Does this Azalea Still Have a Chance? Rabbits Trunk-Chopped it to a Stub.

[エドガー]

Dang it... I just noticed today, this was just laying on top of my landscape rocks/pebbles, lol.
Rabbits ate the trunk.

I just re-potted it (3gal regular garden pot) and put it in the front-yard last week (it’s lived it’s entire life in the backyard, protected with wire-fence on gates).

Luckily nothing in the backyard was eaten... because I installed chicken-wire-fence on my 2 side-gates that lead to the backyard last year.


Does it still have a chance?

I just remembered... trunk-chops all the way down to a stub is sometimes done for bonsai azalea.

But, I think that’s usually done in spring?

I also just re-potted it 1-2 weeks ago.. so it was already still healing from that.
No major root-work... just scratched the surface roots to expose nebari, lightly combed & trimmed the sides and bottom of rootball, and kinda just slip-potted it into same size pot with a little fresh soil. (basically... went from a 3gal plastic nursery pot into a 3gal ceramic pot with very minor rootwork).

Rootball is large (filled entire 3gal pot) and is healthy.

It’s getting quite hot nowadays (SoCal, zone 10b) and it’s pretty much summer now. Does it have a chance?

 

[エドガー]

...

 

[Shibui]

There is every chance your azalea will sprout new shoots. They are naturally shrubs and can normally be quite a pain because of the many suckers that grow from the roots and base of the trunk.
Just need to keep the rabbits away from the new shoots when they start to grow.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Stick the top into a pot of sphagnum moss, then put the pot and all into a clear plastic bag. "Bag & Sphag". There is a possibility the top can root.

Time will tell if the stump in the pot will sprout. There is a good chance it will, but until it happens, you never know for certain.

 

[エドガー]

Another one bites the dust.

Tho, this time rats I’m sure (neighbor caught +6 rats last year), and this was in my backyard where it’s protected with 3’ wire-fence from rabbits.

It looks like it should make it tho… a lot of trunk and branch-stubs left.

What’s maybe more disappointing is that they decimated almost my entire crop of newly successful/rooted azalea cuttings, there were like 15-20 per pot. Only 7 cuttings left now, lol. Been working on those for 6-9 months.

So, I made a new small pot of cuttings. Starting over, slowly.

The rats also started eating my J maples, again. This young Katsura was very bushy and healthy and about 3’ tall; but, it’s been eaten down to 1’ tall (just like last year).

The young Kiyohime (in front of the young Shishigashira) was also bushy and healthy… now only 1 skinny twig leader remains lol. At least they left one twig. The shishigashira in the back also got its’ top eaten off. Last fall was eaten worse tho (to a bare stick).

I moved them all, because I noticed my j maples and azaleas only get eaten at 1 particular spot, next to my spa-pump and north facing wall. The ones at the other corners of my yard or other walls never get eaten.

I‘ve been thinking, why? …maybe because my neighbor has his trash cans and kitchen right next to that area, on the other side of that wall. Maybe rats are attracted to it.

Also, I just remembered his bbq grill is right there too…literally on the other side of the wall where my azaleas/maples always get eaten. If the wall wasn’t there, it’d be 6-12” away (very close).
Maybe after the rats eat the bbq drippings, they hop over for some satsuki/maple salad/dessert.

Hopefully their new locations are better.

 

[エドガー]

Katsura...

 

[エドガー]

Kiyohime & Shishigashira...

 

[sorce]

You know what that top section is good for now?











.





No need to be quiet anymore!

Sorce

 

[エドガー]

Delicious :9

 

[Shibui]

Anything is possible but rats only ever chew bark here. I don't recall any leaves being eaten.
Lots of other things eat leaves though.
It is possible you are putting 2 and 1 together to make 4?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

See if you can get your plants off the ground. That may solve some of your problems.

Rats are a bad problem - particularly the tree rats in the OC. You really don't want them - they are quite destructive of property, to say nothing of being a disease vector. Get yourself about six poison bait traps (don't cost much at Home Depot) and place them around your garbage cans, neighbor's wall, etc. When I was experiencing rat problems out by my koi pond I bought a rat zapper and killed six rats in the first night. If you don't try to control them get ready to have them eat through your A/C lines, take up nest in your pool heater, chew a hole in your siding and get up into your attic, etc. They can cause $1000's of damage very quickly.

The only thing the rats seemed to bother was young new growth - and only on specific trees. I only had a single time when I was worried that a tree might die from damage - and I moved the tree to the other side of the yard and the problem was solved. Squirrels and birds were a bigger issue. (I didn't have any rabbits in our back yard because we had masonry walls).

Perhaps get a pet coyote?

 

[Pitoon]

From what I can see every pot you have is in dire need of watering......you guys still have the water issue?

 

[エドガー]

See if you can get your plants off the ground. That may solve some of your problems.

Rats are a bad problem - particularly the tree rats in the OC. You really don't want them - they are quite destructive of property, to say nothing of being a disease vector. Get yourself about six poison bait traps (don't cost much at Home Depot) and place them around your garbage cans, neighbor's wall, etc. When I was experiencing rat problems out by my koi pond I bought a rat zapper and killed six rats in the first night. If you don't try to control them get ready to have them eat through your A/C lines, take up nest in your pool heater, chew a hole in your siding and get up into your attic, etc. They can cause $1000's of damage very quickly.

The only thing the rats seemed to bother was young new growth - and only on specific trees. I only had a single time when I was worried that a tree might die from damage - and I moved the tree to the other side of the yard and the problem was solved. Squirrels and birds were a bigger issue. (I didn't have any rabbits in our back yard because we had masonry walls).

Perhaps get a pet coyote?

Have any links/recommendations for a particular type/brand of poison?
I'd rather use a poison than catching them (as I don't want to deal with handling/disposing them).

My neighbor puts up a cage trap on top of the 6' tall brick wall (I guess it's their preferred path/route). He caught at least 1 per week last fall.
The city/HOA also has some traps beyond my backyard fence/wall that overlooks the view, on the slope. I doubt they manage it well though, not sure.

Yeah... it seems specific. Last year, they only ate my J maples. This year, J maples again, and now my azaleas. They leave everything else alone - JBPs, junipers, ume, persimmon, pomegranate, lemon, grape, tropicals, succulents, etc.

So far, moving all of my J maples, azaleas and the very few azalea cuttings left, to the other side of the yard seemed to have helped and haven't been eaten yet.
But, their new location isn't the best, because it is too bright/sunny for them (west side and south facing walls), but I tried to put them under lemon trees or other objects for shade.
Where they were getting eaten, a north facing wall with nice afternoon shade and only morning sun, was really the best location in terms of shade/slight-sun.... but too bad that's also the exact location where they always get eaten.

Sometimes, I consider just giving up on the plants that keep getting eaten (J maples and azaleas) and just stick with conifers, lol.

I see coyotes sometimes during my night jogs. Would be a nice pet, haha.

 

[エドガー]

From what I can see every pot you have is in dire need of watering......you guys still have the water issue?

It's only the surface that's dry. They are deep pots, and very moist +2" below surface.
I also use organics (pine bark, etc.), so it needs less watering and stays very moist underneath surface.
It's also good to let things dry out a little, before watering again. Unless you want root-rot or root fungal issues.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Have any links/recommendations for a particular type/brand of poison?

I used Tomcat brand. The poison comes in green cubes that you place on rods within the poison stations. Always use poison stations because it prevents other critters (dogs, etc) from getting to the poison. Just put the stations out wherever you see signs of rats. I put them in my utility closet, by the pool heater, behind the A/C, under shelves by the garbage cans... and I even put one on my bonsai shelves right next to the trees that were getting nibbled. Wear latex gloves when baiting and placing the traps so you don't leave scent on the traps. The trap stations I used had a small clear window above the poison bait so that you could see if the bait was getting eaten. Just leave them alone and the rats will diminish significantly.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Rabbits...

I am, now during “cold days” REEEEEALLY noticing my own issues.. From what I can see... they “got to” about 14 of my trees, some are salvageable... some are not.

But rabbits don’t climb... cut off the foot traffic....

Squirrels CAN be troublesome.. but for ME.. the rabbits are MUCH worse.

This guy’s name is Gray Hoss..... I’m familiar with his “work“... I’m surprised to see him around, as he took an airsoft pellet to the hip in summer.

 

[Pitoon]

This spring/summer I relocated 20+ squirrels from my house. I try to move them out at least 5+ miles away so they don't return. It was calm around the house for a couple months. The other squirrels within the neighborhood started to claim new territory.......................I truly dislike squirrels

 

[HorseloverFat]

This spring/summer I relocated 20+ squirrels from my house. I try to move them out at least 5+ miles away so they don't return. It was calm around the house for a couple months. The other squirrels within the neighborhood started to claim new territory.......................I truly dislike squirrels

Yes... it IS very much “turf”-related...

Right now... in my “area” the squirrel that “runs the roost” is an OLD cranky lady with 1/3 of a tail... her “lines” and “routine” is already set.. she doesn’t mess with me, I don’t mess with her... aaaand she HATES other squirrels and chases them away.

 

[Glen Y]

This spring/summer I relocated 20+ squirrels from my house. I try to move them out at least 5+ miles away so they don't return. It was calm around the house for a couple months. The other squirrels within the neighborhood started to claim new territory.......................I truly dislike squirrels

Had a neighbor who did that until he learned that squirrels multiply to fill food availability. Reducing population (or increasing food supply).causes them to produce more offspring.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Had a neighbor who did that until he learned that squirrels multiply to fill food availability. Reducing population (or increasing food supply).causes them to produce more offspring.

Makes complete sense!

Learning to co-habitate respectfully can be the goal...