I’ve had this pear tree in the ground for about four years, and finally got a first crop last year. This is a honeysweet pear and they were delicious. Unfortunately it looks like it got hit bad by rabbits and it’s totally girdled for about 18 inches up the trunk. I’m bummed out because this is my only pear tree, and honestly the first fruit tree that seemed like it was going to be productive for me.
What would you all recommend I do to to salvage something here? Is it worth trying to do a bridge graft, or should I just cut it off and try to graft on top of it? I haven’t had much success grafting in the past, and I’m not very confident I will get my grafts to take.
Did the rabbit get through that cage or did you put the cage on after the girdle? If it were. mine, I’d probably cut it off at ground level and then graft a root sprout that comes up. but if there is undamaged bark above the ground, then I would cut back to that and not to ground level as the poster below advices.
It looks like there’s still some undamaged trunk above the graft. I’d cut it back and see if a dormant bud is willing to break from that area. If so, it will likely grow very fast since the roots are well established.
I would put on 2 bridge grafts using sticks cut from the tree above the damage. There is a high probability it will be accepted if done soon. Meantime, the suggestion of seeing if a bud will break from the grafted area below the damage is possibly viable.
I would go with 2-3 long bridge grafts. As a backup you could cut and save a few sticks of scion wood from the tree. If the bridge fails you can cut back below the damage and graft. If your careful with the bridge grafts I’m pretty sure the tree will make it.
I’d cut the trunk a few inches above the ground where there’s still bark, then bark graft scions to the coppiced trunk. The large surviving roots should support strong growth by new grafts.
I’ve used this technique to change variety of apple trees.
Man, it sucks that has happened to you! Try and get your fruit tree trunks protected ASAP, there’s no telling when one of the others will get hit by those wascally wabbits. Hardware cloth, one of the dedicated trunk protectors or even a leftover piece of corrugated plastic drainage pipe
slit end to end so you can open it to put in place, there’s many options to keep it from happening again. In this instance, an immediate and temporary half-measure is preferable to waiting until the stars align and you have the best possible product which is available on the market.
It’s hard to tell from the picture, but, I had voles make a tree look like that but they didnt get all the way through the cambian. I scratched the trunk and realized there was some green under the chew marks. I wrapped the trunk and it mostly healed. Otherwise I’d probably take a scion from the top and graft low, where the cambian is good. Established roots push growth on scions crazy fast.
I’d trim it back as some other have said below the damage but above the old bud union. They typically will throw new buds and you can train it up the stake. It will grow really fast due to the abundance of roots.
I bought a redbud for my neighbor 2” in caliper and about 8’ tall. They over watered it and beetles got into it about 12” up due to it being stresses. I sawed it down and grew it back as a multistem and it grew to a 6’ MS tree in one year. It’s right beside my driveway.
I’ve done this so many times at work I’d hate to guess how many. Usally trees that froze back to the snow level. Plane trees, redbud, zelkova, and callery pears mainly. They are borderline hardy in my area. Once we lost 3000 1 year old callery pear. We got about 2000 of them back that were esthetically good enough visually to start selling in 3 years.
Make sure you pick a strong bud and train it vertically as soon as possible then once it’s going and its the one you want, remove the other buds…and protect it from rabbits.
I just put the rabbit fence up. The rabbits have eaten my blueberries, but I’ve never had them go after trees before and didn’t know that was going to be problem. I will definitely keep my trees protected next winter.
Would it be possible to bridge graft it? I’ve heard that’s something that can be done to save a girdled tree. Basically, you graft some living cambium (usually from a branch) from the bottom of the girdle up to the top, in order to create a bridge of living cambium to keep nutrients flowing up the tree. Perhaps it may be worth a try, to see if that will save it?
MSU has two good articles in bridge grafting. My darling rabbits ate above my wire. Snow here near you was more than 18” high . On not in. Can’t correct on iPad.
Go to canr.msu.edu and search their articles for bridge grafts . They indicate the time to do these grafts—when bark is slipping. I plan to use their advice.
Try and get your fruit tree trunks protected ASAP, there’s no telling when one of the others will get hit by those wascally wabbits. Hardware cloth, one of the dedicated trunk protectors or even a leftover piece of corrugated plastic drainage pipe