Didn’t know my electric fence was off and got this surprise. The tree is horned to the cambium all around. my question is there anything I can put on this to save the tree since it is so young or do I cut back to root stock and regraft at this stage?
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If it’s all the way around, the chances it survives are slim. Looks to me like there should be at least some of the grafted variety with bark remaining. I’d cut it off to just above the remaining bark. I’d also get it protected from rabbits/rodents with hardware cloth or aluminum window screen. The e-fence will do nothing to stop such vermin.
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Thanks, I thought the same also. Got the tree wrap and ready to take that on also. Gotta have constant vigil for deer, rabbits disease and insects.
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Dear me.
Good advice above!
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I have a couple of questions about grafted tree. Could I take a cutting above the top damaged area and graft it below the bottom damaged area and remove the damaged area? Should I wait till the tree is doormat and should I wrap the damaged area in para film to keep moisture in tree?
THANKS
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That used to be a yearly thing for me. I now have two foot wide fence rings around all of them till they are big enough. I’ve seen them bounce back from some serious damage and eventually look normal again. I have some out there now that are survivors of serious buck attacks. Or you could cut all the damage and bend that little side branch up to be your new leader.
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Personally, I’d leave the tree until spring and see what happens. If the top doesn’t leaf out then, I’d cut it off to the undamaged portion and allow the tree to send up a new central leader.
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If that were my tree what I would do……
Look for the graft union.
From what I can see in photo ,I assume it is near ground level.
As there is no union showing above.
If so ,I would cut all the damaged part off, now ,leaving that little sideways branch down low to become the new trunk.
No need to graft if the union is at ground level,and you have the variety still there below damage.
Give it a good dose of nitrogen. Put a cage on it.!
It will be back up to size in ~ a year
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Too bad the elec was down… i dont have elect fence here… but exatly what happened to your tree is why I put in place catlepanel cages.
A fruit tree standing alone like that is just more than a rutting buck can stand. So far so good.
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Can the deer not reach their snouts into that cage and have lunch?
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@northwoodswis4 … yes they could… but i have 13 trees protected with those and not one has been nibbled on (inside the cage yet). My silk hope mulberry has some lower limbs that went outside the cage and they have had the leaves eaten. No big deal.
Our deer here dont normally reach inside the CP cages. deer food is abundent here, acorns and other nuts, ag crops, grass and lots of browse in my fields and woods and on my neighboring properties.
In an area where the deer were starving… CP cages may not work so well… here they work fine. Again… i am mostly protecting against buck rubs… we do get those regular on unprotected fruit trees.
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