Q. I took a three-week vacation in February and when I
returned my 25-year-old fig tree had been eaten all the way around the trunk
about 18 inches off the ground. I put Elmer’ s glue and tree wrap on to save
and it leafed out and produced great figs. What will happen to this tree? What
should I do?
returned my 25-year-old fig tree had been eaten all the way around the trunk
about 18 inches off the ground. I put Elmer’ s glue and tree wrap on to save
and it leafed out and produced great figs. What will happen to this tree? What
should I do?
A. If rabbits ate the trunk of this tree in a complete
circle around the trunk, it’s a goner. Let it sucker from the bottom and start
a new tree from the suckers. The suckers will produce a main crop of figs next
year and in two years it will be back in production.
circle around the trunk, it’s a goner. Let it sucker from the bottom and start
a new tree from the suckers. The suckers will produce a main crop of figs next
year and in two years it will be back in production.
 |
| Winter rabbit damage |
Rabbits
usually go for smaller diameter wood during the wintertime when there’s nothing
else to eat. Where rabbits are problem, remove the limbs from about 2 feet off
the ground and protect the trunk with chicken wire. Use a 3-foot-long piece of
chicken wire that is 2 feet in width and encircle the trunk with it. This helps
keep the rabbits at bay.
usually go for smaller diameter wood during the wintertime when there’s nothing
else to eat. Where rabbits are problem, remove the limbs from about 2 feet off
the ground and protect the trunk with chicken wire. Use a 3-foot-long piece of
chicken wire that is 2 feet in width and encircle the trunk with it. This helps
keep the rabbits at bay.
 |
| Chicken surrounding new fruit trees when rabbits are a problem is good winter protection. |
How soon
the tree will die depends on how deeply the rabbit ate. There are two thin
cylinders of “wood” just under the bark responsible for taking water up the
tree, called the xylem, and the other for moving sugars from leaves to theroots for storage, phloem. If the rabbit ate through both completely, the tree
will die next year. If the rabbit ate only the outer cylinder, then it will
take about three or four years to die.
the tree will die depends on how deeply the rabbit ate. There are two thin
cylinders of “wood” just under the bark responsible for taking water up the
tree, called the xylem, and the other for moving sugars from leaves to theroots for storage, phloem. If the rabbit ate through both completely, the tree
will die next year. If the rabbit ate only the outer cylinder, then it will
take about three or four years to die.
Figs are
usually grown on their own roots so suckers growing from the trunk or roots
will be true to the type of fig tree. The suckers will produce fruit identical
to the fruit you’ve been harvesting for 25 years. Select one to three of the
strongest suckers and remove the others. These suckers will form the new tree
and they will grow rapidly because of the surviving extensive root system.
usually grown on their own roots so suckers growing from the trunk or roots
will be true to the type of fig tree. The suckers will produce fruit identical
to the fruit you’ve been harvesting for 25 years. Select one to three of the
strongest suckers and remove the others. These suckers will form the new tree
and they will grow rapidly because of the surviving extensive root system.