How to save an apple tree damaged by mice? Treatment and prevention.
Every gardener who has his own site is proudgrown crops, flowering plants and, of course, fruit trees. However, the latter are very often attacked by rodents. Especially mice are attracted by the bark of apple and pear. Sometimes preventive measures prove to be ineffective. How to save an apple tree damaged by mice, we will consider in this article.
What happens to the tree?
The bark is the main transport route,to which useful nutrients and water move. If at least part of the trunk remains unharmed, the outcome can be successful, since the tree receives all substances from the earth into the crown through the undamaged side. But even then the apple tree becomes weak, more susceptible to diseases and pests, flowering and fruiting will be sluggish.
If the mice damaged the bark of the apple tree in a circlethe tree, most likely, perishes, as access to nutrients becomes impossible. In this case, it is required to cut or uproot the tree.
Treatment of apple damaged by mice
The most important thing is the timely treatment of damaged apple trees. In mice, trees are most often affected in the spring, as the activity of rodents increases from February to March.
Small wounds on the tree can be treated with a gardenvar or to prepare a special healing mixture. It consists of clay and mullein, which are mixed in equal proportions and applied to the trunks evenly. After that, they are wrapped in cloth or gauze, from the rain cover with polyethylene. It turns out a kind of medical bandage, but it works only for small and medium damage.
How to save an apple-damaged apple treestrong? In the event that the area of damage to the bark is large or the mice have gnawed it in a circle, it will be necessary to exert efforts to save the tree. Once damage has become visible, they are wrapped in film, and covered with a roofing felt from above. It is especially important to make such a bandage as soon as possible in winter, so that the tree does not get frozen through. And with the onset of spring, you can get an inoculation with a bridge.
How to properly vaccinate the bridge?
How to save an apple tree, damaged by mice in a circle,and even in frost? It will take a special vaccination. To begin with, the damaged bark is cut off and cleaned before the appearance of healthy wood. Further processed with preparations containing copper or manganese.
After this, several annuals are cutcuttings of any kind of apple or pear, absolutely any species, even wild ones, will do. Cuttings should be cut so that they are 3-4 cm larger than the width of the lesion. On both sides cuttings are made oblique slices. An important condition is a good sharpening of the tool!
Further in the upper and lower parts of the crust, betweenwhich is the damage, do on the T-notch. The bark neatly bends and inserts ready cuttings under it. Then this place is covered with var, wrapped with tapes or a special film after vaccination. The latter itself disappears with time under the influence of ultraviolet.
Such cuttings-bridges are located throughoutThe surface of the damage at a distance of 6 centimeters from each other. Top covered with burlap and left until the end of summer. On such peculiar bridges, the food from the roots goes to the shoots and leaves.
When properly vaccinated, the damaged area is covered with fresh bark.
Preventive maintenance - first of all
Since prevention is always easier than curing,first consider the warning measures. The most economical and common option is to protect the trunk of an apple tree with spruce branches. They are tied around a tree, with needles looking down. The branches are arranged so that the greatest number of needles is located at the bottom of the trunk. This makes the lower crust inaccessible to rodents.
Another available way is tying the trunkroofing material. However, you should pay attention to the next moment. The ruberoid has a black color, which means it attracts the sun's rays, the surface is red-hot and burns can appear on the tree. To prevent this from happening, the trunk is tied with a dense cloth or burlap before the layer of roofing material.
Another method of protection is the mulching of the circumferential space with sawdust impregnated with creolin.
In addition, shops sell specialmesh and bait for the destruction of mice. A dead fence should be installed around the garden, and in the winter trample the snow around the apple trees to destroy the mouse moves.
In custody
So, even a partial loss of bark isa catastrophe for a tree, because, having lost its "skin", the apple tree becomes very vulnerable and can die from any disease or lack of food. The best way to save the apple-damaged apple is by grafting with a bridge.
However, it is best to give due attention to preventive measures, in this case the tree will not become an easy prey for mice and other rodents.
