You sure that is rabbits? That is more than likely squirrels, I see that a lot up in the Crosslake I lost a few trees they start from the bottom and work there way up to the tippy top of the tree. Something about be a nutrition deficiency in there diet.
If you wrap that tree you might be able to save it. Hopefully.
Hey guys you could try wrapping the tree damage with grafting tape. I had rabbits do this to one of my favorite apple trees last winter. I thought it was a goner for sure, but it ended up surviving and producing.
That is one dang short apple tree. What kind is that?
Squirrels, Rabbits, and Deer are so hard on small trees around here. I’ve pretty much resorted to shooting rabbits and deer on sight now anywhere near the house or property to thin them out a bit.
About 15 years ago we planted what had to be a few thousand white pines on a piece of our land. I’d bet of that number we don’t have 250 remaining intact. Deer literally annihilated them. Those that did survive are looking good now and are big enough that animals shouldn’t kill them.
Every time I see someone angry about a “small buck” being harvested, I think back to how much money and time these same small bucks have cost me with trees over the years.
^^ For sure. Definitely not a few thousand, but I went two years in a row planting pines to no avail. I’ve now invested hundreds into fencing. Not necessarily ideal but if I want trees to grow they need to be protected from every buck that wants to rub everything away. Planted two apple trees as well last year and put fencing around them, came back from a trip this winter and it looked like a crime scene. This winter has obviously been hard on them too and they’re going after anything they can. Anxiously waiting to see what’s made it when it gets nice out again, my new white pines from last year have spent the winter mostly covered in snow.
DANG!
You guys got me thinking, so I did a little investigating.
The little one was a Father’s Day tree my kids gave me.
EPG, if those are both apple trees, I’d trim those little guys that are sprouting up underneath the full size tree. If you really want, try to dig up the roots of the biggest one and transplant it at least 10 ft away from the bigger tree. In their current state, none of them are ever going to get to a point of bearing fruit when they’re stacked up like that and will only take away nutrients from the bigger tree.
CaptainMusky, It is a honey crisp. I prune my apple trees to an open center and keep them short enough to pick all my apples without needing a ladder.
CaptainMusky, It is a honey crisp. I prune all my trees to an open center and keep them short enough to pick all my apples without needs a ladder.
Brilliant! Our honey crisp got destroyed by animals. I need to get another.
^^ For sure. Definitely not a few thousand, but I went two years in a row planting pines to no avail. I’ve now invested hundreds into fencing. Not necessarily ideal but if I want trees to grow they need to be protected from every buck that wants to rub everything away. Planted two apple trees as well last year and put fencing around them, came back from a trip this winter and it looked like a crime scene. This winter has obviously been hard on them too and they’re going after anything they can. Anxiously waiting to see what’s made it when it gets nice out again, my new white pines from last year have spent the winter mostly covered in snow.
Complete side track, but how do white pines do transplanted?
I’m debating grabbing a few ~4’5′ tall that have taken root randomly on their own on our property and bringing them back to the house and planting them.
We had 3 young apple trees at our place get the same treatment. My wife finally agreed to let me get to work on both problems.
I ordered one of the cold steel blow dart guns with hunting darts ( 50.00 ) and well worth it. I doubt our trees will make it but will see. Rabbits are tasty though. So got something out of the deal.
It is hard to keep cottontails at bay by simply eliminating them. I have shot, live trapped (then killed), and snared them, but they just keep moving in. I pressure can them and use it to make stew for lunch at work since my wife doesn’t like the idea of eating rabbits, or squirrels for that matter.
They do their damage at night. The snow was so deep this winter that they got over my fencing and protective plastic tubes to reach some lower branches. I am probably moving to tree wrap before next winter. I also shovel around my trees because they will stand on their hind legs to chew/gird trunks of young trees and scaffold branches. I just wrapped some severe branch damage yesterday with the clear grafting tape to help them heal.
I don’t even try with the raspberries anymore. The advantage is that the canes they chew down always come back and produce really nice, big, and sweet late summer/early fall berries.
Complete side track, but how do white pines do transplanted?
I’m debating grabbing a few ~4’5′ tall that have taken root randomly on their own on our property and bringing them back to the house and planting them.
I honestly can’t answer that question after trying half a dozen two years in a row and none making it. Wish I would’ve done it sooner but the 3 I bought last year (these only about a foot tall) have fence around them so they’ve got a better chance. They’ve been covered in snow a lot of the winter and I tried to clear snow away when I could.
Transporting white pines that tall is tough because those roots have spread out a lot already. Not impossible, but you’ll do a lot of digging and the new holes will need to probably be deeper and wider than you’d expect.
Both rabbits and squirrels have been destructive in our yard this winter. We have too many and I have no means to control them here in the city. I don’t have that problem at the cabin….
Bucky I’ll post some pictures when I open the cabin. I planted 2 WP that were 18 inches tall 6 years ago and now they are 7 foot tall.
If you have 6 footers maybe contact a tree service that has a truck with a tree spade on the back. If you had 6 or 7 trees to transplant see what they charge to move them to your house.
Get yourself one of these, it was snooping around the wood pile 50 feet from my house two nights ago.
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Sheldon i see Marge came back.
That’s funny!
That’s not Marge Chuck, I was hoping that she either ran off after the fireworks or the minor predator was consumed by the major predator, no such luck, your Marge showed back up today dang it!!
Kind of funny though, that bobcat marked its territory in the exact same place as you and EPG did.
That’s not Marge Chuck, I was hoping that she either ran off after the fireworks or the minor predator was consumed by the major predator, no such luck, your Marge showed back up today dang it!!
Kind of funny though, that bobcat marked its territory in the exact same place as you and EPG did.
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