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Fruit & Orchards

Is there a way to protect bark from nibbles?

16 years ago

Hello everyone! I think i may have an issue with something nibbling the bark at the base of my baby fruit trees. I remember a post from someone a while back who complained of girdling by rabbits or rodents, but my search for it was unsuccessful. Is there something i can do to protect the bark at the base of the trees? And also, why do they do this? To sharpen their teeth?

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Comments (9)

gonebananas_gw
16 years ago
The inner bark is edible.

A old way for prevention was hot pepper mixed in lard and rubbed on the base (not with your bare hands!). Or wrap the base in screen such as hardware cloth. Tree tubes are probably preferred now.
murkwell
16 years ago
I only know the answer to the last question. For sustenance.
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billinpa
16 years ago
hardware cloth buried about an inch.
sherryls
16 years ago
I use plastic tree wraps. They are inexpensive if you order them from a nursery supplier like A.M. Lenoard. But they can be very pricey if you get them from a local nursery. I puchased a bunch from A.M. Leonard for something like .35 each the nursery in town wanted $7.00 each. Some mark-up! Anyhow - buy more than you need because they last only a season or two and the plastic gets brittle. Sometimes you need two if your trees are larger in diamiter to get good coverage up higher. I use them every winter to keep my trees safe from the rabbits. Though come spring they dont seem to bother them as much once the grass greens up for them to chew on.
estreya
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much, guys. Sherryls, what a fantastic catalog! Thank you. Does this look like the right item?

"Don't You Girdle My Tree!"
glenn_russell
16 years ago
I'll echo what billinpa said:
> hardware cloth buried about an inch.

I too have hardware cloth cylinders, about 15" high, maybe 10" in diameter, buried slightly in the dirt, mostly in the mulch. I spray-paint them brown to match the mulch... (otherwise the metal can be more noticeable due to it's reflectivity) Once you do that, you hardly even notice them. Might be cheaper and less visually obtrusive than the product in the catalog. I learned this lesson the hard way with a new dogwood tree. Luckily, that one did survive, but IÂve never wanted to take the risk again, especially with my beloved young apple trees.
zeuspaul
16 years ago
I used tree guards from Peach Tree Orchard Supply @ 90 cents each.

I also make my own from plastic hardware cloth and plastic ties. I have never buried them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Guards
sherryls
16 years ago
The picture is not the ones I use. That would protect from weed wacking. The ones I use are long tall ones that actually wrap around the tree to put them on and it has a few air holes in it. They come in a couple of different lengths. But they are white wich help to refect the sun off the bark in winter to protect the tree. It is kind of like a cord keeper for a tree trunk. It allows you to wrap it around the trunk like a slinky but it doent actually shrink in size. Look up 24TP under tree wraps at amleo.com. I just looked it up on there. It should show you what I mean.
estreya
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you so much, guys ... i'll place an order this weekend.

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