Gah, mice chewed up my tree, can it be saved?? UPDATE, ROOT GROWTH!!

[secuono]

Just found out some mice have chewed up my new willow! All the way around, up to about 5in. The tree is maybe 1.5in thick and new, planted this past summer. It already suffered being dug up and having most of it's roots eaten off by the puppy.
Can it be saved??

Pictures soon.

 

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Looks like bridge grafting would work, but not if the tree is less than 2in in diameter...

Anyone have to do this before?

Should I just cut the trunk right above the damage and put it into a 5gal bucket of water in Spring and get it to make new roots??

 

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Nevermind, looks like I'll be keeping it in a bucket of water...
So new Q, can I leave it outside where it will freeze and thaw or bring it into the house?

 

[897tgigvib]

Sounds like your tree is GIRDLED

If it is it's a goner. Come to think of it, I have heard of willows being grafted. (Certain willows do a twisty growth pattern. Those are used as the tall trunk, and onto the trunk they graft a small bushy variety of willow. Makes a really cool tree for a specimen or as heralds at the end of a driveway.)

You can cut it above the girdle, prune it way back to several good buds and try a restart on the roots.

OR

You can make a bunch of winter hardwood cuttings from it. I think this is much more advantageous for several reasons:

Taking any cutting is not a guaranteed sure thing. The odds of it taking root are reduced a little because you have not done it a lot I think. Willows are yes, easy, but it is still not a 100% thing. More like 4 out of 5 will take for an experienced person.

If you attempt the whole tree you have only one chance. If you are able to make nice cuttings from it, the more the better up to a limit. (Some folks who would want to make as many trees from it as they can possibly get might try to root every single bud. That's a lower percentage to take but also gets the most trees. Also that means an extra year of having baby trees in the "nursery"...see why they are called nurseries?)

But more reasonably, you may want to take 4 or 8 cuttings from it, and yes, save some good buds for that main trunk too to try to root it also.

I do not know yet what the tree looks like, so I don't know how many cuttings you can try.

Remember please, cuttings "take" best under controlled, ie expensive, conditions. So if my propagation book, wherever i have it stashed, says willows take 95% of the time, that's for an experienced person with a heated greenhouse, misters, and expensive rooting hormones. The rest of us it'd be more like 80% take rate. A beginner with a smaller percent take rate than my humble experience.

Try all different sizes of cuttings and under different conditions and methods. That is surely what I would do. Some outside, some in your kitchen window, that kind of thing...

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Brings me to the other thing:

The mouse got it once. It will want to get it again. Something to consider.

 

[897tgigvib]

you put the photos in after i typed the message above...

 

[journey11]

I would bring it in. Freeze/thaw wouldn't be good for it. I like to change the water out once a week so it won't get stagnant. Willows will make roots like crazy. You got lucky on this one!

My BIL girded one of my new pear trees with the weedeater last year. It even had little baby pears on it. Who in their right mind?.... (I had a real hard time forgiving, lol.)

 

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I'm going to find something around the house to use as a trunk guard for the other willow. The pear is on flat, grass-less pasture with a fence around it so the sheep/horses won't eat it.

I'll go stare at the thing and see what I can cut off it.
I used to cut and grow willow whips back in middle and high school before my mother cut all the trees on the property out. She had a 'I hate plants' year and everything went but the big yellow maple...Really depressing before and after, lol.
I had trouble after putting them into soil, since I was a jobless kid living in a very clean house and all. =/

Oh, and for the smaller cuttings, I can just put them into my aquariums to grow their roots. Water will be warm, full of good stuff and be kept clean.
Here's a closer pic of the tree, thoughts on where to cut?
Direct link to see full size.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/secuono/willow.jpg

 

[journey11]

Depends on how many you want.

I'd start at the bottom and cut off each limb. You could save the top center for one big one.

 

[secuono]

Depends on how many you want.

I'd start at the bottom and cut off each limb. You could save the top center for one big one.

Ahahaha, if it was really up to me like that, I'd have a whole forest of them...

 

[catjac1975]

Looks bad. Make cuttings.