In February, when the period of the greatest frost has passed, it is worth going to the garden and seewhat is the condition of the trees in the orchardIt may turn out that the trees in your orchard have been mutilated by rodents, hares or deer looking for food, or simply by temperature fluctuations that result inlongitudinal cracks in the barkand so-called sun-frost gangrene.
Damaged tree bark peeling away from the trunk
How to prevent damage during winter?
I have already mentioned the methods of preventing this damage many times in our guide.Toprevent damage to the trunks by rodents and hares , stump covers made of straw, cardboard or ready-made casings bought at a garden store are used. Surround the trunk and the base of the limbs with one of the selected materials and tie them with a jute string (the insulation must surround the entire trunk and hold tight). You can also sprinkle poisoned grain against rodents.
To prevent frost damage , already in December, tree trunks are whitened. The bleaching procedure must be repeated if the lime has been washed off during the winter. Despite the fact that you have taken preventive measures, it is possible that trees are damaged anyway (though certainly to a lesser extent than if you had not tried to prevent damage at all during the winter). Therefore, today I will tell you what to do when you notice that the tree has already been damaged at the end of winter.
What to do when a tree is damaged?
First of all, it is important to properlydetect tree bark damage early In spring, when it gets warmer, it will be too late to save the damaged parts of the bark. Therefore, as I mentioned a moment ago, it is worth going to the orchard in February, as soon as possible after the frost subsides. Damage andtearing of the bark by animals , as well as longitudinal cracks in the bark on tree trunks or thicker branches, can be seen with the naked eye. Coat damaged areas with garden ointment (e.g. Funaben 03 PA or Fitoplaster) or emulsion paint with Topsin M 500 SC.
Another form of frost damage to trees issun-frost blight, formed as a result of trees losing resistance to frost when the days get warmer. The sun that warms tree trunks during this period stimulates the cells of the creative tissue (pulp) located under the bark of the tree to begin vegetation. At night, the temperature drops below 0 ° C again, which kills the pulp cells and creates an empty space between the wood and the bark of the trunk or a thicker limb. Over time, the bark dries up over the empty space, which changes its color to light brown, becomes dull and clearly differs from the he althy bark.If you fail to save the tree at this stage,dried bark will crumble and open a wound
You will need a small hammer to spot wherefrozen bark sticks out from the trunk(even before the bark starts to dry and change color). Use a hammer to gently tap the bark of the trees. In places where the bark is frozen over and protrudes from the trunk, you will hear the typical hollow noise. In these places, press the bark against the wood and fasten it by hammering a few small nails with a wide head (so-called papiaki). Performing this procedure early enough will give a chance to regenerate the creative tissue and avoid the formation of an open wound.
If you find that any branches are completely damaged (dead), cut them off from the tree. Also brush the spots after cutting fruit trees with garden ointment.
The treesdamaged during winter will require special attention also in the later period.Look after these trees with loving care. You need to fertilize them properly and water them regularly (you must water them abundantly when there is a drought!). The soil around the trees should be mulched so that it does not lose moisture too quickly.
Tree bark damage
What if I'm late?
Toolate detection of frost damagedoes not have to be the result of your neglect. Some damage is difficult to spot and only becomes apparent a little later. If you see damage to the bark too late, after the vegetation period has started, you will need to use other methods. Unfortunately, you will not recover the frozen bark, but you cantry to save the whole tree
For this purposeremove the departing, dead pieces of barkbare fragments of the trunk clean and brush with binder. The binder should be prepared several days in advance. It should consist of clay soaked in water and a cow (5: 1 ratio).Apply the prepared binder to the damaged areas, thick enough to completely fill the loss of bark. Then tie the tree with sackcloth. Leave thisdressing on the tree until the next yearWhen you remove the dressing after a year, you will be able to tell if the wound has healed.
For the initiated …
If you already have experience in grafting trees, you can also try anothermethod of saving the tree trunk , i.e. bridge grafting. This method is used mainly in cases where longitudinal bark cracks do not close together, despite prior application of garden ointment. these he althy parts of the stem
These cuttings will constitute a kind of bridge over the damaged part of the stem, connecting the he althy lower and upper parts of the stem. Thanks to this method, juices from the he althy lower part of the trunk can flow into the upper part of the trunk through the implanted slips, avoiding the diseased part of the trunk.Cut the ends of the scions implanted under the bark at an angle to maximize the contact area with the trunk. After placing the scions, nail them with small nails. Thenthe vaccination site is covered with garden ointment
