Friday, February 1, 2013

We have a heat wave!  Nearly 40 degrees warmer than it was at this time yesterday morning.  A light dusting of snow is on its way.  We desperately need moisture before Spring, so even snow is welcome.  This will be a good day to walk around the yard, check the condition of the pond and make sure the rabbits, mice, voles, and deer aren't bothering anything in the orchard or the other young trees. 

The best way I've found to protect trees from rodents is to place protective plastic sleeves around the trunks.  The bottom of the sleeve must be placed about an inch or so in the ground to keep them from burrowing under it.  Generally, covering the trunks about 3 feet up is going to be sufficient. 

Protecting your treasures from deer is a little more complicated.  Using plastic snow fence or chicken wire to build a circular barrier around them to a height of 5 to 6 feet is the method most likely to provide protection from hungry deer, although as snow builds up, so will the reach of the deer.  In the winter of 2010-2011, one entire row of my trees was "topped" at about 10 feet - the deer simply walked on top of the snow banks and browsed whatever was sticking out of the snow.  Pests!