Good afternoon, my reader. If cracks and peeling areas of the bark are found on the trunks of fruit trees, you need to understand what factors led to the occurrence of such a problem. This will allow you to competently plan activities to save the plant. There may be several reasons leading to the appearance of damage on the apple tree.
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1. Bark diseases
If not only cracks are found on the trunk of an apple tree, but also a brown-black sooty bloom, it can be assumed that the tree is infected with a dangerous fungal infection - black cancer. The causative agent of the disease Sphaeropsis malorum quickly spreads without timely treatment, capturing the entire crown. The tree dies within three to four years.
It will be possible to save the apple tree only at the first symptoms of the disease. It is necessary to cut out all affected areas of the bark, as well as remove branches with traces of the fungus. The wounds are cleaned, covered with garden varnish or drying oil.
The entire crown is sprayed with copper sulfate, preparing a three percent solution. You can use potassium permanganate diluted with water to a raspberry hue.
When the flowering period ends, the apple tree is additionally irrigated with Bordeaux liquid with a 1% concentration. For the purpose of prevention, branches are promptly removed around which cracks appear.
2. Rodents or pests
Exfoliated bark can often be seen on apple tree trunks in early spring. The cause is damage caused by rodents.
If hares or mice have spoiled a small area, then the wounds must be covered up using a garden pitch. In case of extensive damage, bridge grafting is practiced. For this purpose, healthy cuttings are cut, which are fixed with both ends under the bark above and below the wound. They are fixed, coated with pitch, and then covered with wet sphagnum and tied with burlap. Such bridges allow you to keep the sap moving and save the tree.
Cracking of the bark appears, followed by its flaking as a result of the activity of harmful insects. Especially tangible damage can be inflicted by bark beetles. They penetrate under the bark through existing damage, so they can often be found on weakened trees.
If whole layers of bark fall off the trunk, which are completely covered with numerous bark beetle moves, then it is necessary cut down such a tree and then uproot it in order to prevent the spread of pests to other fruit plants. At the first signs, it is necessary to inject an insecticide into the detected passages using a syringe. Used for this purpose "Calypso", "Antizhuk", "Antishashelin". A layer of garden varnish is applied on top.
Other reasons
The bark bursting and moving away from the wood on apple tree trunks can appear not only as a result of damage from diseases, insects or rodents.
Several more reasons can be noted that cause this phenomenon:
- As a result of sharp fluctuations in night and daytime temperatures, often observed in early spring, characteristic longitudinal cracks are formed. Sunny spring burns or severe winter frosts, as a rule, cause transverse cracking on the bark. The autumn whitewashing of trunks helps to solve the problem.
- Cracks appear often due to a lack of moisture or nutrient compounds. Given this impact, it is necessary to organize the proper care of apple trees.
- In the rainy period of early autumn, an intensive growth of shoots begins, which is most often observed in young apple trees. The result is longitudinal cracking of the bark, which has not yet acquired sufficient elasticity. Having noticed such damage, it is necessary to disinfect the cracks using a solution of ferrous sulfate of three percent concentration, and then the trunks are whitewashed.
It is necessary to treat apple trees when cracking of the bark appears and especially significant delamination is necessary at the first signs. It is important to establish the cause that caused such a problem, which will allow you to correctly choose the right ways to save the tree.
Do you know what to do if the bark of an apple tree cracks?
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You can also read about feeding strawberries in the following article:Feeding strawberries during flowering for a good harvest