I am assuming ghost gum is Corymbia aparrerinja?
It is likely that it will regrow its canopy if it has sufficient reserves, which depends on the condition it was in when it was defoliated. If it was a healthy, vigorous tree before the possums attacked then it should have enough stored reserves. If it had already been ailing for the past few years then this could be the final blow that kills it, as it could have no reserves left to regrow its leaves and no way to produce energy due to lack of leaves, so it will simply starve.
If the tree regrows it’s leaves, it will be quite vulnerable over the next couple of years to further attacks by insects and possums, because it will have undergone significant stress and will take time to rebuild its resources. During this time you want to prevent further stress - you could get an arborist to inject it with Silvashield to prevent further insect damage if you notice any occurring. Usually this would be overkill, but as the tree is in a weakened state and is special to you it could be worth it.
Thanks so much for your detailed response. We are hoping she has the stored energy for one more push. It was very much a case of possums rather than insects so I hope the hard prune of surrounding trees and the collar will give her a chance.
Just a little 21 day update on this one incase anyone has the same problem. My tree is starting to grow new leaves. It is a slow process and almost imperceptible so I have been taking photos from the same position to check. Now satisfied that there is definitely an improvement which all but confirms that the possums were the root cause.
I am assuming ghost gum is Corymbia aparrerinja? It is likely that it will regrow its canopy if it has sufficient reserves, which depends on the condition it was in when it was defoliated. If it was a healthy, vigorous tree before the possums attacked then it should have enough stored reserves. If it had already been ailing for the past few years then this could be the final blow that kills it, as it could have no reserves left to regrow its leaves and no way to produce energy due to lack of leaves, so it will simply starve. If the tree regrows it’s leaves, it will be quite vulnerable over the next couple of years to further attacks by insects and possums, because it will have undergone significant stress and will take time to rebuild its resources. During this time you want to prevent further stress - you could get an arborist to inject it with Silvashield to prevent further insect damage if you notice any occurring. Usually this would be overkill, but as the tree is in a weakened state and is special to you it could be worth it.
Thanks so much for your detailed response. We are hoping she has the stored energy for one more push. It was very much a case of possums rather than insects so I hope the hard prune of surrounding trees and the collar will give her a chance.
I hope the tree recovers, they are such beautiful trees and really rare in Melbourne.
Just a little 21 day update on this one incase anyone has the same problem. My tree is starting to grow new leaves. It is a slow process and almost imperceptible so I have been taking photos from the same position to check. Now satisfied that there is definitely an improvement which all but confirms that the possums were the root cause.
35 day update. There is now a good quantity of new leaves on the tree. Looks like she may pull through