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My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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Posted by schoolhouse z5/ohio (My Page) on Wed, Nov 11, 09 at 18:02
| One of the Spires had the bark scraped off one whole side and a branch nearly broken off. It was just hanging, so I had to snip it off. Ugh. They are so expensive and slow growers. I'm guessing a deer because I'm not sure a rabbit could reach that high. Nothing else was bothered however, not even the other five DeGrootes nearby. All are about 4' high now and healthy, I sure hope I don't have to put chicken wire around them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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| It's always the treasured ones that go! Sorry about the damage. I think it will recover since the bark wasn't girdled. Last winter the rabbits chewed on my newly planted fruit trees but I didn't loose any. |
RE: My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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| Probably damage caused by a young buck using it to rub the felt off his antlers. Personally, I would put some sort of wire barrier for the winter around these. Chances are that deer will be back and rutting behavior damage can be just as destructive as grazing behavior. |
RE: My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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| *bbbbbbbuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrppppp!* I'm sorry for your loss; a friend down the street had a row of them, and they got eaten as far as the deer could reach...they really look funny now; he didn't take them down. He used to be the guru at HD garden center, so I assume he can see that the damage is probably not permanent, which is why he didn't remove them. |
RE: My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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| While deer eat year round, the bucks only do that rubbing in the fall when they are rutting. Put a couple of stakes around the base to stop it, and remove once winter arrives. |
RE: My DeGroote Spire was somebody's snack...
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| Yes, I'll have to keep an eye on it and fence it in if necessary. This Spring I planted 10, 2' arborvitae along the property line. I'm planning to put chicken wire around the whole bunch and not just individually. Their spacing will make that possible. I have a mixed shrub border in this same area that includes some shrubs that are at least 4 or 5 years old, and I still have to surround them with protection. Rabbits continue to nibble at the trunks and snip off branches, esp. during deep snows. Towards the end of November is when I usually start this chore. |
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