What got this tree?

[silver_yummies]

Only tree out of roughly 100 that got gnawed on this winter which I am thankful for. This is a Crimson Topaz Apple tree. Think it wakes up this spring?

 

[Apple Junkie]

Nope. That one is a goner. Kinda looks like a mouse got down inside the screen and ate for a month. That's a shame.

 

[Telemark]

See if you can get some living scions and graft them to the roots.

 

[homerj]

Top will be dead. Likely vole damage

 

[j-bird]

I agree in that I doubt it survives. Time for some grafting... I would suspect a mouse or vole got into the top like was mentioned and then made themselves at home. Lots of folks use a simple stapler to close the top of the wire screen to prevent this.

My experience is that voles chew off the support roots, and mice will eat the actual bark...but that is limited experience on my end.

 

[mikmaze]

you could try a bridge graft, section of live branch, grafted low and high, to connect the living bottom, with the living top, eventually that brach would become the new trunk.

 

[chickenlittle]

I disagree on a bridge graft. Its often suggested but not worth doing on a young tree. I'd probably replace the whole tree but you could cut off below the girdle and regraft. Looks like you want to let the roots push some growth that you can graft onto later.

 

[weekender21]

I’m far from an expert but did glean window screen knowledge from this forum and others. Vertically attached staples seem to do the trick.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[silver_yummies]

Well, if it doesn’t pull through I’ll replant another tree in that location. Might give me an excuse to try some grafting to fill in spots where trees didn’t survive the winters.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Looks like it was a "personal thing" to the culprit , given the time and effort you put into tree protection

bill

 

[chummer]

That should send up some rootstock suckers. Let the strongest grow and graft to it. If you have a 100 trees planted it is time to get into grafting anyways.

 

[cavey]

It will almost certainly push up root suckers from the RS. You still have a healthy root system that can then be grafted on to at a later date.
You could cut scion from the existing branches, graft those scion to a branch on one of your other trees and next spring graft it back on to the new RS shoots. You will be back in the game with the same tree same same spot.

I agree with chicken little on not attempting a bridge graft... more work than its worth.