|
| Winter vermin protection advise - Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 15:41 |
| Starting to get colder outside and time to think about critter protection for the trunks of newly planted trees... Apple trees, cherry trees, crabapple trees, peach and pear trees, plum trees (both ornamental and fruiting), sometimes birch trees, hawthorn trees, lilac trees, and any tree you are not sure about...all should be protected from rabbits, rodents and other vermin during the winter months. A great way to prevent damage is to get some metal screening at the hardware store, rip it into 3" or 4" strips...and wrap the bottom two feet or so of these trees that are susceptible to damage. The metal screening allows the bark to "breathe", as well as let moisture dry up as soon as possible. None of these critters will be able to chew through the metal--it works great. Say you planted apple trees in your favorite hunting grounds...you can wrap the trunk and leave it on for years as long as the string or twine used to secure the top is loosened as the tree grows. I have a neighbor with beaver problems...cutting down all of the native aspen trees along the river, so he tried my trick and it worked great...no more beaver problems! Those beavers can be very persistent. What about sunscald problems you ask? Much of the newer information is saying that after the first year or two of re-establishment (new tree planting) wrapping is no longer suggested. I think for new trees this fall and ones planted last year; if you want to use the brown paper wrap on ash, honeylocust, linden, and all maples...that is just great. Just remember that when wrapping trees, always start from the bottom and wrap up. This prevents water from being trapped between the trunk and the paper wrap, as it is shed away from the trunk--very important! The other important thing to remember is to remove the paper wrap early in spring (late march around here) before the temperatures get too warm. So when can you start?...The metal screen can be put on anytime now, but the paper wrap you should probably wait until the end of October in northern climates (except of course for the trees that we are shipping with the wrap already on them now--leave it on). Tim |