Leaves stripped from young rhubarb
Yesterday I bought the most perfect rhubarb plant. Overnight something, assumably a deer, (even though it’s ‘deer resistant’) stripped off all the leaves (and they were so beautiful). I’m wondering now if the plant will survive and do you have any advice for its care in this state. A deer fence is in the immediate future, of course.
Umatilla County Oregon
1 Response
Thank you for your question. I am assuming that you know what type of wildlife are present in your area, Raccoons also eat rhubarb leaves. As you observe, exclusion is really the only "solution," since we don't control their diet. Whether the plant will survive isn't within our capacity to predict, but, with fencing is available, I'd suggest you use the following article to help improve its odds (fenced): https://extension.oregonstate.edu/crop-production/vegetables/rhubarb
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!