Micromegas Posted November 14, 2012 Well, i'd be interested in your thoughts on this one. I ringbarked this acuminata in my garden with a whipper snipper. It's maybe turning three this summer, if it survives.... Yes... No? There is a very small section of the cambium layer (I think) remaining. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted November 14, 2012 That doesnt look pretty particularly with summer coming, could be a candidate for a bridge graft (?)if you really love it - havent come across anyone who has done this for natives though. Seen a few orchard trees fubared by brush cutters saved with this type of graft. http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/Bridgegraftingandinarching.htm 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bℓσωηG Posted November 14, 2012 at least you didnt do it on purpose which is what i thought when i first read the title , hopefully it will push out some suckers from the base and you can start again. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
solomon Posted November 14, 2012 dont know what the deal is with Acacias but for some damaged NZ natives I have bandaged them up with sphagnum successfully 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bℓσωηG Posted November 14, 2012 bitumen based pruning paint maybe? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted November 14, 2012 You did a pretty thorough job on it. I'd say it's fucked. It's a shame, it was just at the stage where it was about take off. When the cambium layer is damaged to that extent the tree will seemingly hang in there for a while and then start to get sick, throw in a bit of hot weather and it won't be able to hydrate itself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted November 14, 2012 (edited) fair chance, the plant will re shoot, from the very bottom beneath the injury, as said above already. i would prune 90% of the plant above the injury, with some phyllodes remaining, like this you have the best chance, i guess. don't be upset about the accidental ringbarking, it happens often, i only use mowers. a very nice specimen! Edited November 14, 2012 by planthelper 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted November 14, 2012 (edited) I've got a caapi vine that my dog has done something similar to. I think he bent the stem trying to climb a tree to get to bats and more than 3/4 of the cambium layer is severed, the rest is damaged a bit too. It was a really nice plant too, I got it from Planthelper a few years ago and it was about 20 feet up the tree I'm using for support. Now it looks variegated and it has died back to less than 10 feet tall. Normally I'd just rip out a plant that sick but I haven't got the heart to do it to a caapi vine. Edited November 14, 2012 by SallyD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Micromegas Posted November 15, 2012 Hi, like many I thought for sure this plant was done for. However, in a sense, this post is a trick question. The photos are taken a full six weeks after the damage occurred. I would have thought for sure there would be some sign of distress by now, but the plant as seen in the third photo has shown no change whatsoever, but it hasn't grown at all unlike other acuminatas i have. Then again, it is heavily competed against by he native pine and sheoak it is near. I too thought immediately about pruning it down, but I had recently ringbarked a huge Sugar Gum for work with diametre of 1.5m (on this one I used glyphosate). I couldn't do the final 30cm of its girth due to a beehive (the buggers stung me anyway), I thought I would use the acuminata as a model for the effect of almost total ringbarking... but nothing all has changed, it looks fine. Thanks for the thoughts, Micro Go figure. Time will tell, I'll be surprised and happy if it lives. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
