Shakil:

It's not the winter that did in your apple trees, it's the bunnies. When they girdle a trunk and destroy the cambium tissue a tree will die. You can prevent this by wrapping the trunks, especially the lower portions, with hardware cloth.

I think it is time for new trees. Not too late to plant where you live. This time, wrap the trunks before winter.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Don,
I'm so bummed now :(
The trees bore excellent fruit last year, the second year after I planted them. I don't know what made me remove the plastic tubing that was wrapped around the trunk when I got it from the nursery. May be because I though it would restrict growth.

As for new trees, can I plant the replacements at the same spots without worrying about roots intermingling?

I commiserate with you. I have had many an apple tree girdled by something that ate the bark. I use white tree wrap on the trees until they are at least 10 years old. It is cheap and stretches with the tree growth.

I have planted replacement trees where old trees have died. Sometimes they do o.k., but many times they do not seem to do well maybe because the nutrients are depleted from the soil in that spot. I usually move the new trees just a few feet over.

They killed a young Honeycrisp of mine. They are by far my biggest pest. Now everything is protected.

How much I wish I had discovered this site early on. Would have known how to protect my poor trees. I wish I could show you some photos of them laden with big Honeycrisps(14 fruits) and Zestars(about 20).

I went to my local nursery yesterday looking for trunk protection and all they had were some kind of paper rolls to wrap around the tree. I think the best protection would be the plastic tubing that came with the trees originally. They had a slit in the middle to allow for growth.

Also, I was told to buy a smelly spray(ingredients:rotten eggs, blood etc.) and spray my plants with it. It is supposed keep all animals away due to the bad smell. Have anyone of you used this substance and does it work?

Shakil:

Don't limit your search for trunk protection to just the local nursery. Go to your hardware or bigbox store, and look over the choices of wire materials, from screen all the way up to concrete reinforcing wire. I am sure you will be able to find something that you can cut and bend into a circle that will allow free air circulation yet protect against girdling animals.

There are a number of smelly spray-on products that are intended to discourage animal visits, from deer to rabbits. They do work on a temporary basis, but must be renewed frequently, especially after a rain. I guess the most widely sold is a product called "Hinder". It's expensive for what you get and what it does. I prefer more permanent solutions such as wire fences of some type.

That said, the plastic tree tubes you refer to may be effective against rabbits. I favor steel materials for this application.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

OH no. My heart really aches for you to read this post.

OK, so you start anew! That's all you can do.

But i'm so saddened. Maybe those trees can be saved? Post a picture. Maybe one of the experts here will assess and tell you the trees aren't doomed after all.

Sorry, but if they're girdled by rabbits, half or more of the bark gone, they're goners, even if they were to leaf out a bid. The fact that they're not budding now suggests they're dead already.

Also, Minnesota did have record cold last winter, that certainly didn't help anything, could also have killed or contributed to the demise of the trees.

Yup, good time to plant new ones, learn from your mistakes, and move on.

Protection is easy, just go to Home Depot/Lowes or local hardware and get yourself a roll of 3 foot wide hardware cloth with 1/4 inch mess -- chicken wire or window screen isn't tough enough, rodents will chew through it if they're hungry. The hardware cloth is tough. Cut it so that it forms a cylinder at least 12 inches in diameter, and it will protect your tree trunks for about 10 years, when they'll be old enough not to need it anymore. I think it's a good idea to bury the bottom 4 inches or so of the hardware cloth into the ground to discourage the critters from digging underneath it.

Dennis
Michigan

Another vote for hardware cloth though if you're in a high snow area it will have to be five feet. Every tree I plant and a lot of shrubs, get a high collar of hardware cloth. And it stays on until the tree gets too big for it. It isn't cheap but then, neither are new trees.