Deer vs. Apple trees

[Jstpssng]

I read in my apple tree pruning book that the author uses watered down white latex paint to deter insects. I guess the bright white hurts their eyes. I do have trucks wrapped to stop rascially rabbits.

I will be painting my peach trees with something this weekend, trying to keep the sap from flowing too soon. The only thing I have seen about insects is that it makes it easier to see the "frass" when boring insects are attacking the tree

 

[goeduck]

I hear painting the young tree trunks keeps voles from chewing on the bark. Anyone know of this? I have lost numerous young trees to voles.

 

[dj1701]

I hear painting the young tree trunks keeps voles from chewing on the bark. Anyone know of this? I have lost numerous young trees to voles.

I put rebar and chicken wire around my apple trees last summer because the deer were munching on them. I was not worried about the lower part, so I left it open. Now that the snow is gone, I see something has girdled all three of them. Most likely Voles. I have some of that white spiral stuff coming for the new trees that I ordered.

Dave

 

[Jstpssng]

I hear painting the young tree trunks keeps voles from chewing on the bark. Anyone know of this? I have lost numerous young trees to voles.

No. Hardware cloth around the trunk does a good job though.

 

[DarkBlack]

I hear painting the young tree trunks keeps voles from chewing on the bark. Anyone know of this? I have lost numerous young trees to voles.

Supposedly that’ll work. I’ve never tried it. I’ve always put spiral wraps around trees small enough, and small culvert around larger trees, before the first snow.
If your girdled trees are already of producing age, you don’t have to pull them that year. I had one girdled tree give its best production ever, after winter’s girdling, and still a half crop the following year. I replaced it after the second season.
If they’re not yet of bearing age, then you might as well dig them up

 

[DarkBlack]

I cage and prune fruit trees up until the lowest branches are above our Roosevelt Elk's nibbling height, before removing the cages. Roosevelt Elk are the largest of all elk, so deer are not an issue. Of course, I use larger root stock and pick from orchard ladders. Our elk are brutal on older trees (before our recent method) with lower branches. They literally bite onto the branches and pull/shake the trees until apples fall, always breaking off branches.

I’ll plant standards with peaches, but not apples. Semi-dwarf is as large as I want to deal with, and I encourage low branches for ease of thinning, spraying, and picking, so even mature, an average size dear can munch the bottom third of the tree’s buds during the winter. Electric fence seems to work the best

 

[goeduck]

No. Hardware cloth around the trunk does a good job though.

Voles here go under the hardware cloth below the soil level. They also in a few cases climbed up on top of the hardware cloth and chewed the bark there. I can't seem to win. My thought was to paint the trunks with plant guard, but still use hardware cloth. I have about a dozen young trees that need to get planted this year and next.

 

[ning]

I put rebar and chicken wire around my apple trees last summer because the deer were munching on them. I was not worried about the lower part, so I left it open. Now that the snow is gone, I see something has girdled all three of them. Most likely Voles. I have some of that white spiral stuff coming for the new trees that I ordered.

Dave

The spiral stuff is good in that it flexes and won't get too tight, easy to put on.
They do catch junk in them so you want to clean that out here and there so you don't create fungal problems.
I found that taking it off the next year probably 50% of them broke, plastic junk.
It was bought from a very reputable seller (local, ships nationally for a long time etc) so I'm going with it's a general problem of the product; we're going back to paint and put some loose chicken wire around trunks that look like they're getting attention from the cats as scratching posts.
[no deer problems here; yard is well fenced, and the neighbors' aren't ]

 

[California]

My apple orchard is 400 ft frontage x 1/4 mile deep. Neighbor's parcel same. I persuaded the new owner there to fence both our parcels with a single 6 ft deer fence around the perimeter of both, so each of us has a long line of sight before seeing a fence.

This improved the situation from as many as 14-18 deer making their home here, to just a doe and fawn that keep coming back somehow.

 

[California]

But somehow we have become the neighborhood zoo for smaller animals. Skunk, Racoon family, a pair of Foxes, Coyote, Bobcat, Badger all appear often on the critter cameras at the corners of the house, when we are away.

Added: And rabbits. A jackrabbit is seen occasionally. But the little cottontail we used to see watching us from the driveway hasn't been seen for months. It was likely a tasty treat for one of the predators.

 

[kenmbz]

But somehow we have become the neighborhood zoo for smaller animals. Skunk, Racoon family, a pair of Foxes, Coyote, Bobcat, Badger all appear often on the critter cameras at the corners of the house, when we are away.

that would make an interesting petting zoo.
Do you find racoon going after the fruit trees?

 

[California]

that would make an interesting petting zoo.
Do you find racoon going after the fruit trees?

Probably. I haven't caught that on camera but we've had substantial crushed limbs high in the family cherry tree and attributed that to raccoons. Likewise, bark nibbled on young apple trees, maybe rabbits? But getting the deer out was the major improvement, they were destroying newly planted apple trees.

 

[not2old]

I read in my apple tree pruning book that the author uses watered down white latex paint to deter insects. I guess the bright white hurts their eyes. I do have trucks wrapped to stop rascially rabbits.

I remember that in the 1950's or into the 60's that I saw fruit tree trunks "painted" to about the four foot level. I was under the impression that it was lime that was used. FYI: at my age memories are unreliable.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I remember the gypsy moth invasion or the mid 70's, where people tried all sorts of way to stop them from eating all the leaves. Most popular was duct tape, wrapped sticky side out. Others had vasoline spread at the base of the tree. There were sprays, but an expense many could not afford.

 

[ponytug]

Whitewashing is an old, old technique. Whitewashing or white latex helps prevent sunscald, and some spring damage due to rising sap in cold days. It can also reduce insect pests as the bugs don’t have crevices in the bark to hide in and are visible to birds and predatory insects.

Solved! Why Are Trees Painted White?

Wondering why trees in your neighborhood are painted white? Like tree guards, white paint on trees offers protection from the sun and pests.

www.bobvila.com

Now if there was an anti-raccoon paint…

All the best,

Peter

 

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Now if there was an anti-raccoon paint…

Perhaps mixing in some capsaicin?

Quick search doesn't show a product, but anecdotally it seems to help sailors...

I have some ridiculous hot oil I got to put on our deck rails when our dog was chewing on them, it worked, but that was sprayed on after and not in the paint. I suppose you could paint and then spray. Wear a mask, don't wear contacts, don't touch your eyes... (<- self-warning I always ignore after cutting up peppers).

 

[Mtsoxfan]

To those who fenced in a few apple trees, I only have 4' concrete reinforcement wire. High high can I be off the ground and still be effective? 12", 18"? I have some hot sauce I no longer want to consume, I figured I'd mix in with paint to deter bunnies etc. While we do have tons of snowshoe hare up the road, I've never seen one around my yard. Only seen tracks in snow, deep in woods.

 

[Oaktree]

I remember the gypsy moth invasion or the mid 70's, where people tried all sorts of way to stop them from eating all the leaves. Most popular was duct tape, wrapped sticky side out. Others had vasoline spread at the base of the tree. There were sprays, but an expense many could not afford.

I remember a particularly bad infestation of them for a couple years in the early 80s. Nothing really worked to stop them. After a couple seasons they seemed to run their course.

 

[newkiotiguy]

To those who fenced in a few apple trees, I only have 4' concrete reinforcement wire. High high can I be off the ground and still be effective? 12", 18"? I have some hot sauce I no longer want to consume, I figured I'd mix in with paint to deter bunnies etc. While we do have tons of snowshoe hare up the road, I've never seen one around my yard. Only seen tracks in snow, deep in woods.

Why do you need to raise it up? I have the same 4 foot concrete mesh in 6 foot circles around the trees. Deer will not jump into something they can't get out of.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Thanks, I thought I read people on here were raising them up to prevent reaching over to nibble.