Sorry about it!

Rodent..rabbit or maybe a squirrel of sorts. I think the double air layer would work well, if the leaves continue to look stressed you could remove some of the lower ones to lessen the load if need be.

This tree has been in full sun since mid summer last year, but I wonder if recovery would be easier if I move her into an area that only gets morning sun.

brush melted Paraffin and let it be, don't do anything else to it, it will recover. Good luck Paul.

If nothing else, the wounding may stimulate a bud lower down on that main trunk. 

How about waxing the main trunk and air layering that side branch (which looks like it may be more extensively damaged around its circumference)?  Keep us posted as to which experiment works best!

You may want to wrap the trunks of other figs to protect them from more attacks (squirrel?  rabbit?)

Good luck!

My first thought was that a deer was the culprit.

There's enough bark on the side branch to where you can tie the end of the bag to air layer. There is enough bark on the main stem as well to do the same.

If all goes well you could end up with three trees in a couple months.

Or you can brush latex paint on the wounds to protect them from contamination and help seal them. But wipe the area with alcohol first to clean and disinfect first.

Good luck

Look in and around grass area for rabbit poop if it was a rabbit it will be back.

time for conejo con higos en rioja.

I feel for you. When I moved to KY I started getting critter damage in a big way. I put out a whole row of wineberries and had them all nipped off just above the ground. Not eaten, just cut cleanly off and left lay. I'm pretty sure it's deer. These are an old variety of raspberry that's very thorny. There's a native black raspberry (with few thorns) around that doesn't get this kind of damage, but does get some gnawing like I see from rabbits in the orchard. And then there's blackberries (with wicked thorns and bitter berries) that nobody seems to bother. Wineberries in pots weren't touched even though they were wide open. I've had to fence the garden, raspberry bed, and select trees.

I'd bet you've got rabbit damage. I fenced my garden with 2" chicken wire. And I've watched rabbits, about the size of ponies go through it without slowing down. When I tore it all out and replaced it with 1" chicken wire suddenly I could grow beans. Back in NC I got infested with bear. That's one you really don't want. I had to give up on bee hives. But, with mulberries as sacrifice plants I was able to save the cherries that ripened at the same time.

I was hoping figs wouldn't attract varmints. You are not reassuring me. It could be heffalumps, I think they come out of hibernation this time of year.

The worst thing for varmints is chickens. Everything eats chickens.

From my experience once you start getting damage you'll keep getting damage till you find the solution. Good luck with that.

Hi,
Sorry for you !
For me, it is not a rabbit, because rabbits would cut the stems.
A deer is my best guess .

I would rub clay-dirt on the wounds . When installing my winter protections I myself removed a bit of bark.
I just rubbed dirt over that area and the tree is fine.
Later on you could decide to airlayer - but that shouln't be mandatory - the tree can recover from that ... If it does not get attacked more in the future ...
So for now your priority should be to protect the tree from future damages - just my way to manage that situation - I would set traps around ... But I only have rodents and have no deers ...

We don't have deer here. I don't know why. Seems like a good place for them.

It is such a strange wound. It really looks more like a mechanical cut... as if somebody took a swipe at it with a sharp metal object. An 11 year old boy with a penchant for constructing weapons could be a suspect.

The wound on the main branch seems to have only removed the outer rind. I know trees don't "heal", but it will callus over and by the time the tree grows to full size, it will be insignificant. So, I might try to just clean that one up and wrap tightly with grafting tape.

The side branch is much worse. I know you can't tell from my camera phone picture, but at the deepest point of the wound, it is cut to the center. Seems like the side branch is better candidate for air layer, since it is not really an ideal branch to begin with.

Since I don't have time to deal with this until the weekend, I made a temporary field dressing. I wrapped each wound in damp paper towels and then wrapped tightly with plastic cling wrap. I also moved the plant to the north wall of the house where it won't be in direct sunlight.

In a way, accidents like these keep things interesting. Thanks for all the ideas so far. 

Get a dog.

Paul, around here in some areas with rabbit problems they do that to bushes(or any other small woody tree) but mostly in the winter. I have known people with large expensive landscaping that hired me to come do some handiwork with a BB gun. Easy money.

Greysmith, I hear you!  Once you have chickens it doesn't take to long to figure out why we and everything else eats them.

I agree with the machete theory. The blade came down and took off a node then kept slicing down until it embedded into the scaffolding branch. So sorry!

Voles will eat anything just like rabbits.  We circle every single plant with about a foot of gopher wire to prevent these attacks.  Bummer.

Good luck!

Suzi

Oh yes, we have voles, gophers, weasels, ground squirrels, field mice, egrets... but sounds like I might need to start checking for evidence of fig tree residue on any of my son's improvised weapons. 

I may be wrong but (a wild guess) it appears that something hard bodied object dragged through the V-shape of the plant from close to below the camera position causing bruises on both parts of the V.
I said a wild guess!!

When my children use to see me upset with a damaged plant, they would say the raccoons have also the right to look for food to survive.

Be careful trying to air layer both the side and the main branch together on such a young tree. I tried the same and killed the plant. I would air layer the side branch and then paint some pruning sealer(like a black tar)over the wound on the main trunk. Once the side branch roots and you separate the air layer, then try air layering the main branch later. The wound on the main trunk is not circumferential so no problem. Your tree will survive.

After you have air layered the side branch, place it in a box and mail it to me as soon as possible!  I will PM you my address. LOL!

So it's been 60 days since my last post about this. After wrapping it up, I placed the tree under the shade of a tangelo tree and mostly neglected it. I did unwrap the Root Riot bundle after about 4 weeks. There was no sign of activity and it felt a little slimy. I removed the Root Riot, cleaned off the branch, and brushed on some Clonex. I replaced the Root Riot, wrapped it up in cling wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. I checked again a couple weeks later and the Root Riot had gone bone dry. I spritzed it with some water and re-wrapped it. Last week, I unwrapped it and these fat roots had appeared. These are not the same as roots from cuttings. These were like fat little worms!

I snipped off the rooted branch and stuck it in half a gallon of Pro Mix. I stripped off the fruit. I also gave it a tablespoon of bone meal and a dash of B1. It has been sitting in partial shade for a week and the leaves haven't drooped or anything.

I'm pretty happy with the results. I have two trees now! I'm looking forward to some fruit ripening this year so that you guys can help me identify what kind of tree this is.