Is it too late to salvage my apples?

 

My pet bunnies complete chew the bark around several apple trees.  If
I make cuttings now and stick them in the ground, is there much chance
they'll root?  They just started leafing.  Would I be much better off
just buying dwarf varieties at the nursery?

 



Probably. If you take cuttings, you'll be taking them from above the graft,
which means they won't be on a dwarfing rootstock.

Can you protect the trees with some chicken wire etc, to protect the bark,
or is it all gone?

Steve

 

wrote:
complete chew the bark around several apple trees.  If

Bark completely round the trunk gone from ground to 2' up.  These were
not dwarfs.

 

I would get new trees, plant them inside at least 3 ft high weld wire fence
with no more than 2 inches of space between the openings.  Then I would cut
it into 3 to 5 ft long pieces and circle them into cages and set them out
around your new trees.

I would plan on leaving them here for 3 or more years.  I didnt know at what
age they are no longer fair game for rabbits, but I've heard that deer also
love to munch on them.

Good luck.  Dwayne

 


The trees are about 25 years old but first winter here for the buns.