"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
"Melodie Bond" wrote in message
.. .
I have planted a rose garden. something is eating all the
leaves off my
roses. Mostly the smaller tea roses. The only two bushes
not bothered are
very thorny.
I have sprayed many insecticides to no avail. It is only
the roses and not
the junipers, lilacs, or cannas. I think it might be
rabbits. There are
always several in the yard scurrying away in the morning.
Are there any
suggestions as to what I can use as a rabbit deterrant?
Could it be something else. These bushes are completely
stripped. I have
green stems and nothing else!

--
Sincerely,
Melodie Bond

Usually rabbits will also cut (chew) off part of
smaller canes. Evidence will be seeing green
canes lying around with (usually) diagonal cuts.

For larger roses, I don't do anything. The
rabbits don't take enough to be a real problem.
For smaller or younger roses, or the odd rose
that seems especially tasty to rabbits, I make
a chicken wire cage. That keeps them out. I
don't know of any chemicals that would work.
I use the 2' tall chicken wire and peg it to the
ground with whatever is handy.

I'm concerned about the "spraying of many
insecticides" statement in your query. It's
better to identify a problem before applying a
"solution" that could make things worse. There
are a lot of beneficial insects that are killed
and may worsen a condition rather than help.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

I agree with you 100%
You have to understand that we have been desparately battling grasshoppers.
These guys have stripped our Yaupons completely in past years. We have lost
shrubs to them. Last year as I watched my roses get eaten up along with the
leaves on our maple tree, I assumed it was Grasshoppers. However, the
grasshoppers didn't seem bad this year, but I began spraying in early spring
before you start seeing the big ones.
It breaks my heart to spray for them as I knwo that I am killing off the
large poplulation of praying mantis that we have around here.
I haven't been able to find an organic solution for grasshoppers that
doesn't involve me getting some kind of fowl.