GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Bark eaten off apple tree

Una · 16-03-2010, 08:53 PM posted to rec.gardens

wrote:
something (rabbits we suspect) has eaten the bark off 6-8 inches up
from the ground. Is there any hope for this tree?

Depends how far around the tree the cambium is missing. If it has been
stripped all the way around, there is no hope. Cambium is the inner
bark that carries water and nutrients between the roots and the crown.

If you cut down the tree you may get root suckers but unless you are
completely sure the tree grew on its own roots (was not grafted), you
probably should not cultivate the suckers. The root stock rarely
produces satisfactory fruit.

Una