I have noticed a very surprising and useful side affect of painting the lower tree trunks in my orchards with undiluted white latex paint. I have found this practice completely eliminates damage caused by rabbits chewing on the trunks. I'm not sure why this works (perhaps the rabbits in Tennessee are not as voracious as elsewhere), but for me, it is absolutely stunning how effective it is. I have found it makes my rabbit guards obsolete. I have even initiated this practice after the rabbits have already had a taste of the bark in the fall, yet even then, a white latex paint application completely eliminates the problem. Usually the rabbits take a bite or two of a few painted trees and then leave them alone for the rest of the season. I'm hypothesizing that after getting a mouthful of paint chips, further dining becomes unappetizing. These results have been predictably occuring for a few years now, ever since I started the practice of painting my trunks.
Anyone else have similar results? Randy Steffens Shepherd's Valley Orchards Tennessee
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