I use the coiled plastic strips in the winter. About time to put them on now.

Nice article- I've put down plastic guards but as the snow rises this year's rampant rabbit population may become extremely destructive as they do about once every 12 years. I may be able to stop them with a fairly quick and sloppy paint job going a couple feet beyond the plastic.

At my previous house I didn't paint the trees. I only used 3" corregated pipe about 10" high. That was in the Sacramento valley. So no snow to take into account. It worked great to keep the voles and rabbits away from the trunk. I didn't paint and that was a mistake. Lots of sunburn the second year. Boo, hiss!

This house I didn't have corregated pipe so I used hardware cloth that I did have. I did paint and I made my guards about 12" high. We don't often get much snow so that helped with the voles and bunnies. I did paint and that helped with the sunburn. 2 years in the ground and no sunburn. Yeah! Oh yes, you do have to pull weeds out of it but I'll do that when I paint. Looks like this weekend or next week is when it'll happen.

I use tanglefoot, indoor paint, wire, and plastic drain tube depending on the rabbits. We have rabbits that chew through paint at times and then it's time for tanglefoot. The snow allows them to walk on the snow above your guards to get to your trees as harvestman mentioned above and girdle your trees. They will girdle a tree here in an evening or several if they find vulnerable ones. A trick I use is when I prune I leave the branches on top of the snow for them to eat when they are really bad because they will stop at nothing to fill their belly. I also cut the elm trees down so they can access them and call every available hunter. Yesterday I saw 4 just in my yard. The population is huge this year. I also open sheds to give feral cats a place to stay and they will hang around and hunt them. They are never a problem until it snows and covers their food supply

If things get very bad and your in a real hurry keep around some spray on pruning seal. This is to discourage the most determined rabbit capitalizing on snow drifting. I can spray this on in a few seconds which is critical when I have an entire row to do and the rabbits are working on the trees as I'm sealing them. The down side is it does not spray well when it's very cold. The first two trees are no problem but if it's 0 I take the can back inside to warm up and grab another can of spray.

Clark that pruning seal would work pretty well I bet. The only problem is that it's black, so it could exacerbate sunscald issues. Maybe...I dunno.

I use a cheapo spray bottle to apply the diluted white latex paint. That way I can spray right through the hardware wire and often even through my deer protection enclosure of 5' fencing without having to open the enclosures. That saves me a lot of time. I made the hardware wire enclosures large enough to be able to reach my arm in to pull weeds. So far the only rabbit trouble was on the lower branches of a leaning 45 degrees 5-on-1 tree that the rabbits were able to access due to snow. I was away from home that year caring for my father, so there was not paint on those limbs. I am hoping for the best for a new orchard I planted this summer near a wooded floodplain that might be crawling with rabbits and deer. Northwoodswis

It must be just me but I can't put a chemical like paint on something that produce food I'm going to eat...I'm not at all organic (not even close) but this is one thing I can't do....there's a reason they are not putting in landfills, so I'll stay au natural.

You put synthetic chemicals in your mouth all the time, plastic containers bleed synthetic estrogen, to mention one, our body carries significant amounts of this from this and other sources, which has many scientists worried.

We are painting trees, not fruit, and it is not systemic, so it seems extremely unlikely fruit would be affected. However, certified organic growers are actually restricted from using this rather innocuous product on fruit trees, which I consider another piece of evidence for how irrational their protocol is. There is no affective organic way to treat borers in a commercial situation as far as I know.

appleseed70,
I use it every year on at least a few trees as needed and never had any bad effects from the pruning seal. The rabbits hate the stuff. As soon as it warms up it melts away. Because it melts I can't just go spray every tree in advance in say August in preparation.

It must be just me but I can't put a chemical like paint on something that produce food I'm going to eat...I'm not at all organic (not even close) but this is one thing I can't do....there's a reason they are not putting in landfills, so I'll stay au natural.

marco...you can't be serious? I wouldn't have thought that even the most Hell bent organic hemp wearing hippy would have any issue with this practice. This is just so NOTHING and when compared to all the stuff you choose to expose yourself to everday it is illogical to say the least.
I'm not busting on you. you are certainly entitled to your opinion and everything it's just that....wow.

They don't like paint in landfills because such a large amount of old paint cans (with contents still remaining) that were previously landfilled contained lead based paint. Nobody in their right mind would suggest you use lead based paint for this. Even if you did it would present little danger.
Do you have any idea of the chemicals that are used everday directly ON your food? I don't care what kind of food that is either. Even if you WAS totally organic (I know you said you are not) it would be completely unavoidable.
Latex paint is primarily comprised of just that Latex, clay, water some colorants and binders. The first three things probably comprise more than 90% of it's contents.

Appleseed...if that's all you think is in paint, I have a bridge to sell you better yet a pack of cigarettes...now they didn't lie to us about them smokes now did they.

Not busting on you just my phobia...painted many houses, cars,trailers, plows you name it...I'm just not putting it on my trees.

Ambrosia beetle is a big pest for me in early spring. I painted my trunks in hope that it would help with them but it didn't. They bored right though the paint as if it wasn't even there!

Appleseed...if that's all you think is in paint, I have a bridge to sell you better yet a pack of cigarettes...now they didn't lie to us about them smokes now did they.
Not busting on you just my phobia...painted many houses, cars,trailers, plows you name it...I'm just not putting it on my trees.

Fair enough. What is it that you plan to use?

For me I stick with the plastic drain pipe and cut slits down it for ventilation. I have a major rabbit problem so they stay on the tree until the trees are big enough. I have never seen borers here so maybe I've just been lucky...thanks for asking.

Voles don't chew through plastic protectors? Does it mess with their ability to detect trees or are they just lazier than other rodents? I know mice will chew through plastic to get to a food source.

It is your life and your trees and your decision what you want to do with yourself or your trees. Enjoy it while you can.

And thanks to the posters for their ideas (and failed ideas) on tree trunk protection. Imaginative and enlightening.

Voles don't chew through plastic protectors? Does it mess with their ability to detect trees or are they just lazier than other rodents? I know mice will chew through plastic to get to a food source.

I've not read about it rockfarmer, but if I did it wouldn't surprise me at all. Like you, I've seen mice gnawl through anything to get to whatever it was they were after. For that matter a mouse or a vole could go up under the drain pipe very easily. One thing the pipe does provide that painting does not is physical protection from mowers and trimmers and stuff.
I actually think the paint mixture is the best bet all around, but I've chosen to do both. For folks who have a lot of trees though this would be a lot of work and a little money involved.

Commercial growers around here often use the plastic spirals for voles- that's why I started using them years ago. Haven't failed me yet- except with pine voles that destroy the roots like gophers.

Has anyone used a roller to apply paint instead of a spray?

I think with roller it would be hard to cover up not smooth surfaces.

Where do you buy white plastic spirals.

Commercial growers around here often use the plastic spirals for voles- that's why I started using them years ago. Haven't failed me yet- except with pine voles that destroy the roots like gophers.

Yeah I like those also, in fact I still do. I have a seedling tree that I left come up with two trunks and they are the only thing that will work for it aside from painting (which it already is).
The trouble I've had (not a big deal) is that after a few years they get brittle and want to break apart when putting on or taking off. I like the drain pipe better, but I wonder if it might invite creatures to take up residence inside of them. Creatures being mice, wasps, mud daubers etc.

Konrad, if you like the spirals I saw a few that looked like some form of composition material. Looked like wax impregnated cardboard. They have a really good light brown color that would look very nice and "may" hold up better. Google search "rabbit guard photos" scroll down to the 6th line in the middle (those are from the UK I think, but I'm pretty sure they would be available here too)
They also have clear. but I bet they would be shiny and would get grass stain on them and yellow after a short time..

I'm after white plastic spiral, not cardboard or clear plastic.

I had been using the spirals, but then when it was time to apply the dormant spray in early spring, I always had to remove them so I could spray the trunk. That was why I went to hardware wire and paint instead. Also, if you leave them on all year, they can harbor pests under them, I've heard. They can also start to cut into the trunk if left on too long, which happened to a cherry tree of mine that I forgot had a spiral on it, causing a wound that had canker, but fortunately healed again. Otherwise, they are more convenient than paint, but also cost more. Northwoodswis

The spirals are not meant to last more than a year or two, and they can harbor borers, so it can be helpful to remove them in the spring if borers are an issue in your orchard. They need to be at least checked to make sure they aren't constricting growth if left on the tree. Usually they stretch open and accommodate growth but sometimes not.

I stopped using the plastic spirals because over time they got brittle and cracked. I've been using rolls of metal screens that are used to cover gutters to block leaves.

I've had my spirals for several years. One variety cracks, another doesn't. Of course no way anymore to recall which was which.

I always remove them in the spring. One year I was late doing this and found gummosis under the plastic on a plum tree.

I'm fearing a bad vole season now that the coyotes got my good hunting cat.

There is rather high population of foxes and semi-feral cats in my area. That might be one reason why I have never had a issues with voles, rabbits and squirrels. I see them hunting on my property all the time.

It probably is good idea to have a few cats and a clever hunting dog to guard the orchard.

It probably is good idea to have a few cats and a clever hunting dog to guard the orchard.

I'm down with the dog (love dogs), but I I'd prefer the rabbits and squirrels over the cats.

Dogs probably tend to be more efficient at eliminating rabbits anyway.

But cats are murder on voles. Although I did have one cat that wiped out the rabbits before he got old and retired.

Anyway - what do people think of that brown paper wrap that comes in rolls? I know it won't protect from varmints, but what about borers?

Appleseed70, just wonder how much damages were done to the trees. This has to be low on the bark. Did you have to do anything to the bark to help it to heal?

I have used all my protective stuff, so I wrapped the whips with plastic fertilizer bag. There is still plenty room for the trees to breath. They do not look too bad. I do not know if things like drainage pipe or the bags I use are good since air does not flow through.

But grape growers do use growing tubes to shield the vines during growing season....

This post was edited by RedSun on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 21:25