It looks as though Deer have eaten the leaves off the bottom 4' of our magnificent and much loved weeping Nootka Cypress! Is there any chance the leaves will grow back? If so, how can I help that process? It is a mess. I'm not sure how to add a photo. This was a particularly bad year for damage. Several rhododendron buds have been eaten and most of an Azalea, even though they were wrapped in burlap! Thanks in advance, Sharon
Unlikely the browsed branches will regrow well, but they might a bit. Pendulous growth on the branches higher up will slowly fill the gap though.
Thanks for your reply. That is sad news indeed. Should I prune the naked lower limbs? Can I feed anything special to promote growth? Thanks again
The foliage is browsed and the wood is till there, or the branches were clipped, with some pieces still around with uneaten foliage on them? The latter is what rabbits do. Funny that deer would go for rhododendrons and azaleas, as these are poisonous and pretty much never touched in my experience here - Aplodontia rufa being the only noticeable exception. In fact, country places in New Zealand have a history of planting rhododendrons and azaleas specifically because the sheep will not eat them.
Oh, I'm so glad I've subscribed to this forum! I'll get my son to post a pic and that will answer a lot of questions. I assumed it was deer because the higher branches are at least 4' off the ground even with snow. There was evidence of bunnies and deer tracks. Also, the rhododendrons and azalea are in close proximity to the Cypress. The cuts are sharp and on an angle like they've been cut, not nibbled. I will endeavour to post a photo. Thanks so much!
Rodents have the incisor teeth that snip through plant parts like pruning shears (secateurs). Deer nibble at leaves and rub antlers on woody stems, thrust them through accessible stiff or prickly specimens like young conifers in or on the edges of lawns. Their browsing can look like the shrub has been snipped at with hedge shears, because portions of leaves are left behind. But they are after the leaves, often the newest, most tender and least chemically-infused ones at the tips of the shoots.
