What would you do if it was your fruit tree?

[Guest]

I am umming and arring so thought I would ask what others would do. It is a persimmon that was planted last year. It looks to have small splits the length of the grafted trunk but the bit that bothers be is in the middle. I don't think it is diseased it looks more damaged but there is no reason for it to have got damaged. So what would everyone do. Please ignore the nettles, grass and general weeds

[veggiechicken]

Its easy to ignore the nettles - where's the photo?

[Thelma Sanders]

Is that scale insect on the stems, or are they just spotty?

[sparrow100]

How wet has it been where your tree is? (I know we are, so far, in the Year of the Bog)

I am just guessing here, but young trees have thin bark and lots of rain + windy days might have caused the splits rather than anything more serious.

[Guest]

Is that scale insect on the stems, or are they just spotty?

Thankfully it is just spotty bark

How wet has it been where your tree is? (I know we are, so far, in the Year of the Bog)

I am just guessing here, but young trees have thin bark and lots of rain + windy days might have caused the splits rather than anything more serious.

And there was me thinking you would say take it out. I suspect the small splits (2nd pic in from the right) is due to rain. Although the veg patch has no standing water the bird runs in the paddock are awful and my neighbour now has a '2nd' lake. The LH and middle pic are the bit I was worried about (same part just different angles) and I never gave wind a thought but it would make sense. One lot of storms did come round more than usual and being middle of the tree....

Will have to keep an eye

[nickdub]

Well you could write all I know about persimmon trees on the back of a stamp and have plenty of room to spare. That said and generalising probably unwisely from apple problems, I'd say the bit on the trunk which you have noticed looks a lot like canker.

If it is canker and if it was my tree, then I'd take a sharp knife stick the point in the bark on the opposite side of the trunk to the problem area and starting from ground level, run the knife point vertically upwards until I reached the level of at least the first branches - so making a vertical slit.

This old fashioned trick works fine on apples to stop a canker ringing a branch or the trunk - persimmons though I just don't know.

[veggiechicken]

I've had a gawp at my persimmon, planted last year. (Was yours from the same cheap offer, NG?).
Mine looks "normal" and is starting to bud. Absolutely no help, I know!!

[Guest]

Well you could write all I know about persimmon trees on the back of a stamp and have plenty of room to spare. That said and generalising probably unwisely from apple problems, I'd say the bit on the trunk which you have noticed looks a lot like canker.

If it is canker and if it was my tree, then I'd take a sharp knife stick the point in the bark on the opposite of the trunk to the problem area and starting from ground level, run the knife point vertically upwards until I reached the level of at least the first branches - so making a vertical slit.

This old fashioned trick works fine on apples to stop a canker ringing a branch or the trunk - persimmons though I just don't know.

Remind me what this causes the tree to do again, please? I remember you saying about it before.

I've had a gawp at my persimmon, planted last year. (Was yours from the same cheap offer, NG?).
Mine looks "normal" and is starting to bud. Absolutely no help, I know!!

Yes it is an offer one. I have one in the GH but this one has actually grown better and I was thinking of freeing the other one at some point this year. I am surprised yours isn't in full leaf in sunshiney Wales

[Jimny14]

Haven't got the foggiest what has caused it, could be canker, weather or another problem. Are there healthily looking buds on side shoots from below the problem area? If so I'd definitely just leave it and see how it develops, if not I think I'd still leave it and let it run for a bit longer before thinking of intervening again.

[nickdub]

Canker is basically like a skin disease for fruit trees - some types are more prone to it than others - physical damage to the bark allows it to get a hold and wet weather encourages it to spread. If you get canker in a branch and prune it back, you can see discoloured brownish wood in the diseased section, which as you cut it away you can get back to healthy white wood and see the normal green cambium layer again.

Obviously if it rings a branch or the trunk then everything above it will die eventually.

[Guest]

Haven't got the foggiest what has caused it, could be canker, weather or another problem. Are there healthily looking buds on side shoots from below the problem area? If so I'd definitely just leave it and see how it develops, if not I think I'd still leave it and let it run for a bit longer before thinking of intervening again.

The buds haven't swelled yet to be sure. The side branches all look fine and most of them were last years growth.

Canker is basically like a skin disease for fruit trees - some types are more prone to it than others - physical damage to the bark allows it to get a hold and wet weather encourages it to spread. If you get canker in a branch and prune it back, you can see discoloured brownish wood in the diseased section, which as you cut it away you can get back to healthy white wood and see the normal green cambium layer again.

Obviously if it rings a branch or the trunk then everything above it will die eventually.

Oops sorry, I meant the vertical slit. How does putting a cut in it stop the canker spreading? Unfortunately I can not cut it out I can only cut it off If making a slit will help, if only whilst a get a better idea what is going on that would be good.

[nickdub]

well this is not science as far as I know, just observed cause and effect, but as I see it the slit causes scar tissue to be formed by the tree as it heals, which part of the bark is then almost 100% resistant to canker. One caveat - the slit has to go through canker free bark only - if the canker has ringed the trunk, then the only remaining hope is that new growth will spring out below this part.

NB why scar tissue resists canker I have no idea - might make an interesting science research project for somebody.