What to do if the bark cracks and peels off on an apple tree

Why do cracks appear on the apple tree

If cracks and damage appear on the apple tree, then the tree needs to be rescued. Otherwise, it may die. In order to understand what to do when cracks appear, you need to find out if they are signs of any disease. This can be done by carefully considering the damage itself and other accompanying symptoms. The bark of an apple tree always needs additional care, so you cannot let any of its ailments take its course.

If cracks appear on the apple tree, then the reasons for this may be the following:

The bark is damaged as a result of any disease of the apple tree.

The bark was gnawed by pests.

Apple bark and possible diseases

If, in addition to cracks, the bark of the apple tree is covered with a black-brown sooty bloom, then this indicates that it is sick with black cancer. It is a fungal disease that can spread to an entire tree and destroy it in just 3-4 years. Therefore, it must be treated as quickly as possible, otherwise it will simply not be possible to cope with the disease.

To do this, all affected tree branches are removed and burned. Wounds are covered with garden varnish. After pruning, the tree itself is treated with a solution of copper sulfate (3%) or potassium permanganate (the solution is diluted to a crimson color). Then the apple tree is treated with Bordeaux liquid (1%).

As a preventive measure, timely removal of the shoot is necessary. This will eliminate the infectious focus.

Apple bark and pests

Sometimes cracks in the bark do not occur as a result of a disease, but due to the fact that in winter the bark was damaged by rodents, for example, hares or mice. If the damage is small, then the bark is smeared with garden pitch. But if the tree is completely eaten by rodents, then it will need a bridge grafting. To do this, cuttings, removed from the top and from the middle, are inserted into the bark of the tree in such a way that one cutting is above the wound, and the second below it. After fixing, the bark is coated with garden var, and moss is placed on top and everything is covered with burlap. Once the cuttings take root, they will provide sap flow and the tree will survive.

In addition to rodents, tree bark can be damaged by bark beetles. They settle under the bark of an apple tree, and penetrate there through wounds in the tree. Therefore, the bark beetle is a frequent visitor to weak trees. If the beetle's moves are already visible and there are a lot of them, then the tree cannot be saved. In this case, it remains only to cut it down, until the beetle moves to other crops.

But if there are few moves, and the tree looks healthy, then it can be saved. This will help insecticides, which are poured into the passages with a syringe (for example, Calypso, Antizhuk). Then the treated area is smeared with garden varnish.

Other causes of cracks in the apple tree

If the bark has moved away from the trunk, but there are no spots on the tree and there are no insects, then a sharp temperature drop may be the reason. This is especially true in the spring. For example, transverse cracks can be caused by sunburn or frost. Whitewashing can help in this case.

Cracks can also be caused by a lack of nutrients and water. Therefore, the tree needs to be carefully cared for.