Chestnut crabapple split
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Others have far more experience than me, but if this is on the southwest side of the tree and you are in cold winter climates, I would call it sunscauld.
I don’t know if a cure.
Prevention is painting the trunks white or shading the trunk on the S or SW side.
I have seen it on other sides of new growth.
I am nursing along a 30 year old tree with sunscauld and still getting fruit, but I know the time is limited.
I don’t know if a cure.
Prevention is painting the trunks white or shading the trunk on the S or SW side.
I have seen it on other sides of new growth.
I am nursing along a 30 year old tree with sunscauld and still getting fruit, but I know the time is limited.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I'd get some protection for the scar. I use doc farrells heal n seal. It has insecticide to prevent critters from getting in that tree. BLack asphalt based sealers might not be bad either. More or less that doc farrels is basically latex paint. Use a light color. Get the wood,but don't overlap the live bark by much. The tree will try to grow over it.
Metal get hot, but that stuff looks reflective too. You're probably using that to keep racoons away. I would make it a bit bigger in diameter and make sure it can flow air from the bottom to the top. I could see that setup maing heat damage more prevalent.
Some folks have complained about trees in tube having issues on the very top of the tube. More prone to damage at that spot.
With the open crack and wet seasons, it might be more prone to rotting too.
I'd make sure you have an inch of open air around the bottom. I'd also give it about a thumbs worth of gap between the bark and the metal. Maybe use a bit of window screen or 1/4" mesh rabbit cage fencing on the bottom if you have rabbit or vole issues.
Metal get hot, but that stuff looks reflective too. You're probably using that to keep racoons away. I would make it a bit bigger in diameter and make sure it can flow air from the bottom to the top. I could see that setup maing heat damage more prevalent.
Some folks have complained about trees in tube having issues on the very top of the tube. More prone to damage at that spot.
With the open crack and wet seasons, it might be more prone to rotting too.
I'd make sure you have an inch of open air around the bottom. I'd also give it about a thumbs worth of gap between the bark and the metal. Maybe use a bit of window screen or 1/4" mesh rabbit cage fencing on the bottom if you have rabbit or vole issues.
It looks like SW damage to me. I lost a number of trees from that before I realized the cause and started painting the trunks to solve the problem. Paint the South and West sides of the apple tree trunks with a mix of 50/50 white interior latex and water mix and the SW injury problems will decrease.
Most of my damaged trees recovered on their own, but as mentioned above, your metal tube might hold moisture and cause issues. I'd remove all of the fruit off that tree this year and take off that metal tube. Let the tree trunk breathe and repair itself and hopefully it survives.
Most of my damaged trees recovered on their own, but as mentioned above, your metal tube might hold moisture and cause issues. I'd remove all of the fruit off that tree this year and take off that metal tube. Let the tree trunk breathe and repair itself and hopefully it survives.
