Today's #asknostr is what is eating the bark from these apple trees? First I thought rabbit, but the second one seemed pretty high for a bunny.
I'm going to put a guard around the trunk. Is there anything I can do to help the tree now? #comfrey poultice? 😄
#permies 
bucks rubbing their antlers?
I'd wrap it in damp moss if you have any mossy trees or springs around
Thanks. They were behind deer fencing. I saw some large deer turds though. There is a buck around.
Deer will, most rodents, maybe the wandering goat?. Always good to cover young tree trunks with wraps or even loose pvc if pests have access. You could treat it like a grafting point and wrap the damaged areas.
Looks like rodent damage?
Paint the three with old fashioned paint
Rodents snacking
No idea whats caused the damage but it looks pretty girdled to me. I would take it out and start again. Make some of Sepp's bone sauce and put it on the next one.
I you do decide to try and save it though seaweed helps cell division put some of that on it and you can try grafting cambian from elsewhere to fill the gaps.
Gnarles Barkley.
Looks pretty rough.
I have a feeling it won’t make it.
A buddy of mine would swear by tree paste, some sort of mixture of bentonite clay and cow manure and some other things.
Is the tree completely girdled, meaning all the bark missing around circumferentially? If it is then it’s probably not going to make it. This has the look of rabbit or possibly other. 1/2” galvanized wire mesh worked well for me, buried into pea gravel around the base. That will protect from voles burrowing under snow to get to your trunk base.
I offer apple orchard consulting, from my base in Ohio. You can learn a ton from Michael Phillips’ book The Apple Grower if you don’t already have. He was a sage.
