7/21/2020 0 Comments The Battle is lost!Well we proclaimed victory to soon. It is quite clear that the bunnies have won the Bunny Battle. Now don't get me wrong the chili powder sprinkled over the plants does work, but you have to reapply right away after every rain. Unfortunately with the library closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday there was time for the final sneak attack. Last Thursday we sprinkled the plants with chili powder and left for the day. Friday rained almost all day and as a result the chili powder was washed away. Sometime Saturday or Sunday the bunnies came and ate the last of the coneflowers. It was a clear and apparent victory for the bunny. The plant on the left has a few leaves so it may survive but for right now it's just to hot to try to replant new flowers. So we will wait till next year and try to replant the flowers we lost and I think we'll have to do a combination of fencing and chili powder. So we may have lost the battle this year, but the war will continue!
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7/16/2020 0 Comments Weeds, What more can you saySo we have won the bunny battle, for the most part. Sprinkling chili powder over the plants on a regular basis (especially after rain) is winning I think. I spend a lot of time sprinkling chili powder. Unfortunately we did loose some plants to the bunnies - all the milkweed and the black-eyed susans are gone. I think the cone flowers will survive but only time will tell. But that's not the real reason for the post. It's the time of year to deal with weeds. Yup, weeds. There's not much else to say. All that glorious rain also sprouted all the weeds and there are a lot of them. Unfortunately the weed battle is continuous and you can only win by getting in the garden and pulling them out. It's a lot of work. All I can say is wait till the weeds are good sized, that may mean there are a lot more, but it's easier to pull weeds when you can grab a fist full rather than pinching. Of course if things are as bad in your garden as they are in the library's, (cursed crab grass) a trowel or garden rake is the only way to go. So if anyone wants to stop by the library and help us pull weeds, we'd be more than grateful. Any takers? Anyone? Please! 6/25/2020 0 Comments Success!?So far the pepper concoction seems to be working in keeping the bunnies away from the plants. Though it doesn't mean they still aren't visiting. I was about to go out and water and saw this little guy just lounging in the dirt. Hey if he wants to enjoy the garden I'm okay with that as long as he doesn't eat my plants! I know this position looks funny, but this rabbit is really okay. A few minutes after this picture was take he got up and hopped away wit no problems. I think he was just trying to get cool.
6/19/2020 0 Comments Bunnies part 2Okay so after a bit of research I've learned a few things about keeping bunnies away from your garden.
1. You can plant bunny resistant plants, bunnies don't like them and thus don't eat them. That has been done, which is one reason the columbine and the daisy haven't been eaten. But we'd like a bit more variety in the garden so while this is helpful it doesn't fully solve the problem. 2. Add a fence. This is a possibility but the down side is the fence has to be two feet high so the bunnies don't jump over it and it has to be dug at least 1 foot down into the ground so the bunnies don't dig underneath it. This is a possibility, but not something I can install myself. 3. Purchase a rodent resistant spray. They are out there and there are quite a few brands. According to the reviews some of them work and some don't. This isn't something I want to use because it's spraying chemicals onto the plants and surrounding soil which goes against everything in creating a pollinator garden. Though as a last resort I suppose this could be used until the plants mature and are of a size where bunny munching wouldn't be a problem. 4. Make your own bunny spray. This was interesting! It is a combination of chili powder, cayne pepper and garlic powder mixed with water and a touch of biodegradable dish soap, which is sprayed onto your plants or poured around the plants. The idea is that the bunnies don't like the smell and will stay away from the plants. Of course I'm not sure how the pollinators will feel about it either. So it was decided to go with option 4: this week we poured the concoction around the plants (as it just clogged the sprayer we were using). This weekend will be the test as to whether we have beaten the bunny. Keep your fingers crossed. |
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the RI Office of Library and Information Services using funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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