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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Rabbit Damage
  • Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:20:47 -0500

The rabbits really chewed up my little Pink Lady apple tree over the winter. We got a LOT more snow than usual, and my protections weren't sufficient this year.

I'd wrapped the trunk, so that's OK. But it's a small tree, with branches close to the ground, and they completely stripped the bark from most of them. Luckily, there are some branches near the top of the tree that haven't been touched.

There are also two branches, just below that area, which have the bark stripped everywhere but for a very thin line on the top of the branch. Note that the bark is stripped for a good foot or two near the trunk, so it's not just a small area. But there appears to be a thin line - a very thin line - along the upper side of the branch that's untouched.

Should I prune off these branches anyway? Are they too badly damaged to survive? Or is that thin connection with the trunk enough that they could recover from this?

Note that this tree had a couple of small spots of fireblight last year, which I had to remove. I don't know if all this bark damage would be susceptible to fireblight or not, but I thought I'd better mention it.

Thanks,

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

http://garthright.blogspot.com/

--
Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo it is not enough that you be persecuted by an unkind establishment, you must also be right. - Robert L. Park




  • [NAFEX] Rabbit Damage, William C. Garthright, 03/20/2010

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