North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dan & Marilyn Mason" <dmason@rainyriver.lakeheadu.ca>]

vic,

I've used mud made from clean clay subsoil to cover damaged areas
of vole girdled young trees where the damage was not too deep. It
works sometimes, depending how deep the damage was. Clay doesn't
last long in rainy weather; it does wash off. Maybe your caulking
sealer will work well. Time will tell.

I have good luck using clay, fresh cow manure, lime, and warm
water stirred into a thick paint and brushed onto the trunks of
young trees in fall before snow stays. This works to deter voles,
here. But we have continuous snowcover all winter. Where there was
rain throughout the winter to wash the mud off I don't know how
well this would work.

I plant my grafted trees with the graft ending up a couple inches
below the surface, so if there is damage to young trees there
will be a pretty good chance the tree can come back from above
the graft.

I moved my raspberry patch away from the orchard. The hay mulch
in the raspberries provided excellent shelter for voles and mice.

The worst thing I ever did to some young plum trees many years ago
was to paint their trunks with pine tar as a deterrent. This
nearly killed them. Nothing bothered the trunks, but I'll never do
it again.

Good luck. Let us know how the caulking sealer trees turn out.

Dan Mason  zone 3, NW ON, Canada


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-~>
Clubmom is the first free organization dedicated to rewarding and celebrating 
Moms! Join today - it's free - and get a free year-long subscription
for Parents magazine - just for being a Mom!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/BVVVCC/YKfCAA/OZ8EAA/VTJVlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/