regular latex on trunks isnt going to seal anything in. it doesnt have enough of a
"coat". my problem with "wraps" is all the insects that can hide under there. otoh,
wraps keep rabbits from chewing. I like to use aluminum screening stapled to itself
around the trunk. I can spray dormant oil thru the screening, spray paint thru the
screening and keep an eye on the graft etc. but it stops mice and rabbits from
chewing on the trunk.
I also think cracks can happen if there are weak lines and then a big windstorm comes
along and really twists the tree causing spiral cracks. or, if there is a deep V in
the tree. Ingrid

(Sed5555) wrote:

1.Thanks for the suggestion, but white paint will look pretty bad next summer.
Would a cardboard cylinder do as well?
Inexpensive tree wraps are available this time of year to prevent sunscald and
freeze cracks. Painting a tree injury is never a good idea because you can seal
in bacteria or other disease causing organisms.

2.Gee, Ingrid, we hadn't had any winter before I noticed the cracks, except for
two mild frosts. Could it have happened that fast?
Frost is all it takes in a tree that is young or thin skinned to create "frost
cracks." Frost cracks occur when the inner and outer wood in the tree's trunk
expands and contracts at different rates when exposed first to frost, then to
warming.
sed5555



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