Always check the base of your trees.

[GoodFriendMike]

Piling mulch around the base is a no no. Most of us know that. As it can rot the base But slugs, snails and any other animal's that chews on the base. Can kill a tree. I noticed one of mine had tips that seem to be shriveling up. I thought it was odd as I water them all the same. I use the same medium. I try to keep everything the same. So I checked the base. Sure enough. Something chewed on the base. Almost all the way around. I believe I caught it in time and took cuttings. Make sure there is no debris around the base and always check for chew marks. I also like to keep an extra tree. But that is hard to do when you have so many.

 

[bushdoctor82]

You got rabbits in your yard? They chew and girdle everything in my yard that I don’t protect.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

@"bushdoctor82"#14 No but a lot of squirrels. They chew everything. Or dig them up and chew the roots off. Think I would rather the rabbit's.

 

[DCallahan]

I just about decapitated a tree by forgetting one of the metal tag ribbons on it and the tree grow like crazy.

 

[ktrain]

Good advice Mike, I don't mulch normally but my GM I put in ground this year I did...check it tomorrow.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

@"DCallahan"#71 Done the same thing a couple of times when I thought the tree was just an unknown. But realized the stainless wire and label was right below the top of the soil girdleling the tree.

 

[bushdoctor82]

This is the time of year squirrels start hoarding and burying food in pots and in the yard, then forget where they buried it, then I’ll dig up small seedlings in Spring.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

@"bushdoctor82"#14 If I was to start a oak tree farm. I would just set many pots full of dirt in my yard. And let nature take it's course.

 

[Figless]

I've been mulching with rice hulls so there's not a lot of debris to hide in, sorry snails. I don't know why we decided to use rice hulls, but it's working pretty good. Of course in the last Heat Wave nothing was helping.