Slow Mowers &
How to protect the trees you want:
I've spoken to people all over that could care less about breed standards, or who bred with who or what, or what traits are desired or should be culled out from the breed stock, however, most seem to know how the breed can pick a fight with any brush and win.
I had a really nice piece of land next to my building. It hadn't been touched for at least 2-years and there were saplings all over the property from Mulberry, Pine, Oak, and Sweet-gum. And interwoven in all of this was trumpet vine, wild grape, and some kind of vine that hell itself sent to Texas because it's both strong as rope and has thorns as big as any healthy rose bush I've ever seen (Laid me on my back running away from a paint-ball player, piercing me across my entire torso - pure evil). What's now left of these are outside the reach of sheep -- and the sheep are simply MAD they can't get at them.
There are limited solutions that will help keep the trees in your pasture you enjoy alive. I occasionally like trying some novel approaches to problems; I thought products like
Hot Pepper Wax were hoot.
I was told about this product when I was having squirrel issues in N.Y. This product is a spray-on non-toxic wax laced with pepper spice (Capsaicin) and provides a real kick in the teeth to nibblers. As I was told, it leaves enough of a waxy residue on the hands of lawn rats (squirrels) that they need to stop and clean their hands off because they are apparently somewhat of neat freak about clean hands. Well, squirrels clean themselves just like a cat would -- what a gag!
I assume Hot Pepper Wax would work on sheep lips in much the same way but I'm sure there will always be the oddball ewe; you know the one. She'll probably like the spice. Besides, the stuff eventually wears off and neither the sheep nor the saplings are going anywhere. In my best opinion as a Chemist and squirrel hater,. . . . .
A topical applicator isn't going to help a tree survive the threat of a hungry sheep
I've heard that brewing sheep waste and spraying it on plants works well, and it would, but who wants that hanging around the barn or house? And who wants to strain it so that you can spray it? Or apply it every time it rains? What sick mind sits and thinks of things like this? (Oh yah, I'm writing about it aren't I?)
Just like with the fencing, in my opinion, there aren't a lot of options and I'll fall back on the good 'ol Secret Service tried and true -- a barricade.
What you'll need:
Wire (14 gage or better. 3 ft per tree)
Plastic Fencing (Black, 4 ft per 2 trees)
Fence Pliers
Scissors
Garden Prune Shears
Saw (for the big branches if there are any)
Typically the sheep won't reach much of anything over 4-ft in height except for what sticks off of the branches because they won't be able to turn their head straight on toward the bark. If a ewe or ram pulls the low branch, the rest will start chomping away at it (I have one goat and she's great at this). But what we really need to protect is the bark, not the low branches.
1) Measure and saw any branch or twig below the 4-ft mark (or close to it).
2) Measure and cut the Plastic Fencing so that you have a piece that is around 4-ft and can circle the tree at least twice.
3) Using the fence pliers, cut four (4) pieces or wire so that it can wrap around the tree plastic and tree at least twice.
4) Wrap the tree with the netting and secure it with the wire.
5) Cut off the extra wire and loop the points of the wire into the tree so that you won't poke any eyes out. Don't forget to pick up the waste pieces of wire and plastic cuttings.
Nicely done. . . . . . You've saved your first sapling. Now look around and see what else you can save before it's too late.
If there is anything less than 4-ft high that you want to save then your only real hope is to plant posts in a square around the sapling (in the dirt, not concrete) at least 2 1/2 -feet from the would-be tree and staple up chicken wire around the posts. You could try also using steel posts, leaning them all toward the center and wiring the tops together. In a couple of years you can then pull out the posts and convert it to what's shown above.