Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

As the weather warms and BYGLers wander outdoors, several reported discovering significant plant damage caused by rodents gnawing on main stems or basal stems of plants. Joe Boggs reported observing branches on low-growing junipers in southwest Ohio that had bark stripped by voles. Randy Zondag reported that rascally rabbits have enjoyed a crunchy crabapple winter feast leaving their gnaw-marks at the base of small trees in several nurseries in the northeast part of the state. Randy felt that just as much damage was being done by critters after the plants were uncovered, as was done during the winter. Maybe the cooler weather is also slowing the browsing banquet of these munching maniacs.

Both of these nasty gnawers will remove the outer bark to get at the inner green, succulent phloem and cambium. Voles gnaw off tiny strips of bark, leaving marks like two tiny chisels, approximately 1/16" wide and 3/8" long. Damage done under the snow line tends to be vole or mice damage. The area around the damage is usually filled with their runways in the grass. Unfortunately, rabbits can use changing snow levels as "elevators" to damage mains stems as high as 3-4' above the ground. Their damage on main stems appears as much larger twin chisel marks approximately 1/4-3/8" wide. Rabbits may also prune small branches leaving clean cuts that are at 45 degree angles, matching the angles of their incisors. Hardware cloth around the base of plant and up the trunk to the typical depth of the snow will exclude these bark busters!

For more information, see:

• Prevention and Control of Rabbit Damage
• Controlling Vole Damage