O.T. Apple trees

I am somewhat relieved. The trees have started to put out leaves. Now, I realize that usually happens around this time of year. But this spring, when the snow finally went away, I saw that some type of animal had gnawed away the bark around the base of the tree.
I blasted over to the hardware store and got some of that pruning sealer stuff. I applied it and wrapped it with some of that paper tape.
Now it's raining and I hope that helps some too.
good luck
Kenny

Have problem with rabbits doing that. I have 75 apple trees and would have to replant a few ever year. One year they killed 15. It usually happens around December though. I think I solved the problem now. A few years ago I planted white dutch and crimson clover under my trees. I have not had anymore problem from the rabbits now that they have something to eat.

I don't have any input but do have a question. How big are the trees?? I started some peach this spring and was told by the nursery man to put some kind of barrier around them to protect from the rabbits. Used welded wire about 2 foot tall and have not had any problems. Will a rabbit cut on a mature tree? Plenty of the critters in the area. Do I need to maintain the wire forever.

Rabbit will not cut a older tree. Only had a problem with them eating bark on trees less than three years old. Do have a problem with deer in the spring eating leaves.

I had this problem, and it was voles. I couldn"t fence them out. Current solution is chicken wire staked out a foot or so from the tree (keeps the rabbits out), keep all the weeds down inside the chicken wire (roundup, after making sure there"s no tree leaves down that low, and/or hand weeding). I pull back all of mulch in the fall (the voles were tunnelling in, and hiding in the mulch/grass close to the tree).

I also wrap with that paper tape in the fall. Make sure to remove that tape in the spring -- if it stays on the ants move into the wet tape and they also make a mess. I normally mulch inside of the chicken wire, but stop it an inch or so from the tree (I do not mulch up to the tree, again, the voles seem to hide in the mulch).

Now that everything else is greening up around here I"ll probably pull off the tape and mulch a little, the critters seem to only hit over the winter as somebody else noted. For the longest time I thought it was rabbits climbing over the cage when the snow got deep, but it was voles eating under the snow. Since we"ve only got 5 fruit trees it"s not as much work as it sounds like (and that"s the level of my experience, 5 trees!).

The voles nibble on other trees, but of the trees I"m trying to keep they have only killed fruit trees so far. Regular rabbit proofing works for the rest -- it may be that the fruit trees are pretty far from the barn and the cats keep the voles in control closer to the house?

"luck

bob

squirrels will do that too. either from scarce food sources, or pregnant female squirrels in search of minerals.

The way we stop voles here is with small stone/rocks/pebbles, ect. Dig down around the base of the tree about 4" in the soil from the trunk about 4" out and add the small rocks. Voles will not dig through. I usually add the rocks when planting new trees, never had a vole problem.

Thank you all. These were the two oldest trees in the yard, about ten yrs. If they make it now, you can bet I'm going to do all of these suggestions.
good luck
K