Mice protection and freshly grafted rootstock.

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5 year old buck +
I got some grafting material coming in today, bunch of scions from 39th parallel and M111's. I have both aluminum window screen and 1/4" mesh to work with.

Concerned the grafts will get bumped out of alignment from the wind blow the window screens around. Some trees are being placed in their permanent homes, some are in the nursery where I have not seen any rodent damage last year. Fencing in the nursery is a fine screen mesh size.

Do you guys support the aluminum screens well, or go with 1/4" mesh? I am near a large river in a very open 8 acre parcel at home, whatever the weather man says for wind, you can usally add 30% at my house.
 
This is what i did, I might wrap it in screen, then remove the 1/4" mesh this summer.

Also, I have the stone edge with a 3x3ft piece of landscape fabric under it. Think it would be ok to fill the remainer of it with wood chips? Or, go stone all the way around. 20230311_171502.jpg20230311_171405.jpg
 
Your second image is more in tune to what I do as far as mice protection. I will often put a 3/8 4' fiberglass rod in beside the tree, wrap the screening around both for a flush fit with the tree or if the rod is outside of the screening its close to the trunk (after a couple years I pull that stake - may replace it with a taller one on some occations but usually not...) I have not done the plastic weed mat mulching but from what I have heard here the rocks will help. I use chemical or mechanical weed control around the trees 3 foot out in dia. As the tree grows you can loosely soft tie the tree to the stake for added stability - eventually you want the tree to bare some wind to build trunk strengh
The 1/4 mesh cage around the tree as in the first image to me just makes a nice protected spot for a mouse to hang out in while it chews at your tree.
 
The first image is temporary until I hear what you guys think on the matter. I did a few more grafted bareroots sunday. I put the 1/4" mesh cage, then aluminum screen loosely around it and about 3 inch in the ground too. Then the 3ft diameter of stones like the 2nd picture.

I put a little bit of stone under the mat too. Just enough to annoy the mice, and a little thicker right at the screen.
 
The window screen you have on that tree is going to be able to protect that tree for years, that looks like about the height I run on most of my trees now just because of economics of cost, but this year the snow is way deeper than it has been for years so there is potential for losses due to the snow being at the top of the screen - bunnies are the bigger issue this winter, I dont have many where I have young trees except in my nursery.
I leave those tree tags lose or put them on the stake (use metal tags permanently, I only now use plastic for the first few month post grafting till I know the scion took) - I have accidently buried them before on some of my trees I have potted and found them tight to point of almost girthing the tree - just a heads up on them. Nearly all of those that come from a nursery will not fade but I bought a roll with something like 5000 tags and they turned out to be pure crap even with permanent marker they will fade.

I buy and am re using the fleet farm 3/8 inch 4 foot fiberglass rods ( the coated ones) on almost all my trees, so 90+ percent are staked right away, adds some stability to protect the scion union, prevents birds from perching on the scion and bending/moving the graft union, same with strong winds, the window screen provides a lot of protection for that as well. Special trees get taller stakes.


The only real issues I have had with window screen is one: wind or some form of magic lifting of the screen - solved by splaying out the bottom screen a bit and putting dirt on the screen or bury the screen in a bit.

2nd issue is not enough length - I tend to keep them shorter so the leaves are shed on the ground and not into the screen and cost. I was doing about a hundred plus grafts a year and it just got expensive .

Some like to paint the trunks white - I should do that but I have found the screen prevents sun scolding at least to the height of the screen.
The screen can be a pain when taking off the grafting tape - I usually can just slide the screen up and get at the union.

One side note about the window screen, in x number of years when the screen gets tight and starts to pop the staples, spin it 90 degrees and re staple by that time the bark apart from around 3-6 inches around the base are all they seem to chew on so you wont need 18-24 plus inches of protection. On large dia trees with still very smooth soft bark I have doubled up old window screen to wrap around.
 
As far as the ground matting, I can provide almost zero info on the rock on plastic method. I prefer the chemical approach so I can see whats happening around the tree - but honestly weeds do get out of control and have if i dont get out and spray. My fear with the plastic is simple, every time I have lifted that form of weed control I have found mouse tunnels - the rock has to help and it will provide for keeping the soil moist under it. Near by weeds suck the moisture more than people realize.
 
I have used your second pic as well on all my trees except your fence looks 4ft and I use 5ft. I too use the weed fabric, stone, window screen and have had great results. I don’t think you can beat that set up.
 
The window screen you have on that tree is going to be able to protect that tree for years, that looks like about the height I run on most of my trees now just because of economics of cost, but this year the snow is way deeper than it has been for years so there is potential for losses due to the snow being at the top of the screen - bunnies are the bigger issue this winter, I dont have many where I have young trees except in my nursery.
I leave those tree tags lose or put them on the stake (use metal tags permanently, I only now use plastic for the first few month post grafting till I know the scion took) - I have accidently buried them before on some of my trees I have potted and found them tight to point of almost girthing the tree - just a heads up on them. Nearly all of those that come from a nursery will not fade but I bought a roll with something like 5000 tags and they turned out to be pure crap even with permanent marker they will fade.

I buy and am re using the fleet farm 3/8 inch 4 foot fiberglass rods ( the coated ones) on almost all my trees, so 90+ percent are staked right away, adds some stability to protect the scion union, prevents birds from perching on the scion and bending/moving the graft union, same with strong winds, the window screen provides a lot of protection for that as well. Special trees get taller stakes.


The only real issues I have had with window screen is one: wind or some form of magic lifting of the screen - solved by splaying out the bottom screen a bit and putting dirt on the screen or bury the screen in a bit.

2nd issue is not enough length - I tend to keep them shorter so the leaves are shed on the ground and not into the screen and cost. I was doing about a hundred plus grafts a year and it just got expensive .

Some like to paint the trunks white - I should do that but I have found the screen prevents sun scolding at least to the height of the screen.
The screen can be a pain when taking off the grafting tape - I usually can just slide the screen up and get at the union.

One side note about the window screen, in x number of years when the screen gets tight and starts to pop the staples, spin it 90 degrees and re staple by that time the bark apart from around 3-6 inches around the base are all they seem to chew on so you wont need 18-24 plus inches of protection. On large dia trees with still very smooth soft bark I have doubled up old window screen to wrap around.
How large of diameter trees do you continue to use the window screen on? Trying to determine how many more years I have to look forward to……
 
I am using 2ft of wire screen material. Roughly 7.5 inch diameter or so its good for. Older trees start making the dry peels of old bark as protection. It has that more dull grey look than the softer reddish grey bark.
 
I am using 2ft of wire screen material. Roughly 7.5 inch diameter or so its good for. Older trees start making the dry peels of old bark as protection. It has that more dull grey look than the softer reddish grey bark.
Makes sense; I‘ve still got a few more years to go then!
 
This year will be my first go at grafting apples. I planted dolgo rootstock last year that I'll be grafting to. My "plan" is to put doubled up tubes around them until later this summer, then going with window screen and fencing for the winter.
 
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I use these contraptions. 1/4 inch mesh tube with an open tree tube in it, fastened with zip ties.( use the black, UV stabilized zip ties).I put the tree tube on the south for shade.

I can reach in or remove these to thumb prune growth as/ if the graft takes.

I think the three on the right were seedlings and the other was a graft.
 
What do you guys do about weed procetion inside the mesh screen? I bought a bag of rubber mulch. Thinking of that and a bit of weed fabric. Stone in side the cage area might upset the bark during growth. Regular mulch will be weedy at some point.
 
What do you guys do about weed procetion inside the mesh screen? I bought a bag of rubber mulch. Thinking of that and a bit of weed fabric. Stone in side the cage area might upset the bark during growth. Regular mulch will be weedy at some point.
Round up.
 
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