Girdle protection

[Farmsteader]

My buddy just texted me, he is not very happy, the rabbits got into his grafted trees he was planning to plant this spring...
View attachment 27495

I used to think most of my tree girdling was from rabbits but now I'm pretty sure most of it from mice or voles. Last winter I removed the hardware from my 5 year plus trees because I felt the bark was gnarling enough to prevent damage. They still had deer/ rabbit fences and I found out the hard way that was a mistake. Luckily 4 out of 5 survived. They were completely griddle under the snow line ( approx 8"). I thought for sure they were goners. I was thinking of trying to save them with some bridge grafts. I'm so glad I didn't mess with that. I probably would have made matters worse. I think younger trees with thinner bark would have been toast.

 

[j-bird]

Like Bur mentioned.....maybe not all is lost. Set-back...certainly, but maybe not lost. I had a chestnut tree the deer destroyed....the removed the cage, and rubbed and ate it down to a tattered twig. Like was mentioned I simply saw a green bud below the damage in the spring and cut it back and hoped for the best.....it was only a few inches tall after I cut it back to healthy wood. It's now 24" tall or so. He could also potentially look into a new graft as well.

 

[BuckSnort]

My wife just rolled her eyes when I told her I was making cages for planting this spring. LOL!

 

[homerj1]

My wife just rolled her eyes when I told her I was making cages for planting this spring. LOL! View attachment 33385

1/4" or 1/2" mesh?

 

[BuckSnort]

1/4" or 1/2" mesh?

These are 1/4”. I won’t pre-make all of them but just trying to help the cause during a tight timeline this spring.

 

[sandbur]

These are 1/4”. I won’t pre-make all of them but just trying to help the cause during a tight timeline this spring.

If you intend to keep them on for longer periods or pull off and reuse, get UV stabilized cable ties.


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[cavey]

If they are tall and narrow now,.... when the tree trunk gets to big in a few years take them off and turn them sideways.... you can get a few more years out of them on the same tree. Most of your rodent damage later will be in the first 6 inches about the ground level anyways. Just and added thought.....

 

[Ruffdude]

If they are tall and narrow now,.... when the tree trunk gets to big in a few years take them off and turn them sideways.... you can get a few more years out of them on the same tree. Most of your rodent damage later will be in the first 6 inches about the ground level anyways. Just and added thought.....

Until the snow gets 2' deep. Dang critters, everything wants to eat I guess. Can someone share a photo of the window screen method? I'm confused on how you are attaching it to itself to make it wrap securely around the trunk.

 

[Apple Junkie]

My “technique” is very crude Ruff. I simply cut off 12” or so of window screen, fold in thirds so there is some overlap, then just wrap and tie off with cord, string, wire, or anything you have handy. I tie one warp high, another lower. Again, nothing fancy but it seems to do the trick for me.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I've used Appleman's method for some years now with NO critters chewing. I don't have a picture, but I can describe it.

I use one wrap / layer of aluminum screen. I just wrap a 2 ft. tall x 16" piece of screen around the newly planted trunk, and staple it together with a plain old office stapler. I staple it where the 2 edges meet, so if you looked DOWN on it from above, it would look like a tear-drop shape at this point. I then staple the top & bottom edges - going in toward the trunk - close enough so I can still get my finger in between the closest staple and the trunk, so the tree can grow during it's first summer. As the trunk expands, the tree will rip out the staples on it's own, or you can help it by removing a staple as needed.

I pile 3" to 4" deep of crushed limestone screenings on top of my 3 ft. x 3 ft. landscape fabric - tree in the middle. No mice or voles chewing. Thanks Appleman!!!!!!!!

 

[Ruffdude]

Makes perfect sense. Thank you both.

 

[sandbur]

I've used Appleman's method for some years now with NO critters chewing. I don't have a picture, but I can describe it.

I use one wrap / layer of aluminum screen. I just wrap a 2 ft. tall x 16" piece of screen around the newly planted trunk, and staple it together with a plain old office stapler. I staple it where the 2 edges meet, so if you looked DOWN on it from above, it would look like a tear-drop shape at this point. I then staple the top & bottom edges - going in toward the trunk - close enough so I can still get my finger in between the closest staple and the trunk, so the tree can grow during it's first summer. As the trunk expands, the tree will rip out the staples on it's own, or you can help it by removing a staple as needed.

I pile 3" to 4" deep of crushed limestone screenings on top of my 3 ft. x 3 ft. landscape fabric - tree in the middle. No mice or voles chewing. Thanks Appleman!!!!!!!!

I use this method (no limestone here), but I cut a two foot + wide piece that is 3 or 4 foot tall. Staple as above, but fold the excess over and rest apple for shade to reduce winter sunscauld. The window screen extends to the first limb.


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[AtomApple]

I listened to C. Morse on the habitat podcast, he said the latex paint also works as a rodent barrier, they won’t chew through latex.

 

[AtomApple]

https://www.stitcher.com/show/habit...tricks-fruit-varieties-when-to-order-59233111

here is a link, hopefully it works.

i know there was some joke about chazmo from way back, but I thought the podcast was decent.

 

[homerj1]

I listened to C. Morse on the habitat podcast, he said the latex paint also works as a rodent barrier, they won’t chew through latex.

Charlie Morse is a snake oil salesman.

 

[Ruffdude]

Charlie Morse is a snake oil salesman.

I have no history with that person but can say that no one I know in my circle of habitat/fruit tree peeps is on the paint band wagon any longer. I did however attend a pruning demo last year where the field staffer said that for particularly large cuts on old trees you could use interior latex to cover the wound because it would peel off eventually and allow the tree to heal slowly.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Charlie Morse is a snake oil salesman.

I placed 1 order with Morse in 2012. Of the 4 trees I got from him, the only two that have turned out well are what he called the "Morse hybrid Pear", and the Nova Scotia crab apple. The pear tree actually looks good and puts on pears that look Asian - round, about 2" to 2 1/2" dia. Branching pattern is good with good crotch angles. The Nova Scotia crab also looks very good with fruit about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" dia. The other 2 trees .............. not so hot. I haven't ordered from him since that one time in 2012 ......................... and won't again. Not saying all his plants are bad - but I go with nurseries I know and have good success with.

 

[cavey]

I listened to C. Morse on the habitat podcast, he said the latex paint also works as a rodent barrier, they won’t chew through latex.

I think the only sound benefit to white latex paint (can be watered down a bit) is south side sun scald and frost popping protection. .. I do remember some mixing in plaster with latex to coat the bases of the tree to stop trunk boring insects.

 

[BuckSnort]

I got some free window screen from a friend, I have to admit, at least initially, it’s easier to put on than the hardware cloth. Funny enough, I was scrambling this fall when I planted and didn’t get screen on right away and the rabbits already got one of my trees half stripped. Lesson learned. Hoping it pulls through. Good thing there’s more in the garden!

 

[sandbur]

I got some free window screen from a friend, I have to admit, at least initially, it’s easier to put on than the hardware cloth. Funny enough, I was scrambling this fall when I planted and didn’t get screen on right away and the rabbits already got one of my trees half stripped. Lesson learned. Hoping it pulls through. Good thing there’s more in the garden!

Cheap skate that I am, I went to the landfill this spring and fished a lot of it out of a dumpster.


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