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blupit007
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« on: June 03, 2012, 06:50:07 AM » |
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My bunny decided to jump into my standard "My Blue Heaven" and have a snack. Its pretty bad. What should I do? Do I wrap it with something? Put wax on it? Help!
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-Kristen
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Ernest
Posts: 812
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« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2012, 07:28:47 AM » |
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Kristen, at least your bunny showed good taste in picking one of the nicer cvs. I'm no expert but have had this experience with plumeria--not from animals but where one side of a branch is damaged from other causes. If the cambium layer on the other side is preserved and rot does not set in the branch can survive and continue to grow and flower albeit somewhat slower. I would guess it might be prudent to use pruning sealer over the damaged area to protect what is left and see what happens.
I suppose another alternative is to cut back below the area of damage and see if a new plant will emerge. I have done this with plumeria where the rot was through all layers and the stem that is left has, after a time, started putting out new branches. You get some interesting plant forms this way.
These are my guesses but I would defer to anyone who has had actual experience with this in hibiscus.
Erny
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farmer d
Farmer D
Posts: 1882
Hollywood, CA
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« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2012, 08:25:58 AM » |
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Hi Kristen,
I agree with what Erny has posted. Recently I have had two separate incidents where one I weed whacked half way through 2 branches (a rather splintered mess that made) and the other was an accidental deep slice with pruning sheers on another towards the higher soft green tops of a branch. In both instances I quickly applied pruning seeler in my case natural tar and both plants have done fine since. My guess would be you need a little additional info/advice on properly cleaning that before sealing it since an animal put it's mouth there.
Farmer D
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Charlie
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« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2012, 01:31:04 PM » |
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He was hungry, eh? It shouldn't kill the plant as long as the wound does not go all the way around the stem, thus cutting off the flow of water and nutrients above the cut. The wound will callous over and eventually may fill in altogether.
Charlie
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blupit007
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« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2012, 06:54:17 PM » |
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Thank you everyone! It did not go all the way through... it is just through the outer bark, the green part, and stopped on the white center.
Erny, unfortunately it cannot be cut below this as it is only about 4" above the dirt line, and it is the trunk of the tree so to say. It is about 1.5" thick, and stands about 6' tall. I am working on making this into a tree. So far so good. I think...
So the jury is to put wax or tar on it? Any suggestions as to what exactly to buy?
Here is a crappy iphone photo of the tree... Not very descriptive I know, but you get the idea of what it is shaping up to be.
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-Kristen
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Charlie
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« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2012, 04:31:02 AM » |
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Wow, that's tall now. At some point you should cut the growing tip off (prune the top inch or two) so that the side branches will grow out to form the traditional ball at the top of the tree. The tree standard will continue to grow taller even after you cut the main stem, though slowly.
I wouldn't put anything on the cut at this point. The idea is to prevent microbes from entering the cut when it is a fresh wound but after several days the plant will have already started building tissue that serves as a barrier to the open air. But, if it worries you get some tree sealant (messy stuff) at a nursery and dab it on the cut area. An extreme measure is to melt grafting wax and mix in copper based fungicide and then paint that on the wound but I doubt it is necessary now. Does the wound look OK, no discoloration spreading or mold growing? If it looks clean after several days it is probably going to heal just fine.
BTW, I was referring to girdling or complete removal of the plant tissue above the white wood. Here is a definition I borrowed from Wiki - "girdling, also called ring barking or ring-barking, is the complete removal of a strip of bark (consisting of cork cambium, phloem, cambium and going into the xylem) from around the entire circumference of either a branch or trunk of a woody plant. Girdling results in the death of wood tissues beyond (above) the damage. A branch completely girdled will fail and when the main trunk of a woody plant is girdled, the entire tree will die, if it cannot regrow and bridge the wound from below."
Luckily, JackJack did not girdle this beautiful tree in the making!
Charlie
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blupit007
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« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2012, 05:09:37 AM » |
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Thanks Charlie, In a panic I wrapped it tightly in plumbers tape. I haven't taken it off yet to see what it looks like. I will take it off today and see what it looks like.
Yeah, JackJack did not go all the way around. Thankfully!
And I already pruned the top last fall. I think I may have done it too far up though and now dont know what to do... I chopped it at about 5' not thinking the side branches would grow upward.... duh! So there are a few branches started, do you think I should recut it but lower?
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-Kristen
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