dear minnesotans: please talk about your gardening

[kalmn]

i have no idea when i should do things. so if you say "today i went out and did this thing" then i will know that if i have that thing to do that i should go do it.

also, if some horrid little mammal ate the bark off of a fairly substantial portion of tree branch, am i correct in thinking that that branch is not long for this world and i should snip it off now to reduce harm to the tree? (horrible little beast.)

Comments

[merrily]

Here via the network function!

My plant bio profs say that if the branch is girdled (bark taken off in a ring, all the way around), then yes, the branch isn't long for the world. (Same diagnosis for trees -- this is how beavers start their tree-killing madness.) I can't weigh in on whether you should snip it, though. (Surely somewhere online something can tell you?)

If it's not girdled, it will recover.

[kalmn]

a-hah! i will go out and check that. thank you!

[sraun]

I agree with merrily - if there's still some bark left all the way from trunk to past the stripped area, it'll recover. It may take a while.

You might want to look into paint-on band-aid for trees. I don't know what they actually call the stuff, but it helps keep pests and other bad stuff from getting into the dead core, or into the bark through the tears. Your friendly neighborhood garden supplier should know about it, and know if it's actually worth it - it's been years since I heard about it.