the trees are past the sapling stage.  Your walnut and oak trees will likely be ignored and the firs and spruce will probably fare better than the pines.  Deer, it seems, will dine on almost anything. 

 Repellents are available in garden centers and should be applied in the late fall when the substance can still dry on the bark instead of freezing.  These products repel the deer and rabbits by smell and will likely need to be re-applied.  Unfortunately, if you have many animals or many trees, this option may not be the most effective choice.

 Another option is the use of trunk wraps – either the commercially-available type or even heavy aluminum foil.  Be sure to wrap each tree higher than the animal can reach when the snow cover is deep.  Again, if you have lots of trees or shrubs, this may not be practical. 

 Fencing is the best way to protect your shrubs and trees from rabbit and deer damage.  Chicken wire is what we have used for several years.  We have encircled a 30-foot-long serpentine row of shrubs with wire that is 36 inches high, using narrow stakes woven in the wire to support the fence.  To ward off the deer, the fence will need to be higher – again, consider the possible depth of the snow that may accumulate in the area.  You might protect individual trees with a cylinder of woven wire that allows at least two inches between the tree and wire all around.

 In addition to protecting your shrubs and trees from wildlife, you may want to fertilize any that are not growing well.  These plants might have yellow-green foliage, sparse foliage or very short twig growth.  A10-10-10fertilizer broadcast over the root zone and watered in well will offer a mineral boost to struggling plants that are at least one year old.  Healthy trees and shrubs shouldn't need to be fertilized in the fall.

 As for moisture, remember that any woody plants you have added to your landscape in the last two or three years are still establishing their roots and will benefit from fall watering.  In a dry fall such as this, rhododendrons, boxwoods, yews and arborvitae will be thirsty until the soil freezes.

 Most of us are becoming weary of tending our yards and may be tempted to give up and stay indoors.  Your trees and shrubs, however, need you to help them survive and thrive during the challenging months ahead.  Maybe it would be best to schedule this soon, rather than on Thanksgiving Day!