DammitRabbit

[Hayes]

I never thought about critters eating the bark.
What should I do? Is this tree going to die? The damage is pretty bad.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

If the upper branches look good. Take cuttings and root them.
Been dealing with similar but due to snails and slugs.

 

[Figneer]

If the upper branches look good. Take cuttings and root them.
Been dealing with similar but due to snails and slugs.

I wonder if he can airlayer the middle part and take cutting from top to root?

 

[Hayes]

What about something like this?

 

[TorontoJoe]

I wonder if he can airlayer the middle part and take cutting from top to root?

This should work

Are there any nodes below where the bark was chewed?

 

[Hayes]

This should work

Are there any nodes below where the bark was chewed?

No

 

[TorontoJoe]

OK....it's tough without seeing the damage a it closer, but could you not treat it like a full girdle and set the layer right over the wound?

 

[Hayes]

OK....it's tough without seeing the damage a it closer, but could you not treat it like a full girdle and set the layer right over the wound?

What is a full girdle?

 

[superdave336]

Girdle is where you remove the bark around the limb. This short video shows the process of air layering.

 

[RandyK]

If the bark is not chewed off all the way around, it could still recover. But the air layer idea could work well also. If you do that, I would leave what remains of the tree in the ground. I think it is very likely that it would either pop some shoots out of the remaining trunk or else it might send up shoots (root suckers) from the ground. I think it would be worth a try to see what happens.

How on earth did a rabbit get inside the wire? Those rascals!

 

[ktrain]

Daaaaaang, I am just now seeing this @Hayes .. that stinks.
I don't see that kind of stuff here but, looks like that tree is snuggled up to the woods?
Makes it an easy target.
Definitely leave the wire there as a permanent safe guard.
Good advice above.
Let me know what you decide to do.

 

[grasshopper]

Fig plants are pretty tough. I had 50% bark removed and the top still fruit like nothing happened.

I would airlayer the top. There is usually at least one node beneath the soil that would send out new shoots (this may take time).

 

[TorontoJoe]

Fig plants are pretty tough. I had 50% bark removed and the top still fruit like nothing happened.

I would airlayer the top. There is usually at least one node beneath the soil that would send out new shoots (this may take time).

That's what I was thinking. There's usually a node down there somewhere.... And why I was thinking layering where it's girdled... assuming it's chewed all the way around

 

[ktrain]

I know for a fact there are more nodes down there, before he got the tree you could still see the top of the cutting, I told him to bury it deeper so the cutting top did not show.
So yea there has to be a node or two below soil level.
Air layer the top and let that one regrow.

Have 2 trees.