Greg, You could use the rule of thumb for canker surgery and if more than a 1/3 of the circumference is interrupted, likely nothing you can do. But if less than 1/3, try to cut the dead bark away using a straight linoleum cut so there is no shelter (under the split bark) that will attract and support the borers. The callus will be more uniform and heal that part of the trunk. There will always be the unknown with wood rotting fungi invading the exposed heart wood. Good luck.
Deborah I. Breth Cornell Cooperative Extension - Lake Ontario Fruit Program Team Leader and IPM Specialist in Tree Fruit and Berries 12690 Rt. 31 Albion, NY 14411 mobile: 585.747.6039 phone: 585.798.4265 x 36 fax: 585.798.5191 email: [email protected] LOF website -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 12:30 PM To: Apple-crop discussion list Subject: Re: [apple-crop] Southwest Injury Greg; We get the same damage here in Southern California, but from sunburn, not Southwest Injury. But the damage is the same, dead cambium layer and sunken bark. Besides robbing vigor from the tree, here it also attracts borers who take advantage of the tree's inability to sap out the maggot, and exploit the edges of the injury. The wounds will not heal; they may eventually be covered by cambium growing from either side, like a pruning stump is covered over. Bridge grafting is easier on shorter injuries like vole and rabbit damage; the problem with SWI is that the wounds are long and narrow. Cutting the tree off and letting a latent bud sprout may be a viable option depending on the damage, but you will have to weigh the loss of productivity against how long it would take if you just pruned the tree hard and let it try to heal the SWI. Painting trunks white, especially with an airless sprayer, seems way less trouble than any of this. Kevin Hauser Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery Riverside, California Nakifuma, Uganda, East Africa On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 10:42:00 -0400, "Peck, Greg" <[email protected]> wrote: > Apple-Crop participants, > > Like everyone else in the Eastern half of the US, we've had a particularly > cold and snowy winter in Virginia. Not surprisingly, I am starting to hear > reports about Southwest injury to young trees. While there is a lot of > information available on how to prevent southwest injury, I have not been > able to find much information on how to deal with the trunks after the > damage has been done. Typically, growers in Virginia have do not paint > trunks with latex paint, but many will probably reconsider that > decision in > future years. > > Many trees are probably not going to make it, but I'm wondering if anyone > has experience trying to save some of the less severely injured trees with > bridge-grafts. How about wrapping the bark with grafting tape to try > to get > the wounds to heal? (I'm guessing that this will have a low success > rate because the tissue has already dried out.) Depending upon how far > into the > rootstock the split extends and the age of the tree, we might also try > cutting off the scion and hoping an advantageous bud breaks dormancy. > > Any other suggestions from those who have to deal with Southwest > Injury on > a more annual basis? > > Thanks, > Greg > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: > Gregory Michael Peck, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor of Horticulture > Virginia Tech > Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center > 595 Laurel Grove Road > Winchester, VA 22602 USA > 540/869-2560 ext 19 > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > arec.vaes.vt.edu/alson-h-smith > www.anr.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit/<http://www.anr.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit/> > blogs.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit-horticulture<http://blogs.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit-horticulture> > www.facebook.com/VtechPomology<http://www.facebook.com/VtechPomology> _______________________________________________ apple-crop mailing list [email protected] http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop _______________________________________________ apple-crop mailing list [email protected] http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
