weeping willow trunk

[sandrabrewer]

My dogs have chewed my weeping willow trunk. What can I do to help the tree?

[Brad]

How much damage have they done? Is the trunk large? The tree should be ok if the dogs haven't chewed a full 360 degrees around one particular spot. As long as 1/3 of the vascular tissue under the bark is not damaged, I wouldn't worry too much. I would NOT use prune paint or anykind of trunk wrap to cover the wounds. Just let them heal naturally.


You may want to use a product called Liquid Fence or something similar to deter your dogs from that area.

[opabinia51]

You could seal any large gashes with beeswax. Look in the yellow pages to find some bee keepers, it's usually pretty cheap to buy bees wax from them. I just bought a bunch yesterday.

[The Helpful Gardener]

A paste of cayenne pepper mixed with a habanero based sauce will correct your dogs behavior quickly, doing no real physical harm but sending a real (and unforgettable ) message. They won't do it twice...

I am not being mean to dogs, I am being nice to trees. Trees are living beings as well; they just move slower...

And a good one is a wonderful investment...Willows are wonderful trees and hardy; I would let wounds heal naturally unless the tree shows signs of distress at the wound site...


HG

[sandrabrewer]

Thanks

[The Helpful Gardener]

De nada.

HG

[Grey]

A paste of cayenne pepper mixed with a habanero based sauce will correct your dogs behavior quickly, doing no real physical harm but sending a real (and unforgettable ) message. They won't do it twice...

HG

Well....... it might work on SOME dogs. I tried it with one of mine to correct a behavior - and she LIKED it. She sat there and kept licking the stuff off! My other dog probably wouldn't care for it. It depends on the dog - lol.

You could put up a small wire cage around the base of the tree to keep the dogs from chewing up. Just make sure there's room for the tree to expand.