Who is the culprit?

Posts

• fidgetbones Posts: 17,618

  10 January

  Could be a deer or a squirrel. Both will eat bark at this time of year.
  

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• Allotment Boy Posts: 6,774

  10 January edited 10 January

  I agree, make up a paste of very hot chilli powder. Spread it on some of the undamaged bark and overlap on some of the damage, it will put them off if they try again.  You will have to renew it if it rains.  I  mix powder into bird seed too, the birds aren't affected by it but any mammals or rodents will be put off.

  AB Still learning
  
  

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• Red Tulip Posts: 24

  10 January

  Thank you both, I will try the chilli paste. We have no deer but are over run by squirrels -have never seen them around these apple trees though, but they are complete pests digging elsewhere in the garden

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  10 January

  Rabbits will also strip young bark. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• Fire Posts: 19,096

  11 January

  Any sheep or goats in the area? They can ravage tree bark.
  

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• punkdoc Posts: 15,039

  11 January

  Don’t forget Beavers. I have witnessed what they can achieve.🙂

  How can you lie there and think of England
  When you don't even know who's in the team
  
  S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border

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• Busy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043

  11 January

  That happened in a previous garden of mine where there were rabbits.

  Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.

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• Red Tulip Posts: 24

  11 January

  Thanks all, yes we have rabbits around, no sheep or goats though (or beavers!), i presume chilli powder will also work against rabbits

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