Apple tree trunk cracked

The apple tree belongs to the type of trees that have extremely weak and fragile bark. Therefore, if you do not follow the cutting of the apple tree, it will adhere to its natural shape. Which is fraught with the fact that the trunk of the apple tree will crack, or even split in half. In the event that you find that the trunk of the apple tree has cracked, you must immediately begin to rescue. You can read about how to do this and what can cause the appearance of a crack on the trunk of an apple tree in this article.

Apple tree trunk cracked: what to do?

Apple tree trunk cracked: photo

The crack on the trunk of the apple tree looks extremely ominous. And of course, the gardener who cracked the trunk of the apple tree will not only be scared, but also extremely upset. However, you should not be afraid; it is enough to follow a simple plan and follow the rules if the apple tree trunk is cracked:

• Stay calm. A crack in a tree trunk is a common occurrence that needs to be taken seriously. Examine it carefully and estimate the depth of the crack.
• A crack in the barrel should not be treated as something that does not require special attention. Unfortunately, simply closing the crack and forgetting about it will not work. The problem must be approached with full knowledge of the matter.
• Never jump from one treatment to another. If you decide that you will treat the apple tree in the "X" way, then make sure that it is completed. Otherwise, you will only harm the tree and aggravate its already deplorable state.
• Treatment methods differ depending on what time of year it is given. Therefore, it is completely unacceptable to use the spring method in the fall. It is also fraught. Also, the success of your operation directly depends on how old the wound is. If the trunk has cracked quite recently, then you can count on complete healing. However, if the wound is still old, you can not even hope for a miraculous healing. By that time, the bark will already dry out and will not give any opportunity to heal the wound completely. In this case, all that remains for you is to resort to the method of destroying the tree trunk.

Important! Do not underestimate the point of the plan that draws your attention to the fact that treatment at different times of the year varies quite strikingly. For example, some drugs that were unknowingly used before the winter cold can harm your tree much more than the crack itself. So read this article with the utmost care, and you will have every chance to save the apple tree.

Let's move on to the action plan. If the trunk of an apple tree is cracked ... ... The first thing you must do is make every effort to reunite the two separated halves of the tree. This will prevent numerous fungi and parasites from harming your plant from the inside.

In order to firmly fix the split, you will need:

• Wire clamp.
• Three-wire wire (preferably made of steel).
• Special wire pads.

When applying the collar, care must be taken to ensure that a smaller part of the trunk is under the collar and a large part above the collar. Most of the trunk deserves special care. On its side, it is imperative to put a special lining under the wire in the form of pieces of rubber or felt.

Such pads are extremely important, because sooner or later the clamp will have to be removed. And without linings, this process can lead to the fact that you peel healthy bark from the tree and cause additional damage to it.

So, the clamp is applied.What to do next? And then you need to twist the wire like a "harness overlay". Since this operation is not easy and requires a huge amount of physical effort, it is often performed by two people.

However, let's be realistic, not everyone has such a great opportunity. Therefore, instead of this option, you can use the option with screwing screws 5 cm long into the tree. They are screwed in pairs on both sides of the trunk at a distance of 6-8 cm from each other.

To many, such an operation may seem blasphemous. However, the tree, believe me, will survive it much better than the crack in its trunk itself. A two-piece steel wire is screwed onto the screws screwed into the wood.

They are "laced up" from the top to the bottom. After that, with the maximum possible effort, you need to tighten the wire and fix its ends so that your work does not go down the drain. After the trunk has been well tightened and the crack trace has become almost invisible, you can start covering up the "scar".

To do this, we will have to make a special putty. The recipe is simple:

• two-thirds of a greasy clay;
• a third of fresh cow cakes;
• copper sulfate (its amount should not exceed 1% of the total solution).

After mixing all the necessary ingredients, water is added to the mixture and the solution is thoroughly mixed. Gradually, it will approach the consistency of fatty sour cream, which we need. When it is reached, the mixture will be ready.

It remains only to spread the tree with the resulting mixture, wrap the treated surface with a special garden bandage and perform the operation with coating again.

About the features of the bandage: it can be non-sterile. Instead, it is quite possible to use the most ordinary gauze. In the most extreme case, you can use materials at hand, such as, for example, burlap.

However, any seasoned gardener will tell you that this option is highly undesirable. In such a bandaged state, the tree will stand until spring. When frost and snow melt, the entire treatment layer must be removed.

The edges of the wound must be rinsed and processed again. This time, garden var is suitable as an active drug.

Advice. If, next year after treatment, new processes begin to appear from the area where there used to be a crack, do not break them off immediately. You may need them.

The situation is completely different if the trouble with the tree happened not before winter, but after or in the midst of frost. In this case, at the onset of spring, it is necessary to treat the wound with molten pitch.

In this case, the bark layer is treated with a special whitewash paint for trees. You can also use a mixture of whitewash with ordinary PVA glue. At the onset of summer, all this "make-up" is removed.

Advice. Var is an extremely persistent drug, and therefore it is highly undesirable to use it on a living, intact bark. It should be used only if the bark has especially finicky areas that do not want to connect in any way.

What to do if the apple tree cracked along the trunk and was “torn” in half?

Apple tree trunk cracked: photo

This often happens. Imagine how one morning you go out into the garden and see that your apple tree was simply torn apart. Naturally, this is a terrible sight. And it is much more scary to think that the crack could well have reached the root.

However, even in such a seemingly hopeless situation, the tree can be saved. There is only one way out. And it's pretty obvious: you have to connect the two halves of the split apple tree together. After that, you will have to maintain it in this state with the help of screeds. This is the only way out.

No other can be as effective and practical. However, in this situation, unlike a normal crack, the bonding material must completely wrap around the tree.The simplest method of restoring a torn tree is generally recognized as the method of fastening two parts of one trunk with the help of thick, dense blocks of wood.

If for some reason you do not have them, it is quite possible to use regular branches or even boards. The main thing is that they are able to withstand the upcoming pressure. Approximate characteristics of sticks:

• The width should be about 6 cm.However, the option with a width of 2 cm is also acceptable.
• The length is allowed in the range from 17 cm to 25 cm. However, the exact measurements depend solely on the characteristics of your tree.
• It is advised to use steel wire to fasten the bars together. The thickness is suitable for both 2 and 3 mm. However, in the case of a really serious and deep wound, a 5 mm wire should be used.

Since the wire will exert tremendous pressure on the tree, we will need to protect the bark somehow. This is what the pieces of wood are for. They will redistribute the lion's share of the pressure on themselves and preserve the bark of your tree.

Also, for even more reliable protection, it is necessary to use pads. We have already talked about the material from which they should be made.

Advice... In some cases, one of the main factors that lead to the split of the apple tree is its congestion. Therefore, it is worth checking three times if your halves of the trunk are not too loaded with fruits. This will often be the case. Therefore, we advise you to use props that will prevent the tree from completely disintegrating into pieces and accelerate healing.

In some cases, you can also consider the option of completely removing one of the halves of the apple tree. Such emergency measures can be taken in the event that one of the halves has already collapsed under its own weight, or it is simply not needed.

If you decide to take such a step, you have to completely cut one of the halves. However, be careful: it is undesirable to touch the split. This will most likely cause the tree to become unstable. Also, do not forget about safety: be sure to treat the cut site with a special solution.

For this, for example, a mixture of wax and lard (in a 1 to 1 ratio) is perfect. This will help your tree not dry out and be eaten by parasites in the next month. Also, for greater reliability, you can wrap the cut with a protective film.

What to do if the trunk of a young apple tree is cracked?

Apple tree trunk cracked: photo

If the trunk of an apple tree is cracked (near a young tree), in this situation you should act according to the scheme we have already considered. Obviously, your first step is to connect the wound together with a hose clamp or even suitable water pipes. If even after an incredibly diligent connection a small gap remains in the tree, then it is quite possible not to worry about this.

However, only on condition that the width of the "scar" does not exceed:

• 0.5 cm for an apple tree whose age is not more than 13 years;
• 2 cm for an apple tree less than 13 years old.

If you are still haunted by the problem that there is no partner to help tighten the wound, do not worry about this. It is enough to tighten the connection a little more and more every day. Gradually, the wood will become more and more pliable, and eventually you will be able to connect both halves of the split quite tightly.

In the case of using this method of squeezing, you can resort to gradually pouring wax into the gap. This will improve healing, but be aware that the wax should never get on the bark! One way or another, sooner or later he will be squeezed out. However, there should be no fresh wax on the bark.

If the crack on the apple tree is not too big, you don't even need to get upset, because, rest assured, it will heal soon. And then your apple tree will be healthy again. Var or drugs such as chlorhexogen can be used to speed up healing.

The application of small longitudinal cuts on the measles streaks will help the apple take on an aesthetic appearance more quickly.With the help of them, the bark along the edges of the "scar" will grow much more willingly.

What if a crack appears on an old tree?

Apple tree trunk cracked: photo

The peculiarity of old apple trees is that cracks on their trunk are extremely rarely frivolous. Their wound always goes deep and heals for a long time. However, even such old people can be helped. So, what to do if the trunk of an old apple tree is cracked.

To do this, you will need:

• Drill 2 holes on each side of the crack. Their diameter should not exceed 2.5 cm.
• Two strong bolts are screwed into the holes. According to the scheme already familiar to us, they serve as a support for the screed for our tree. A wire is wound on them and pulled together well so that both sides of the gap come together with each other. However, if the wood is thin, and it seems to you that it simply cannot withstand such loads, you can use thinner bolts.

Important! Throughout the operation, open areas of wood must be treated with special preparations so that unwanted infection cannot get inside your tree.

It will take no more than two months to restore the normal life of an apple tree. With exceptional care for overgrowing and resumption of fruiting, it may well take less than a month. In addition, the fused barrel will tighten the bolts. And no inner perfectionist living inside, perhaps every gardener will not be disappointed.

However, there are cases with more serious wounds. They need to be approached with special circumspection. The best option would be to resort to the wood and lining method already described in this article. After the process of fastening and tightening is completed, you can think about protection.

For this, even an ordinary burlap is suitable, which certainly everyone has. The fabric must be greased with oily clay, and in a year your tree will be as good as new. Just do not forget to wash off and remove everything that you treated him with.

It is also quite possible that small cracks appear on the apple tree, which remain on the wood due to the cold winter. Such "scratches" can simply be covered with garden pitch, without resorting to complex operations with contraction. If done correctly and without hitting the soil, the wound will heal as soon as possible, and the tree will be healthy.

Advice. Before filling the crack with pitch, you can rinse it with copper sulfate in order to prevent attempts by small parasites and fungi to get inside.

Conclusion

Let the crack on the trunk of the apple tree seem terrible, threatening to take away your entire crop, this is far from the end of the world. Every illness and injury has its own approach. And if you follow the instructions in this article, then your apple tree will definitely have a bright future.