Rabbit Pressure In Winter - Tree Bark Destroyed - Girdled Trees - Belgian Fence Espalier of Apple Trees - January 2025

I went out back to have a look around at the garden a few days ago and I noticed something odd - that drew my eyes to them as being sort-of...out of place.  I noticed what appeared to be some BRIGHT, UPRIGHT lines along the fence that were easily contrasted from the dark(er) grey of the wood fence behind them.  

What the what?  

I went over to take a closer look and this is what I saw - in the photo below.  

Rabbits have removed the bark completely around the trunk of eight apple trees in Winter - also called Girdling


See the bright, upright lines that stand out?  

DEEP SIGH.....

These are the trunks of the eight fruit apple trees that I planted in 2020 - during the height of COVID lockdowns.  Three Golden Delicious trees.  Five Honeycrisp trees.  They're pollinators of each-other, so they were selected deliberately.  

Right after planting, I held my breath...and cut off their heads to limit the trunk height to like 18" tall from the ground. A year later, they had ALREADY put out a bunch of limbs and were climbing the trellisBy Summer 2023, we started to HAVE SOMETHING.   

So, with that in mind, I went in for a closer look.  What was going on with these trunks?  Was this a fungus?  A mold or something?  

Nope.  *Deeper Sigh*

Here's a closer look:


Rabbits have removed the bark completely around the trunk of eight apple trees in Winter - also called Girdling

That's....that's....that appears to be a complete removal of the bark on these trees.  

I went in even closer and saw this:

Rabbits have removed the bark completely around the trunk of eight apple trees in Winter - also called Girdling

THE (DANG!) rabbits have completely removed the barn around ALL OF THESE trees from the rootflare all the way up as far as they can reach.  

Oh, no.  These are, I fear....good as gone.   According to Iowa State, this is called "Girdling":

Deciduous trees that have been girdled (the bark has been removed completely around the trunk) have essentially been destroyed. Wrapping the trunk or applying pruning paint to the damaged area will not save the tree. 
Most affected trees will sucker from the base. However, most fruit and ornamental trees are propagated by grafting. Suckers which originate from the rootstock will not produce a desirable tree. Trees that have been girdled should be removed and replaced with additional trees.

Likely a total loss.  

Hey Rabbits....now we're playing for keeps.  You're on notice.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lou Malnati's Salad Dressing Recipe as Published in the 60's

Tom Thayer's Italian Beef Recipe

Martha Stewart: If You Want To Be Happy....Plant A Garden - Garden Advice - November 2024