Just now noticed the mice have chewed my apple trees.Girdeled them,so for anyone who may have had this happen,is there any way to save them?They are young trees and should have started to bare friut this year!They are budding out and I sprayed paint on them in hopes they,ll live but I,m not very hopefull.Don,t have all that many years to keep starting over,dang it all.Dave
dog gone em
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MMagis
Veteran Member
I would expect that from rabbits. Are you sure it was mice? I'm not aware of any way to save a girdled tree. Once the life supply is cut off, I don't think there's any way to fix it.
forgeblast
Elite Member
Might not be mice, probably voles, they have done a number on my apples until i learned about them. What I do is 1. keep the grass short, mulch or spray around the apples.
2. use wire mesh or rabbit guard fencing to keep them out. There is the white plastic protectors but you have to take them off every now and then. You could also buy a bunch of the blue-x tree tubes and electrical tape them around. (the blue x come flat packed with a two part system, since the tree is already too big to slide the tube over just use the blue part and tape it around the base. sink the base a couple of inches. )
you could use molex or plantskydd or sprays to keep them away, but i like the fence it stays up for me all year long.
2. use wire mesh or rabbit guard fencing to keep them out. There is the white plastic protectors but you have to take them off every now and then. You could also buy a bunch of the blue-x tree tubes and electrical tape them around. (the blue x come flat packed with a two part system, since the tree is already too big to slide the tube over just use the blue part and tape it around the base. sink the base a couple of inches. )
you could use molex or plantskydd or sprays to keep them away, but i like the fence it stays up for me all year long.
Chuck52
Veteran Member
First look real close at the trunks. If whatever chewed on them didn't go all the way through the cambrium layer there's a possibility they will survive. I had a buck rub one of my English walnuts year before last, and it looked to be nearly 2/3 around the trunk, but that tree is still doing OK....maybe a little stunted, but it made nuts last year and looks good for this year. I figure it wasn't really all the way through the cambrium for the whole scar because I doubt it would have made it.
Haven't had rodent problems with my trees, except the tall rodents, and I don't do anything to protect the trunks until I take down the fence circle I have to use to keep Bambi at bay. Then I just use some fence right around the trunk....again against deer rubs, not the smaller rodents. Must be a regional thing.
Chuck
Haven't had rodent problems with my trees, except the tall rodents, and I don't do anything to protect the trunks until I take down the fence circle I have to use to keep Bambi at bay. Then I just use some fence right around the trunk....again against deer rubs, not the smaller rodents. Must be a regional thing.
Chuck
Bird
Rest in Peace
I never before heard of mice or voles chewing on trees, so that's something new to me. I did read a news story this morning about the fruit trees in New England blossoming earlier this year, so the orchard owners are worried that a late frost my ruin the crop for this year.
ToadHill
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Both mice and rabbits will chew the bark off young trees if they are not able to get food any other way during the snow season. Rabbits damage will be higher on the trunk because they move over the top of the snow pack. Mouse damage will be near the very base of the trunk as they tunnel through the snow.
As said before if they didn't chew through the cambrium layer they may survive. If they don't and you plant replacements buy some tree tape. It's a corrigated paper the is impregnated with tar, it looks like crape paper and will stretch as the trunk grown. Wrap the trunk up as high as the snowfall usually reaches.
The critters won't try to chew through the tar layer.
As said before if they didn't chew through the cambrium layer they may survive. If they don't and you plant replacements buy some tree tape. It's a corrigated paper the is impregnated with tar, it looks like crape paper and will stretch as the trunk grown. Wrap the trunk up as high as the snowfall usually reaches.
The critters won't try to chew through the tar layer.
Bird
Rest in Peace
I saw plenty of places that was done by moose in Alaska, but maybe part of it was done by the snowshoe hares, too.
thanks guys for the info.I,m not sure but it appears that the wound only is to the thin bark layer,don,t see any damage beyond that but its all the way around near ground level up to about 5 inches high.I hope they make it! Over 60 and with my health problems I just don,t believe I can wait around to grow trees from sprigs to get to fruit bearing size.Was hoping one of my apples a day would keep the doctor away!Hope I didn,t hurt them further by spraying enamel paint on them.Was so looking forward to fresh picked Harrelson,s.Kink of like a braeburn,little tart but juicey.Dave
