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Fruit & Orchards

Rabbit damage on apple whip - need advice

14 years ago

I planted three apple trees this spring. My Spitzenburg was trimmed to a 30" whip and it has put on a 4 foot leader and 4 nice scaffolds. Similar results with a Honeycrisp, but I'm having no luck with the Roxburry Russet (the one I want the most).

I had a rabbit take a 2" vertical strip off the bark in the spring. It impacted about 1/3 of the whip circumference. The whip has put on about 2 feet of leader, but the side branches are only 8 inches or so. I'm not sure if I should cut my losses and order a replacement for fall planting, or let it ride and see what happens. Any insight on how this damage will affect the tree long term.

Thanks in advance.

{{gwi:122656}}

{{gwi:122657}}

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Comments (6)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
Your tree looks fine. Apples heal nicely compared to some other trees. Your only concern needs to be about limiting further damage.

The Fruitnut
frozen_north
14 years ago
I have four trees with apples on them right now that took a hit like that at some point. They do recover, as long as there's 10 or 20% of the cambium and bark intact. The tree will be somewhat more precocious and more of a dwarf, because the damage has a dwarfing effect.
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OK, you have branches at 23" already and they're staying, and you want the next branches to be at 53". Got it. Cummins suggests you head the tree at 36", and they probably know what they're talking about, but that doesn't mean you have to establish a whorl there. If you cut the leader at 36" you will get some undesirable branching going on there. You will get several upright branches just below the heading cut competing for dominance. You could simply select one of those and remove the rest, leaving a single central leader. Then you can take one of two approaches: 1) As that leader grows longer, buds lower down will break out into branches with better angles of attachment. You aren't in total control of that situation but you can simply select the best suited ones and remove the rest. You can also encourage selected buds to branch by notching above them to block the auxin flow from the leader. 2) You can dormant head the leader next year or later when it is sufficiently thick at 53" and train the subsequent branches horizontally leaving one upright leader. The advantage in my mind of establishing branches at heading cuts is that the branching is very predictable. The downside is that they tend to be upright and have to be subordinated.
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When you begin to try to harvest fruit you may find that wildlife questions are as essential to your quest as pruning. The whips don't need to be topped now, and may branch without prompting, depending on cultivar. The least pruning you do the faster your trees will establish. Commercial orchardists sometimes prune nothing except branches that exceed 1/3 the diameter of the trunk at their point of attachment for the first several years untill trees begin bearing fruit. This works well for some free branching cultivars. It is cultivars that are uncooperative that need to be manipulated with the sheers to encourage propper branch structure. When you make cuts shortly after bud break it encourages less vigorous secondary growth behind the cut and actually creates a better tier structure according to literature and some personal observation. By this I mean you are less likely to get a response of equally vigorous growth from several shoots just below the cut that have to be sorted out by selecting one to lead. Instead you get more response from buds well below the cut. Tell me what you're growing and I may be able to be more specific. Training is dictated by cultivar.
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Rabbits LOVE roses. Prickles have no effect on them. They'll eat any rose tissue they can get in their mouths. Rats and squirrels do exactly the same thing. All of their damage is identical. The "cuts" are perfect 45 degree angles. Rabbits will each whatever they can get to, including new basal breaks from well established, mature bushes. I permit the petty spurge "weeds" to grow around my roses because the rabbits seem repelled by them. None of the new growth originating in those weeds is touched. Much of what isn't protected by them is eaten. If you can put up a physical barrier to protect the plants, it works best. If you can't, good luck! Kim
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I paid around $30 each once shipping was added in. Three were just planted last spring and the others were 3 years old. I was told they need to be at least 7 years before the bark is hard enough that they are safe. When I stepped out this morning before daylight to check temperature, there were two in the flower bed outside the garden. I will check the foil this morning. I don't think they girdled anything so maybe they will be OK.
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jellyman
14 years ago
Bemis:

I agree with the other guys. Your Roxbury looks pretty good to me. Different varieties often have different growth habits, and I think the shorter side branches may work out just fine from the fruiting perspective.

A young Pink Lady tree I have suffered extreme damage from antler-rubbing when it was just a bit older than yours. There were only a few strips of bark remaining from a section of the trunk over 2 feet long. I thought the tree was a goner, but it somehow grew in new bark and is fine and healthy now.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
theaceofspades
14 years ago
The tree looks like it is planted on the property line. Maybe it was a lawn mower that bruised the tree. Anyway some trees like to establish roots before they grow up. The foliage sends down hormones to grow roots and the roots do the same for the leaves. There is a balance and I am sure it varies a little in each variety.
bemis
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the input everyone. I guess it's surprising to me how different apple tree growth habits can be. My spitzenburg looks like this in the same amount of growth period.

{{gwi:122658}}

Looks like I'll wait this one out. Any thoughts on winter pruning a tree with this habit?

Thanks again.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
If you want a central leader, then head the leader back about 18-24 inches above the first whorl of limbs. Do the heading early next spring. This should cause additional secondaries to form with good branch angles. If you want to go open vase, then cut out the central leader completely. These are two systems you might attempt with a free standing tree. There are many others with a stake or trellis.

Maybe someone else will have other ideas. Those are fine looking trees. Cultivars can vary a great deal in their growth habit.

The Fruitnut

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