How to save a damaged apple, apricot, pear
If a tree in your garden has been gnawed by hares, mice, goats, as well as water voles, incorrectly called water rats, then a lot depends on who exactly gnawed, where, and most importantly, how quickly you missed it.
If right away, or at least before the spring heat, it means that everything is not lost, the cambium is alive, and much is fixable. Therefore, the sooner you find a gnaw, the less loss... For those who don't know, cambium is the thinnest juicy layer between bark and wood. But it is he who is the most important in the tree. It is to them that it grows in thickness, laying off annual rings, and also building up the bark.
Therefore, if a cambium is damaged in some part of the trunk (it is especially dangerous if it is damaged by a ring or almost around the circumference), then the tree dies, unless, of course, proper measures are taken. This is exactly the kind of damage that some animals do. Moreover, different breeds fruit crops suffer from gnawing to varying degrees. The apricot is damaged the most, but it is still quite new and rare in middle lane culture, so it is not so noticeable.
However, those gardeners who grow apricots need to take special care of their safety. In most gardens, apple trees are most often affected by gnawing - both the most common and the most preferred by animals to taste. Then comes the irga, but it is very tenacious, in addition, it gives a lot of new offspring, so the damage on it is not so noticeable. Plums, cherries and other less common fruit trees are next in terms of damage frequency. And, finally, this list ends with a pear, which animals for some reason do not like very much (luckily for us).
goat The damage caused by different animals is also very different in its kind. For example, mice usually gnaw the outer layer of the cortex with a narrow ring, without even reaching the cambium. Therefore, these damages are the easiest. But if they are not treated, then they can lead to the death of the tree. Usually, in the case of biting the bark of mice, it is enough to tightly wrap the damaged area with plastic wrap.
This should be done as soon as possible after discovering damage to the tree. The time factor for such and those described below plays a very important role. After strapping, if the remaining thin layer the bark, and with it the cambium, is not dry, then everything will be all right. If the bites were discovered late, and the bark with the cambium died, then in order to save the tree, it may be necessary to erect bridges or to inlay the bark from another tree. However, if the dying off of the cortex and cambium, although annular, is rather narrow, not more than a centimeter, then under the film the influx of callus formed from above and below will close, and the wound will overgrow. In any case, since the mouse bites are shallow and go in a rather narrow ring, this is still half the trouble.
With the onset of cold weather, more and more often uninvited guests in our gardens there are mice and hares. In search of food, they penetrate into cellars where vegetable supplies are stored, and often completely gnaw the bark. fruit trees... Young apple trees are especially vulnerable - their tender and juicy bark attracts pests with sharp teeth most of all. In addition, young plantings recover worse. To save Apple orchard from the invasion of rodents, in the fall it is necessary to take protective measures... Also, every gardener should know how to restore damaged apple trees.
Why are the damage to the apple tree by rodents dangerous?
Rodents cause serious damage to the apple orchard. Mice gnaw the bark of trees, damage the roots, gnaw young seedlings at the root collar. Particularly dangerous are hares and wild rabbits, which feed on the shoots of fruit trees and their bark, leaving the trunk practically naked. Strong (especially ring-shaped) gnawing of the bark can lead to the death of the tree. As a result of significant damage to the bark and wood, sap flow is disrupted, the plant does not receive the necessary nutrients and dries up very quickly.
Thanks to strong paws, hares are able to reach high
If at least part of the trunk remains intact, the tree can be tried to save. But even if it recovers, it will be weak, disease resistance will decrease, and yields will decrease.
Sometimes in spring, young apple trees suddenly fall to one side, it is easy to pull them out of the ground. This happens when the roots of a tree are damaged by rodents. If mice or rats have damaged the roots by more than 80%, leaving only thin cores, or have made holes in them, the tree will gradually dry out. Alas, it will not be possible to save it, it should be uprooted.
The mouse usually gnaws at the tree, making its way along the moves made under the snow
How to save a tree if the bark is eaten by mice
Rodent activity increases in February - March, and if in early spring minor damage to the tree is found, action must be taken immediately.
Medical dressings
- The wound on the tree must be treated with Heteroauxin and a layer of garden varnish should be applied. Then tie it with a cloth or gauze and cover with a film so that infection or moisture does not get into the wound.
- Linden decoction will help to heal a tree damaged by rodents. Linden bark (200 g) is crushed and boiled in 1 liter of water for half an hour. After cooling, filter the solution and moisten the wound. I wrap it with a cloth, then a film and leave a bandage for the whole summer until healing occurs.
A garden bandage applied to the treated wound will prevent infection and bark cracking
- Verified grandfather's way treating trees - covering the wound with a talker. Clay (6 parts) is dissolved in water and mixed with manure (4 parts). The resulting thick mass is applied with a layer of 3 cm on the damaged areas, wrapped on top with cotton or linen cloth so that the clay does not crumble and is not washed off by rains. Another layer of talker is applied on top of the fabric and left until next spring. With the intensive growth of the bark, the tissue under the clay breaks and gradually decomposes, leaving no constrictions on the tree. The next year, the chatterbox is washed off with water, by this time a new bark should already be visible on the damaged area.
The trunk damaged by rodents is covered with a clay talker
- Instead of a clay chatterbox, you can use RanNet paste. The biologically active substances in its composition contribute to the rapid healing of wounds on the tree. The putty is applied with a brush to the previously cleaned damaged part, which, adhering well to the surface of the sections, forms durable coating without cracking over time.
Paste-putty RanNet disinfects and heals wounds on a tree
- The rapid tightening of the wound is also facilitated by its treatment with a 3% solution of copper sulfate. After drying, a dark plastic wrap is applied to the wound. It is necessary to ensure that light and moisture do not penetrate the damaged area, then the healing process will take place faster. Film can be removed by the end of the season.
However, applying medicated dressings only works for small wounds. If the rodents severely damaged the apple tree, the bark began to die off, the trunk dries up, you will have to use more effective and time-consuming measures to save the tree.
Hungry mice in winter time can damage the apple tree so badly that it begins to dry out
In winter, it is necessary to wrap the wounds with foil as soon as possible, and cover them with agrofibre on top. Such insulation is necessary so that the tree does not freeze and die. With the onset of spring, drastic measures are taken.
Inoculation with a bridge will help to save a seedling affected by rodents. As soon as the snow melts, the edges of the wound are cleaned to healthy wood and disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. Last year's shoots are cut into pieces, the length of which should exceed the area of the damaged area by 5 cm. On both sides, the cutting is cut at an angle. T-shaped incisions are made in the bark above and below the wound, into which branches are inserted. For a sapling with a thin stem, 2 cuttings are enough; for a thicker tree, more than 5 pieces are harvested. The vaccination site is covered with pitch, wrapped with foil. The cuttings will take root and become bridges along which the juices will flow from the roots to the branches. Over time, the shoots taken for inoculation will begin to thicken and gradually grow together with each other.
Grafts will thicken over time, becoming conductors of fluid and nutrients for the plant.
Bark engraftment
The engraftment of healthy bark on a bare area of a tree is a rather complicated process, only experienced gardeners and is not always justified. It is carried out before the start of sap flow. First, the damaged area is cleaned from irregularities. With a sharpened knife, a piece of bark is removed from a healthy branch and applied to the site of engraftment. The bark is wrapped with electrical tape, capturing the healthy part of the trunk by 5 cm.It is very important to properly conduct the recovery period for the apple tree, regularly moisten and feed it. At the end of the season, after engraftment, the tape is removed. Unfortunately, the loss of the crust in winter period strongly affects further development apple tree, its immunity decreases, the volume of fruiting decreases significantly.
In case of significant damage to the cortex by mice, the engraftment method will not work.
Reverse stem cut method
If the tree is very badly damaged, you will have to resort to radical measures: before the beginning of the growing season, the tree is cut down over the lower bud. Var is applied to the place of the cut so that the stump does not begin to germinate. New shoots will begin to appear from healthy, strong roots in the spring. However, for seedlings with an insufficiently developed root system, this method of restoration will not help. Therefore, a cut of the trunk for reverse growth is used only for adult apple trees over 5 years old.
The apple tree stump must be covered garden pitch so that it does not germinate
Video: saving an apple tree damaged by mice
What to do if mice damaged the roots of an apple tree
Mice and water rats, making holes in the ground, eat up the roots of fruit trees. Moreover, they prefer young plants, not older than 5 years. They especially love apple trees on dwarf rootstocks - they have thicker bark at the root.
The water rat's teeth grow all its life, and it must constantly gnaw something.
If at least 20% of the roots survived, it is worth trying to save the tree. In the spring, it is necessary to carefully shake off the soil from the root system, coat all the eaten roots with 3 tablets of 0.1 g of Heteroauxin, a root formation stimulator, dissolved in a small amount of water, and dust with ash. Then mix the soil with 300 g of superphosphate, 3 liters of ash and cover the roots. The soil should be tamped, tied up with a tree to a support and pruned, leaving about 20% of the branches. This must be done to balance the roots and crown.
An apple tree with damaged roots should be pruned, leaving 20% of the branches
And so that the rodents do not return to the apple tree again, a piece of cloth dipped in a 2% formalin solution should be placed near it. Pieces of cloth with the same impregnation are laid in mouse holes made in the soil. Per summer season the tree will overgrow with new roots, form a crown and gradually recover.
How to protect fruit trees from rodent damage
Taking care of the longevity of your apple orchard, you should take preventive measures to protect the fruit plantations from rodents. To prevent the winter invasion of mice in the garden, it is necessary to clean up the area in the fall.
Preparing for winter
- Put all plant residues after harvesting into compost heap and cover it tightly. Fallen leaves, dry branches - burn.
To prevent the invasion uninvited guests, it is necessary to put things in order in the garden in the fall
- Whitewash apple trees garden paint... The whitewashing material is applied with a brush or using a spray on the trunk and skeletal branches up to a height of 1.5 m. It should be noted that hares, standing on strong hind legs, can reach the trunk at a level of one and a half meters.
Whitewashing the trunk will help scare away hares from the apple tree
- Treat the apple orchard with a solution of copper sulfate (100 g / 10 l), which mice do not like very much. Spraying the crown of trees and soil should be carried out after leaf fall in dry, calm weather, spending 2 liters of solution for a seedling, for mature tree- 10 l.
- At the onset of frost, treat the apple trees with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. Its scent will prevent rodents from approaching trees. Such spraying also contributes to the destruction of insect pests hibernating under the bark and in the soil. For a young apple tree, 2 liters of solution will be required, for an adult - 1 bucket.
In the fall, apple trees are sprayed with a Bordeaux mixture, whose smell will scare away rodents.
- Rodents do not tolerate the smell of naphthalene, fish oil. The branches of the apple tree can be coated with a mixture of naphthalene and fish oil (1: 8) or pieces of cloth soaked in such a composition can be spread near the trees. Only after each snowfall it is necessary to renew the impregnation.
- Mulch the near-trunk circle with sawdust soaked in a 5% solution of sanlisol. The solution that repels mice and hares can be mixed with clay (2 kg) and coated with the apple tree trunk.
- Tie the trunk with spruce branches so that the needles are pointing down. To protect the root collar, the soil should be padded more tightly with spruce branches.
From the invasion of rodents, the tree will save the shelter of the lower part of the trunk with spruce branches
- Spread elderberry branches near the seedlings, which will scare off rodents with an unpleasant smell for them.
- In winter, periodically look at the dacha and trample the fallen snow around the trunks. The resulting ice crust will deprive the mice of the opportunity to make moves in the snow and will reliably protect the roots of the apple tree.
In winter, it is necessary to trample the snow in trunk circle so that mice cannot penetrate the roots of apple trees
Tree fencing
To protect trees from rodents, special fences are used. When planting seedlings, you can fence their roots metal mesh chain-link with cells 10-15 cm. The diameter of the fence is 70 cm. The mesh is buried 50 cm into the soil, since rodents can make moves at a depth of 20 cm. As it grows, the main root mass will be protected, and the overgrown roots will easily pass through the mesh. Even if some roots are damaged by rodents, most of the root system will survive, and the tree is not in danger.
Metal grid - reliable protection young apple trees from rodents
A plastic mesh is also suitable, with which the trunk is covered to a height of at least one and a half meters and fixed with a rope.
Video: 100% protection of an apple tree from hares in winter
Before the onset of cold weather, the trunk and skeletal branches can be wrapped with non-woven material - this will help not only protect the tree from rodents, but also avoid the destructive effects of severe frosts and sudden temperature jumps. Summer residents often use nylon tights for these purposes, which, unlike plastic film, good moisture and air permeability. Therefore, during the thaw period, they do not need to be removed. Such a shelter will protect the tree from sunburn.
The trunk of the apple tree is covered with any breathable material
Using baits
An effective method to get rid of rodents is to use poison baits in the garden. However, they should be used with caution as they are dangerous to pets. In addition, rodents very quickly adapt to pesticides, so it is necessary to change the drugs. Poisoned baits Nutcracker and Rat Death ready to use are laid out in the garden at a distance of 2–15 m. The fast-acting agent Storm is highly economical - only 4 briquettes are enough to destroy rodents on an area of 50 m2. Storm pellets, which have jagged edges and thus provoke rats to gnaw at them, are also effective.
The slowness of the development of poisoning as a result of eating the drug allows you to avoid bait fear in rodents
Less toxic is Bacterontsid, containing bacteria that kill rodents. The gel must be mixed with bread or grain and spread around the garden. Once in the stomach, bacteria, entering the bloodstream, cause the death of mice. The infection, transmitted from one individual to another, is capable of destroying a large number of rodents. The use of the gel is completely harmless to humans and pets.
You can make your own mouse bait. Mix sugar, fly, cement or alabaster, add a few drops sunflower oil and spread the mixture near the trunks or in the holes of rodents. Such baits need to be updated regularly.
Mouse baits are made from sugar, flour and alabaster, adding a little sunflower oil
Application of ultrasound
Ultrasonic means will also help scare off rodents from fruit trees. They have a number of advantages over pesticides: ultrasonic waves are not perceived by the human ear, but they affect rats and mice. negative impact influencing nervous system and causing panic. In addition to the acoustic signal, a light effect can also be used. Under the influence of ultrasound vibrations, rodents experience increasing stress and leave the territory. But devices act on a certain area, require frequent battery replacement and are quite expensive.
The repeller can cause rodents to feel anxiety, fright, fear and force them to leave the territory
Plastic bottles
Often, gardeners use to protect the trunks of young apple trees plastic bottles... To do this, the neck and bottom of the bottles are cut off, cut to length and the trunk is covered, securing it with wire or rope. The base of the bottle should be buried in the soil. But if in winter very coldy will be replaced by a thaw, it is necessary to immediately remove such a shelter: water can accumulate under the bottle and cause the bark to heat up. Therefore, it is better to use waterproof and breathable materials to protect trees.
Ordinary plastic bottles will help protect the tree trunk from the sharp teeth of rodents.
Every gardener knows: it is quite difficult to save apple trees damaged by rodents. And there is no guarantee that a cured tree will bear fruit well. Therefore, it is so important to timely prepare the apple orchard for wintering, using the entire arsenal of modern means to protect against uninvited guests.
Every gardener with his own plot is proud of the crop grown, flowering plants and, of course, fruit trees. However, the latter are very often attacked by rodents. Mice are especially attracted to the bark of apple and pear trees. Sometimes preventive measures are ineffective. How to save an apple tree damaged by mice, we will consider in this article.
What's going on with the tree?
The bark is the main transport route along which useful and water move. If at least part of the trunk remains intact, then the outcome can be successful, since the tree receives all substances from the ground into the crown through the intact side. But even in this case, the apple tree becomes weak, more susceptible to diseases and pests, flowering and fruiting will be sluggish.
If the mice damaged the bark of the apple tree around the trunk, then the tree most likely dies, since the access of nutrients becomes impossible. In this case, you need to cut down or uproot the tree.
Treatment of apple trees damaged by mice
The most important thing is timely treatment of damaged apple trees. Trees are most often affected by mice in spring, as rodent activity increases from February to March.
Small wounds in the tree can be treated or a special healing mixture can be prepared. It consists of clay and mullein, which are mixed in equal proportions and applied to the trunks in an even layer. After that, they are wrapped with cloth or gauze, and covered with polyethylene from rains. It turns out to be a kind of healing bandage, but it only works for small and medium injuries.
How to save an apple tree damaged by mice quite badly? If the area of damage to the bark is large or the mice have gnawed it in a circle, you will have to make an effort to save the tree. As soon as damage has become noticeable, they are wrapped in foil, and covered with roofing material on top. It is especially important to make such a bandage as soon as possible in winter so that the tree does not freeze through. And with the onset of spring, you can inoculate with a bridge.
How to get the bridge inoculated correctly?
How to save an apple tree damaged by mice in a circle, and even in cold weather? A special vaccination will be required. To begin with, the damaged bark is trimmed and peeled off until healthy wood appears. Then they are treated with preparations containing copper or manganese.
After that, cut several annual cuttings of any or pear, absolutely any variety, even wild ones, will do. Cuttings should be trimmed so that they are 3-4 centimeters wider than the width of the lesion. Oblique cuts are made on both sides of the cutting. An important condition is good sharpening tool!
Coming to the top and lower parts the bark, between which the damage is located, is made along a T-shaped incision. The bark is gently bent and ready-made cuttings are inserted under it. Then this place is covered with varnish, wrapped with tapes or special film after vaccinations. The latter itself disappears over time under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.
Such cuttings-bridges are located over the entire surface of the damage at a distance of 6 centimeters from each other. Cover with burlap on top and leave until the end of summer. Through such peculiar bridges, food from the roots goes to the shoots and leaves.
When inoculated correctly, the damaged area is covered with fresh bark.
Prevention comes first
Since prevention is always easier than cure, let's first look at preventive measures. The most economical and common option is to protect the apple tree trunk with spruce branches. They are tied around a tree, with the needles pointing down. The branches are arranged in such a way that the largest number the needles were at the bottom of the trunk. This makes the lower bark inaccessible to rodents.
Other affordable way- tying the trunk with roofing felt. However, you should pay attention to next moment... Roofing material is black, which means that it attracts the surface, it gets hot and burns may appear on the tree. In order to prevent this from happening, in front of a layer of roofing material, the trunk is tied with a dense cloth or burlap.
Another way of protection is mulching the peri-stem space with sawdust soaked in creolin.
In addition, special nets and baits are sold in stores. A solid fence should be installed around the garden, and in winter, trample the snow around the apple trees to destroy the mouse passages.
In custody
So, even a partial loss of bark is a disaster for a tree, because, having lost its "skin", the apple tree becomes very vulnerable and can die from any disease or from lack of nutrition. In the best way How to save an apple tree damaged by mice is a bridge grafting.
However, it is best to pay due attention to preventive measures, in this case the tree will not become an easy prey for mice and other rodents.
Spring is a wonderful time of the year, full of surprises. Unfortunately, not all of them are pleasant. This article is devoted to the problem of spoilage of young fruit trees by rodents. And if this happens, you should not leave the tree alone with your problem. The duty of the gardener to help the tree is to restore the bark and prevent it from perishing.
The main method that is used in case of damage to the bark of the apple tree by rodents is "grafting with a bridge". But in this article we will look at a different technology. This method will require a lot of labor on your part, but the result is worth it. The probability that the fruitfulness of the tree will fully recover is very high!
Further instructions will tell you what to do if the bark of the apple tree is gnawed by hares
Any mechanical damage, for whatever reason they occur, requires initial processing. Primary processing in our case it comes down to treating the wound copper sulfate... The proportion for this procedure is as follows: 1 teaspoon of vitriol is dissolved in three liters of water.
The second stage is reduced to the preparation of a medicinal ointment for our apple tree. This ointment will help the tree to regenerate the bark. It is based on antifungal drugs. Any kind of antifungal drug can be used. To prepare the ointment, you will need 10 tablets, which should be dissolved in lukewarm water.
Dissolving the tablets, add the next ingredient - clay. Clay gives the viscosity of our ointment. It is necessary to mix everything thoroughly until completely homogeneous.
The third and final ingredient is pork lard. Two tablespoons will suffice. Lard is added to keep our ointment moist for as long as possible. When wet, this therapy will be of maximum benefit.
At the exit, a mass should be obtained that is thick enough so that it does not drain from the trunk during application, but it should not fall off in pieces either.
The final step is to apply the finished ointment to the damaged areas. After application, the treated area must be wrapped with a cotton cloth. This kind of bandage is attached to the trunk with a rope.
This procedure should be carried out twice, and preferably three times during the summer. The tree will be very grateful to you for this!
This video will also answer the question of what to do if hares gnaw the bark of an apple tree.
Many amateur gardeners are faced in the spring with the fact that a young apple tree (seedlings) or some other fruit tree gnawed by mice or other rodents. Gardeners often don't know what to do in this case. But you need to act quickly. And if you manage to take measures before the onset of spring heat, then even heavily damaged trees can be saved.
How to save an apple tree
It is impossible to cover up the gnawed places with anything, especially with garden pitch. You need to take the usual electrical tape. The electrical tape fits tighter than, although you can use it. It is better to take a thin food film, in which cheeses or bacon are usually wrapped. But, as mentioned above, it is better to use electrical tape and carefully completely wrap the damaged part of the tree trunk, better - from top to bottom. For convenience, it is advisable to remove the interfering lower branches.
You should start wrapping on a healthy bark, making a couple of turns with the sticky side. Then the tape should be turned over and then wound with the reverse side. Damaged areas should be wrapped with the non-sticky side of electrical tape.
After that, the entire wrapped part must be painted over for greater tightness. water-based paint(sold in stores, that's what it is called - paint for).
In May, as soon as it becomes noticeable that they have gone into growth, the electrical tape must be removed. You need to act carefully.
This method has been tested in practice. It provides the main conditions for callus formation - tightness and warmth.