Buck-rubbed mulberry

Just found that my Illinois Everbearing mulberry was killed by a buck rub. Really dead…the trunk even split from drying out. I was too late to save any of the top branches for possible grafting. What is the likelihood that I’ll get buds from the bottom foot of the trunk? The tree has about a two inch diameter below the rub. It stands off by itself 9in a field and I think I had intended to wrap the trunk with wire after I took down my usual fence circle, but I guess old timer’s disease set in. I wish I could sue the Missouri Conservation Department over their incredibly successful program to maintain the deer population.

Chuck

If the damage is above the graft point, you should be ok…though you will need to rub off root and below the graft point shoots.

Alternately, mulberries are late to leaf out. Up for regraftjng it?

Let me know

Scott

Scott,

The damage is well above the graft. You have scion wood you can give me? I did what I am pretty sure was a successful graft on a buck-rubbed Wickson crab apple a couple years ago. I say I think it was successful as it was doing well until some very hard winds blew it off. If I do a graft I’ll tie it up very nicely.

Chuck

Same here in Ia. Deer are the DNR’s until they do damage, then they’re not. Too bad we can’t do that in real life! Our DNR released mt. lions several years ago w/o telling any one. Denied it until a couple were shot in the Des Moines city limits, they also want to reintroduce timber wolves, wouldn’t letting us shoot deer be easier?

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Let me check out back on the tree and let you know. But I would put dollars to donuts it’s still safely dormant.

Pm me your address

Scott