Just went to look at my Fignomenal fig tree I planted last year to check on it since snow is melting…and looks like something (squirrels???) have been feasting on the bark 😭😭😭😭. They also clean cut through a bunch of branches. Will it survive? Anything I can do to help it out???
We don’t have deer and never realized squirrels would go after bark.
by panda_monium2
2 Comments
Rabbits do this too. When it snows not much is left to eat. Last year they ate my rose bush all the way down to the ground to a stump.
Cover it with a cage now so more damage doesn’t happen. Usually, the tree can recover fine as long as the bark and cambium haven’t completely girdled the stem. It doesn’t look like that happened here.
I have to cage the bottoms of all my trees in the winter to keep rabbits from doing this. I also find it helpful to plant some wildlife food sources in / near the garden. The bunnies prefer eating barley and peas to tree bark any day.