Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina


Expanding plastic tree guards. As used on new motorway tree planting :-))

Mike



--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina



Are you sure it's mice doing the damage?

See
http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/web...ue/INFD-6K4KAF

for a guide to identification of the likely culprit. There's also a link to
preventative measures, but none specified for mice. Plastic tubes, perhaps?

Christina
My personal preference is for a chicken wire guard. This can be made
into a tube and surround the trunk of the young tree. It will last
ages - which is useful if rabbits are actually the culpret. I prefer
the chicken wire over the spiral tree guards or the solid tubes because
you can see the trunk, it doesn't degrade and can be removed to weed
around it. I have seen spirals left on trees where they have dug into
the trunk and strangled the tree. To keep the weed down a mulch of
gravel around the young tree helps - and seems to deter the presence of
rodents - as there is no vegatative cover for them

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Thank you for the tips. I had assumed it was mice doing the damage as the
damage never reaches more than around 6 inches from ground level and the
teeth marks are tiny. From the forestresearch website it would point more
towards Voles. Someone I spoke to suggested tarring the stems but I think it
may only have been a stab in the dark.

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina

On Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:16:53 GMT
"Kaz" wrote:

Thank you for the tips. I had assumed it was mice doing the damage as the
damage never reaches more than around 6 inches from ground level and the
teeth marks are tiny. From the forestresearch website it would point more
towards Voles. Someone I spoke to suggested tarring the stems but I think it
may only have been a stab in the dark.


Hello Christina,

I'm a bit confounded by your problem because, as Cliff pointed out, both
mice and voles tend to chew where they have good approach cover. Keeping
an area clear of weeds and grass is usually enough; so they won't bother
trees in pots typically. (At least in my experience). I'm guessing that
rabbits are a more likely culprit. Some sort of chicken wire around the
edge of the pots would stop them, or wrap a bit of plastic mesh and "sew"
it around the trunk.

Whatever you do don't paint the bark of any Acer with tar, you will be
asking for all kinds of trouble even if you don't kill it outright.

Good luck,

-E

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina





--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina

Get yourself a couple of cats! They will keep the mice down.

Norbert wrote:
"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina

Get yourself a couple of cats! They will keep the mice down.


Perhaps getting rid of the rabbits will cure it. In either case tree
guards are readily available and cheap.

--
Please do not reply to the
email address as all post
is deleted unread.

"Emery Davis" wrote in message
"Kaz" wrote:

Thank you for the tips. I had assumed it was mice doing the damage
as the
damage never reaches more than around 6 inches from ground level
and the
teeth marks are tiny. From the forestresearch website it would
point more
towards Voles. Someone I spoke to suggested tarring the stems but
I think it
may only have been a stab in the dark.

I'm a bit confounded by your problem because, as Cliff pointed out,
both
mice and voles tend to chew where they have good approach cover.
Keeping
an area clear of weeds and grass is usually enough; so they won't
bother
trees in pots typically. (At least in my experience). I'm guessing
that
rabbits are a more likely culprit. Some sort of chicken wire around
the
edge of the pots would stop them, or wrap a bit of plastic mesh and
"sew"
it around the trunk.

We've had hares ringbark small trees.

We have a cat but it is too preoccupied with repelling other cats.

"Norbert" wrote in message
...

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from ring-barking
saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers, Willows and fruit
trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any ideas gratefully
received.
Christina

Get yourself a couple of cats! They will keep the mice down.

"Kaz" wrote in message
...
We have a cat but it is too preoccupied with repelling other cats.

"Norbert" wrote in message
...

"Kaz" wrote in message
news
Does anyone have an effective method of preventing mice from
ring-barking saplings? I have just lost several dozen potted Acers,
Willows and fruit trees (and last winter and the winter before!). Any
ideas gratefully received.
Christina

Get yourself a couple of cats! They will keep the mice down.


I said a couple of cats. They are less territorial when there are two and
will concentrate on hunting.