Young Willow tree attacked - can i do anything?
Hello all. I planted a weeping willow tree in Spring and it has been growing very well - until now.
I came home from work and the bottom half of its trunk has been very damaged.
There are wood shavings all around it, and the entire trunk circumference has been stripped.
We often have deer in our yard, so it may have been a buck, or some other monster. I have temporarily surrounded it with fencing and will fix something more permanent at the weekend.
Aside from physically protecting, is there anything I can do to help it recover? Wrap the bare wood?
(I'm in NC - zone 7b)
I enclose some photos. I'll be so sad to lose it :-(
Comments (12)
Related Discussions
Attack of the Squirrels! 'What can I do!?'
Comments (21)Birds won't taste hot pepper. I was told to add hot pepper to bird seed to keep squirrels away. My Mom swears it works and the birds eat it just fine. My problem is bunnies!!! DAM Bunnies. My neighbor with an outdoor cat moved away and we lost our bunny control. They have ven chewed the bark off my trees and the bottom half of an arbovite bush (sp?) I saw all kinds of bunny poop in one of my flower beds. They are eating the plants that are showing a little green already in the gound. I am just going to get a small fence. I really don't want one but I have to...otherwise I will go nuts. They are immune to all the animal repellants. Plus those get expensive when it keeps snowing or raining them away. The animals love our yards beause we actually grow flowers. Most of my neighbors just have bushes. nothing yummy for critters to eat. Karen...See MoreHow do you root peach and/or willow trees from cuttings?
Comments (8)Peach are very hard from cuttings, but willow is a dead cinch. Take dormant cuttings in late winter or early spring and they will root easily . Works well with the old "stick in ground under fruit jar" method. Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium) is common over most of Eastern US, even up here in PA. Clean off the pulp and soak in warm water overnight. plant about 1" deep outside and most will sprout next spring. These also root sucker a lot, and these can be divided off for new plants. Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) acorns should be planted about 3" deep outside also. I'm a native Okie, born and raised there, but have been up here in PA for 35 years. Hope you have luck with these. George...See MoreCedar Apple Rust-anything I can do to help my trees cope
Comments (6)Thanks mes111, the linked article made the process very easy to understand. I had tried to be as organic as possible and used sulfur this year but I will be using Immunox next spring. From what I have read, ( and what I experienced last year on my trees,) older trees can be devastated by CAR. Unlike younger trees, older trees don't grow many new leaves after spring and the danger of CAR infection is past, and so, are not able to store up engergy through the leaves for the next year. Last year, all the leaves were covered with CAR and most dropped by late summer. Looks like the same will happen this year. Is there anything I can do to help the trees compensate for the damage done to their leaves? Should I try to remove any apples that are left on the tree? Would doing any pruning and water sprouts removal encourage some new leaf growth? Should I fertilize?...See MoreWhat is attacking our young DM Palo Verde Tree?
Comments (3)If the cut off bits have a clean cut like a sharp scissors, that is rabbits. Ground squirrels or gophers are other possibilities. Gophers will come up out of their burrows at night and eat things. You can put a cylinder of wire fencing around the tree for a while--that protects well. 2' tall is enough, unless your rabbits are jackrabbits then go taller. I pin down the cylinder with landscaping staples....See More
sabine_farm
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoUPDATE and question...
I trimmed off the wood shavings and wrapped the trunk with a breathable protective tree wrap a few days after this happened. I thought I may as well leave it in the ground to see if it survives.
It has sprouted many green leaves and generally looks healthy, but now I’m not sure what to do about the damaged trunk. I want to remove the wrap, but don’t want it to get sunburn, especially as I’m guessing the cambium hasn’t grown back. Also it has some shoots growing at the base and some even pushing through the wrap. Usually I would cut the shoots at the base off, but as the cambium had been rubbed off around the entire circumference of the trunk, I’m unsure how it can get nutrients up to the top of the tree. Could the green leaves have grown using nutrients stored over winter in the branches?
If this is the case, then I expect to see it start to wither if it can no longer pull up nutrients through the trunk. I‘m planning to leave the base shoots in case that happens, and then I,d cut the trunk off at the ground just above the base shoot.
So my question really is what do you guys think? i enclose some photos. Thanks for any feedback!
sabine_farm
5 years ago
Michelle Black
2 years ago
Patty Schlegel
2 years agoIm also in the same situation and would love to know the outcome of your tree
morz8 - Washington Coast
2 years ago
Smivies (Ontario - 5b)