Swelling on the bark of an apple tree not only makes it visually less attractive, but can also negatively affect the health of the tree. Sometimes swelling of the trunk of an apple tree is already a sign of disease or the appearance of pests. Therefore, you need to know why the bark of an apple tree peels off, what to do about it, and how to avoid the problem.
Peeling of the bark of an apple tree.
Why does the bark come off?
A small number of detachments should not be a reason to panic. A tree with good immunity will absorb it on its own. But if the peeling of the bark of an apple tree is very rapid and abundant, it is worth finding the reason for this. Often these are poor care, illness or unsuitable weather conditions. You can learn more only if you take into account various factors and additional signs. How to treat this problem will already be clear from the factors that caused the detachments to appear.
The most common causes are frost damage or sunburn. Protecting an apple tree from this is quite simple. When caring, it is enough to take into account that whitewashing is carried out in autumn and spring.
Tree bark may fall off due to pests that feed on the tissue or overwinter under the bark. The cause may also be a number of diseases that spread throughout the tree or thrive in this warm place.
The importance of bark in the life of a tree
There are different wounds - fatal and simply painful. To distinguish them, we must remember that the bark consists of 2 layers:
- external, or corky, made of dead cells (it is called the crust);
- internal, or phloem, the living cells of which are involved in the transfer of nutrients from the crown to the roots.
If the bark is damaged, the tree will heal itself, closing the wound with cells from the cambium located under the bast.
With deep and extensive wounds, with damage to the bast layer, the situation is much more serious. The roots are deprived of nutrition and the crop may die.
In young apple trees
Young apple trees can suffer from peeling bark for several reasons. In addition to the above, young apple trees suffer more than others from hungry pests in winter. Hares and mice are not averse to eating the bark of a young tree. And due to severe damage, the wood will peel off in large pieces. To avoid this, young trunks need to be insulated with a material that pests cannot handle.
Peeling of the bark of a young apple tree.
Causes of cracks
The causes of the disease should be determined in a timely manner
An apple tree can get wounded in various cases:
- damage by rodents;
- thermal burns (frost burns);
- improper pruning;
- excess nitrogen fertilizers;
- pest attack;
- fungal diseases.
If even minor damage is detected, all measures must be taken to eliminate it.
Damage by rodents
In winter, mice from fields and forests move to garden plots in search of food, make tunnels in the snow and get to fruit trees.
Young specimens are especially affected.
Rodents eat around the trunks, dooming the plant to death. A gardener will discover a damaged apple tree only in the spring, when the snow has melted. There will be no time left for recovery.
Thermal burns
The apple tree suffers from frost damage in the spring, when during the day the temperature changes sharply from above zero during the day to below zero at night. As a result, the wood becomes deformed. The bark cracks in longitudinal fissures, exposing the cambium.
Transverse wounds appear on the south side of the trunk, their cause is sunburn.
Incorrect pruning
When removing side branches, they make 2 mistakes:
- They leave a stump, which subsequently dries and falls out. A hollow forms in this place, cracks fan out from it and the bark comes off;
- The branch is cut too close to the trunk, going deeper into the cambium.
Excess nitrogen fertilizers
Exceeding the dose of nitrogen in fertilizing leads to rapid growth of wood, while the cork layer, which does not receive growth stimulants in such volumes, remains at the same size. The bark peels and cracks.
Pests
A small bark beetle, only 4 mm in size, can destroy a large tree in one season. The apple tree borer is especially dangerous.
Having penetrated under the bark (through cracks or through gnawed holes), the female makes passages where she lays several hundred eggs. They soon hatch into larvae that feed on bast and wood.
The pest is identified by piles of white or brownish wood flour near the holes.
If the flour is brown, the beetle has just entered; if it is white, then the larvae have already reached the wood, turning it into a loose substance. The next stage will be the peeling of the bark in layers and the death of the tree.
Fungal diseases
Untreated wounds on a tree are an open gate for pathogenic microflora.
Black cancer (“Antonov's fire”) causes the formation of black warts.
Spreading around the trunk or skeletal branches, they merge into a solid black ring. Over time, the bark in the ring becomes cracked and falls off, revealing black wood. A tree can be saved only in the initial stage of the disease.
The disease is infectious; the causative fungus settles in the bast layer, rapidly penetrating into the wood. It mainly affects old plants, over 20 years old.
Nectria is a common (European) cancer that spreads more slowly. It is caused by the fungus Nectria galligena Bres. It penetrates under the bark of a tree and begins to multiply there.
A diseased tree becomes covered with reddish, randomly arranged tubercles. They unite into growths in which the bark bursts and peels off.
Deep cracks with purple sagging along the edges form on the surface. The wood begins to rot and turn black.
Cytosporosis. The infected bark sagging and becomes wet. It becomes reddish-brown, bubble swellings appear - the fruiting body of the fungus. The spots gradually encircle the branch and increase in size. The top of the branch dies. Cracks appear at the border between the diseased and healthy cortex.
In the lightning form (the fungus has penetrated into the fork of the main branches), the death of the branches or tree occurs in 1.5 - 2 months.
Bacterial burn (cancer). It is found in southern plants, as it spreads at high temperatures.
The leaves turn black and dry out, but do not fall off. Dark brown spots appear on the bark. Over time, it darkens and cracks.
What is the treatment if the bark on the trunk of an apple tree peels off?
First of all, you will need to clean all the detachment areas and even those that are only slightly swollen. If you do this yourself, the process will be under control. The areas are cleared to the living, the wounds are covered with garden varnish. This is done even to prevent infection from getting into the wound. If the trunk is damaged more than half, then grafting with a bridge of young shoots will be required.
Stripping the bark of an apple tree.
Classification of cracks on apple trees
When the surface of the tree becomes rough and begins to peel, but does not fall off, the tree does not require treatment. It will deal with minor damage on its own. But if the cracks are large, deep, and the wood begins to darken through them, then the plant cannot be left without help.
Attention!
Only by assessing the damage can you understand how serious it is and what treatment is required.
Circular detachment of the cortex
One of the most dangerous types of lesions, especially if the ring closes. Above it, sap flow is disrupted and nutrients do not reach the crown. If the wound is thin, the apple tree can repair itself by filling the crack with resin. Wide - it is necessary to graft the bark, or make a “bridge” graft.
If you miss time, it’s easy to be left without a harvest. The part of the trunk above the ring will have to be cut down, and then wait for the young shoots to grow. In addition, they do not always retain maternal qualities.
Round holes
A small hole is a sign of pest infestation. They chew through the bark to reach the wood. If treatment is not started at the first signs, small crevices appear around the hole, between which the bark begins to dry out.
Longitudinal and transverse cracks
There are internal and external. The internal ones are indicated by seals on the barrel, which look like a roller. They arise due to temperature changes, due to uneven heating of different layers of wood. If the bark is not destroyed, the damage will heal on its own.
External cracks have a second name - compression cracks. They arise due to swaying in strong winds, due to pressure in snowy winters, inept formation - if the trunk or branch is bent too much. If the apple tree is cracked to the core, there is a high risk that it will not be possible to save it.
If the bark peels off at the base of large branches
If longitudinal cracks appear in the bark of adult apple trees at the base of large branches, this is a manifestation of the effects of frost or bright sun shining from the snow. To avoid this, you need to whiten in the fall as high as possible along the trunk, up to the forks.
If the wounds are chaotic and with a large number of forks, then this may be evidence of pest activity. They need to be cleaned and sprayed with dichlorvos or insecticide. The top of the wound is covered with garden varnish. If the damage is large, then a mixture of resin, fat and paraffin is needed, and a patch of burlap is made on top.
Methods for treating apple trees for bark peeling
Damage to apple trees can be treated in two ways, both medicinally, using chemicals, and mechanically, using wood cleaning and applying medicinal dressings.
Mechanical treatment
This treatment involves completely cleaning the affected areas using a knife or other tool with a sharp cutting edge. Disinfecting liquids and mixtures are also used in treatment to completely isolate the damage from contact with the external environment.
Important! Sometimes gardeners prune diseased branches, directly removing the damaged area. It is necessary to cut out wood that appears healthy because spores of fungal diseases can infect wood at a distance exceeding 25
–
30 cm.
After each use of a cutting tool or before moving to another tree, soak the knife or pruning shears for 5 minutes in a liquid containing chlorine to disinfect. For these purposes, you can use “Whiteness,” a fabric bleaching agent.
Peeled apple tree bark.
When affected by diseases
With the mechanical method of treating an apple tree, all branches on which symptoms of disease are visible are mercilessly removed. Thick branches are cut with a garden hacksaw with fine teeth, and thin shoots are cut with garden pruners with well-sharpened blades. The sharp blades of the pruning shears ensure that the removal will take place with minimal damage to the wood, without creases. The location for truncation of the affected branch is determined as follows: it should be 30–40 cm above the detected focus of the disease.
In case of damage by animals
For extensive and serious damage to the wood shell, apply a regular garden varnish. Areas of wood damaged by animal teeth are cleared of damaged bark and a bandage is applied over a layer of garden varnish.
Read more about how to form the crown of an apple tree.
If, as a result of the disease, a large hollow has formed on the trunk, it is also cleared of dead wood, and then covered with a mixture of sand and cement. This is done to ensure that precipitation and oxygen do not get inside the hollow in the future, which can cause the onset of rotting.
In case of pest damage
Bark beetles are a very dangerous pest for fruit trees. Dense colonization of an apple tree by bark beetle leads to the undoubted death of the plant; it is impossible to cure such a tree. At the first sign of the appearance of a bark beetle in any area of the apple tree, the gardener should remove the infected branch and burn it.
Small damage resulting from the harmful activities of insects or birds is cut off with a knife to clean wood, after which the cleaned surface is treated with a thick solution of clay or any oil-based paint for wooden surfaces. After cleaning the bark, you should not use tar or products containing minerals, as they will cause additional burns to the wood and, possibly, drying out of the tree.
When temperature changes
The apple tree may develop small, long cracks in the bark. They arise due to a sharp transition from thaw to subzero temperatures. Typically, a gardener can notice such damage already with the arrival of spring. Cracks lead to peeling and falling off of the wood shell. These injuries also cannot be ignored, because in the future spores of fungal diseases may develop in these wounds or they will be occupied by insect pests.
You will be interested to know how to get rid of rotting apples.
To help the tree, the gardener must use a knife to clean off the edges of the longitudinal wound, then rub copper sulfate into the damage, and treat the damage with a thick mixture of clay and mullein or garden pitch. After treatment, the longitudinal crack is wrapped in polyethylene, which promotes rapid healing. After 30 days, the polyethylene is removed and replaced with a natural burlap bandage.
Treatment with chemicals
If the bark on the trunk has come off due to fungal diseases, the apple tree must be treated with chemicals such as fungicides. The chemical is applied not only to the damaged area, but also to the entire surface of the wood. Treatment is carried out as soon as the first signs of the disease are noticed.
For treatment with chemicals, choose a non-hot day without precipitation. If it starts to rain a few hours after the treatment, the treatment must be repeated when the raindrops have dried on the trees. Chemicals are applied to the branches of the apple tree using a garden sprayer by spraying.
Important! When starting to work with chemicals hazardous to health, the gardener must use all precautions: wear clothing that completely covers the arms and legs, a respirator, glasses and a hat.
Against bark beetle
After pests are detected, the plant is immediately chemically treated with one of the following chemicals: Confidor Extra, Calypso, Pirinex, Arrivo. It must be remembered that these drugs are insecticides and are dangerous not only for the bark beetle and its larvae, but also for bees and other beneficial insects.
A diseased tree can be treated with an organic preparation such as Bitoxibacillin, but it should be borne in mind that it has a weak effect on the pest and requires multiple treatments (at least five), with an interval of 7–10 days.
Against infections
To get rid of diseases, the surface of the tree is treated with chemicals specifically designed to fight infections.
Did you know? A small tit, flying around the garden, can eat many insects in a day, whose weight significantly exceeds its own weight.
Treatment of infectious diseases:
- Cortex cancer. It is difficult to combat this disease on an apple tree. The infection can develop at a distance of up to 30 cm from the site of infection. The main procedure to limit the development of the disease is cutting out infected shoots and controlling bark beetles. Wounds after pruning and hail should be carefully covered with garden paste; if there is a high degree of infection in the garden, they should be sprayed with fungicides. One of the most effective drugs in the fight against fruit tree cancer is the drug “Topsin M 500 SC”.
- Bark gangrene. Chemical protection against gangrene of the stem coating should be used after heavy and prolonged rains, during the period from the stage of bud emergence to fruit harvest. Mechanical damage or wounds after pruning should be treated with a paste containing the substance thiophanate, for example Funaben Plus 03 PA.
Measures to combat bark peeling in young apple trees
First of all, wounds on young apple trees need to be cleaned. Wood that has come loose must be removed and cleaned.
Small wounds:
- cleanse;
- lubricated with fatty pitch;
- apply a bandage.
If the wound is large:
- the damaged area is washed with potassium permanganate;
- dried;
- apply fabric with zircon;
- leave the bandage on for a day;
- remove the bandage and dry it again;
- Cover the wound with a special lubricant.
If the treatment is carried out in the fall, then the suture sites should be wrapped in polyethylene, and unwound in the spring and the treatment repeated if necessary.
European (common) cancer as a cause of bark detachment
European (common) cancer
This disease has several symptoms. For example, wounds with sagging edges may form on the trunk of apple trees. Also, branches can contain the same wounds only in a closed form: they grow together and form a crack. The most dangerous form of common cancer is open, when the swellings on the wound do not grow together, but, on the contrary, grow. They attack wood. That, in turn, begins to crumble.
In diseased areas of apple trees, you can notice accumulations of dark red fungi. This disease spreads very quickly throughout the garden using spores. Apple trees affected by European cancer produce a small harvest, and their branches soon dry out. Surprisingly, even in winter, cancer spores are active and spread.
It is possible to treat a tree for common cancer. The principle of treatment is the same as in the case of cytosporosis. It is very important to remove all mycelium and their spores. Only in this case can we hope for the recovery of culture.
At the old apple tree
If the tree is already quite mature, it needs to be carefully examined. You need to save an apple tree according to a certain algorithm:
- clean areas of bark;
- treat with iron sulfate;
- whitewash.
Whitewashing an apple tree.
Vitriol helps get rid of mycelium or any diseases that may appear in cracks. Open areas and severe damage are covered with ready-made garden varnish or prepared from fat and paraffin.
Cytosporosis as a cause of bark detachment
If the trunk crust dries out, but retains its natural color, and mushrooms are visible on the dried areas, then the tree has contracted a dangerous disease - cytosporosis. There are other signs of this disease that will help make a more accurate diagnosis. For example, with cytosporosis, the crust does not fall behind, but becomes wet. Mushrooms create a goose bump effect on the trunk. Also, near a healthy area, the bark cracks.
First, the disease affects dry branches or damage to the bark, then it invades healthy areas and, finally, the next stage is the wood of the apple tree itself. Cytosporosis poisons the apple tree with its toxins. As a result of their influence, the branches dry out. If the disease covers the tree from all sides, then it can no longer be saved. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures in time.
How to treat a tree for cytosporosis? Take a sharp knife and cut off the damaged area. Treat the wound with a one percent solution of copper sulfate and bandage it. Try to treat before the sap flows down the tree. Otherwise, the apple tree will shed a lot of tears.
Actions for frostbites and sunburn
Frostbites occur in winter when sudden temperature changes occur. The bark peels off because after freezing there comes a period of above-zero temperatures, and then the bark freezes again. With the next increase in temperature, the bark comes off and will need to be processed. Clay putty, which is prepared from fatty clay and putty, will help. You can make mash from lime, clay and manure.
Burns appear in the spring from the bright sun. They need to be covered immediately. A lubricant made of lard and wax in a one-to-one ratio will help. If the wound is large, then a slightly different composition will be required: nigrol, wax and rosin. Instead of wax, paraffin or lard is suitable.
What happens to the apple trees?
If the bark begins to peel off from the wood, this means that the tree is sick. There can be many reasons for his disease - here are frost damage, the negative impact of high temperatures, and pests. Young trees are especially susceptible to the negative effects of high and low temperatures, so problems with their bark usually occur precisely because of this. In addition, rodents can damage a young apple tree, since they especially like to feast on the delicate bark of young trees. This usually happens in early autumn.
In areas of neglected frost holes, mold may appear under peeling bark. It is known to be a type of fungus that has a destructive effect on wood. Trees often die because of this, which is why it is so important to detect wounds on trunks in a timely manner and treat them. Bark delamination can also be natural when old tissue dies. If there are no “gaps” under the wound, then this is normal, and no action should be taken in relation to it. This happens especially often with old trees. But if a trunk is visible under the loose bark, then this is most likely the consequences of severe frosts. Such frost holes appear immediately after the first thaw.
Frostbites and sunburn can be distinguished visually. After frost damage, the peeled bark and trunk do not change color or become rusty-brown, but after burns, traces of a red or purple color remain.
If the bark comes off at the neck of the tree
Depending on how severe the damage is, procedures for saving the apple tree may vary. It is possible to rebuild the cover only if the damage occupies no more than half the area of the trunk.
There are a number of options to restore the bark:
- moisten the cloth in highly concentrated ash and close the wound;
- wrap with craft paper or baking parchment, wrap with rope on top;
- Wrap the wound area on top with film or roofing felt.
In the spring, in order for the damage to heal, you need to use the bridge grafting method.
Unfortunately, large wounds are very difficult to heal. It will take at least five years for the tree to recover. You can understand that the process has begun when the cadmium begins to linger. In some cases, it may be more prudent to cut the tree and graft in a young branch.
Black cancer as a cause of bark peeling
If the branches of a tree turn black, as if covered with soot, it’s time to sound the alarm. Black cancer is very dangerous, because the disease can easily destroy a garden. Most often, this type of cancer is found in places where branches diverge.
Red-brown spots immediately appear in the affected areas. At the same time, it seems that someone pressed them. Then these spots begin to darken. The emerging mushrooms with spores create the effect of goose bumps. However, the size of their lumps is much smaller than with cytosporosis. Most often, the first signs go unnoticed by the gardener.
However, the problem is that it is in the initial stage that it is easy to defeat black cancer. Then the top layer of wood begins to crack, char and peel. After some time, the crust itself will begin to fall off, exposing blackened areas of wood. If the disease reaches the trunk, the tree will last a maximum of three more years. That is why it is so important to quickly take action and throw all the artillery to save the apple tree and the entire garden as a whole.
Nuances and questions from readers: actions if the bark peels off and...
This collection contains a list of actions to take in emergency situations. They are based on the experience of specialists and other gardeners.
Turns black
If under the bark detachments there are black depressed areas that look like they are scorched, then, most likely, it is no longer possible to save the apple tree. These symptoms are very similar to black cancer - a dangerous disease that is destructive.
Blackened apple tree.
Rotting
Rotten areas must be thoroughly cleaned. All rot is removed to a healthy place and treated with a fungicide to remove the infection. After this, the area is dried and coated with garden varnish or drying oil to close the wound.
There is a yellow lichen
The lichen itself is not very dangerous. It is better to remove dead areas of bark, spray the tree with a fungicide, and fill the wound with garden varnish.
There is a bark beetle
It is necessary to clean the places of moves and detachments. The trunk will have to be treated with Karbofos or Aversectin to remove the pest. To destroy all the beetles and larvae, you will also have to remove the trunk circle and process it.
Gets wet
Soaked and peeled bark must be completely removed. It is necessary to treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide to prevent the disease from spreading further. Then the area needs to be dried and sealed.
The apple tree is dying
If the damage is not very extensive, but it is already affecting the condition of the apple tree, resuscitation can begin. Grafting using young cuttings taken from this tree helps well. This method is called “bridge” because of its special shape.
Causes of bark peeling
Basically, the separation of the bark from the trunk is associated with damage during wintering or sunburn also in winter. Such problems can be avoided if you prepare the tree for wintering in the fall. One of these preparatory activities is whitewashing the trunk. At the same time, the apple tree must be whitened so that the coating does not peel off until spring.
It is not difficult to notice damage to the bark. Most often they appear in the form of spots with a pinkish tint. It is clear that these vulnerable spots will soon be found by pests and fungal diseases. The apple tree cannot resist such enemies. Therefore, the peeling process begins.
Treatment should be started immediately. First of all, remove the damaged crust. Clean up the wood if necessary. Next, treat the wound with brilliant green or hydrogen peroxide and leave it for a while. The wound should dry out. After this, coat the wood with natural olive oil paint. This will help the apple tree restore its top layer.
In addition to damage, there are other reasons for bark peeling. These include various diseases, such as black cancer, cytosporosis and others. However, this behavior of the tree is again a reaction to damage. If they were not there, fungal diseases would not be able to damage the protective layer of the tree.
Apple tree bark peeling
Let’s not forget about the numerous pests. There is a beetle whose name directly indicates its food product. This is a bark beetle. The presence of this pest is indicated by sawdust spilling out of holes in the trunk of apple trees. If you peel off the peel in this place, you can see the troublemaker of the apple tree itself. Tree treatment can be done using the method described above.
Other reasons why the bark on an apple tree peels off
Listed above are a number of reasons why the bark on an apple tree may peel off. These include a number of injuries from low temperatures and severe sunburn, exposure to pests and diseases, which are often irreversible.
To understand exactly what caused the cracks and waste of wood, you need to pay attention to the overall picture, the state of the garden and the immunity of the apple tree itself. We can also see the picture of weather conditions, on which a lot depends. A conclusion can only be drawn by looking at the whole picture.
Useful video
Watch the video about restoring tree bark: Watch the video of gardeners' experience on treating frost damage:
Watch a video about the cause of bark peeling - apple tree bark beetle:
Watch the video for proper preventive care of the trunks:
The life of an apple tree also depends on caring for its trunk. Cleaning the trunk of apple trees from the remnants of dead and peeling bark , whitewashing, treating wounds and burns with frostbites - this is the key to the long life of an abundantly fruiting apple tree.
Tree bark diseases pose a great threat to apple trees. It would seem that in winter the gardener has nothing to fear, because this is a time of respite and rest for the trees. Unfortunately, this is not the case - diseases affect plants throughout the year, and in autumn and winter trees are most vulnerable to damage to bark and wood. This article is devoted to the causes of bark peeling on an apple tree and methods of treatment and prevention of this unpleasant phenomenon.
Factors influencing detachment
A thorough examination of the garden crop and a detailed study of splits, as well as other changes in the condition of the wood that accompany the damage, allow us to understand why cracks appeared on the tree bark, why it flakes off, flakes off and falls off.
Diseases
When the bark of an apple tree not only cracks, but also turns black and dries, and its structure is loose and covered with a brown-black coating, most likely these are the first signs of black cancer. It is caused by sooty fungus, and the disease instantly spreads throughout the tree.
When an infection occurs, not only the trunks become damaged, but also the fruits and foliage. Black cancer can destroy a garden crop in 3-4 years.
Animals and pests
If the bark of fruit trees is cracked and exposed, this is the first sign that it has been eaten by rodents or hares. Peeling wood in places where the bark peels off on the apple tree becomes a site of infection.
Tree bark also peels off due to damage from bark beetles. The pest penetrates through mechanical damage and wounds to where dead wood has burst, peeled off, or is lagging behind, and settles there. Most often it affects weakened and old fruit trees with reduced immunity.
The first signs of the pest's spread are the numerous burrows made by the beetle in places where the wood is peeling off.
Yellow lichen appears on fairly mature apple trees. The older the tree, the higher the risk of being affected by it. The place of its settlement is the trunk and branches. Contributing factors are high humidity and low temperatures.
If the apple tree is not cleared of lichen, it will soon cause the development of a fungus, which after some time will begin to decompose the tree bark.
Temperature changes
When the bark of an apple tree bursts and comes off without visible signs of a pest or disease, the damage may be caused by sharp temperature fluctuations day and night. This situation is especially common in the spring.
Cracks caused by exposure to temperature changes differ in description and nature of appearance from those that occur due to damage by parasites or diseases. Trunks and branches crack in the transverse direction.
The causes of cracking and peeling of wood are often severe frosts or, conversely, persistent heat. Low-winter-hardy trees grown in waterlogged soil or planted too deep are at risk.
Improper care
The cause of cracking in apple wood is also improper care of garden crops:
- lack of mineral elements and lack of moisture, while the bark bursts and falls off, and the ripening fruits dry out;
- improper pruning and poor subsequent disinfection of sections.
Often, during the rainy autumn season, the actively growing shoots of young apple trees become covered with cracks along the trunk. The reason for this is the lack of elasticity of wood during its rapid growth.
