Hello,
when we had 8 inches of snow lying for a couple of weeks the rabbits chewed the bark off the trunk and 2 arms of my espalier apple trees. Lots of bark missing on the surface of the branches.
does anyone know if the trees will live ? should i do anything to help/ protect them now ?
its never happened before i guess they were desperate & i've heard other people mention it but no one said what the result would be.
Thanks Gail :)
Gail
is it the stem or just branches?
If it is the stem/trunk and it has eaten all the way round then it will die. But I have sometimes repaired "wounds" on trees with duck tape. If you wrap it round a few times to make a "seal" they sometimes do repair themself. A bit like sticking plaster.
Good luck!
O B
If the rabbits have just nibbled the bark you should be alright, if the have completely eaten the bark away all around the stem then you are in deep doo doo.
If the chewed bit is above the graft don't panic. I was getting a lot of neighbour nuisance (to put it mildly!) some years ago, and one of the things they did was break off a young apple tree. The break was just above the graft, it budded, and it's now a productive little tree.
Thanks guys - think i'll just have to wait and see..................and hope for the best
they have eaten the bark right round the main stem/trunk and the lower branches, doesn't sound good.