Hi again everyone. I have 2 questions so rather then
put them in 2 seperate posts i thought id just put
them in one.

I live in NY, NY the weather here hasn't been above 65
or so for more then 1 day so far this spring. We have
had an incredibly cold wet spring this year. Our
average daytime temp for the past week would be about
58 degrees. Usually we are in the mid 70's this time
of year. Most of my trees haven't gotten enough light
due to the incredibly rainy season we have had so far.
"we set a record here yesterday for rainfall in one
day which hasn't been broken since 1819". And havn't
seen the sun for about a week, "today we had half a
day of sun". Anyway enough about the weather.

I have a 15 year old japanese cherry tree. This
spring i noticed round 1/8 of an inch holes in the
trunk. Hundreds and hundreds of them. They are in a
horizontal pattern going around the trunk. Then they
go up about a half an inch to 2 inches and start again
around the trunk in a horizontal pattern. Its very
strange. The cherry tree didn't flower this year
which has led me to worry about its health. It could
be due to the spring we've had. I also noticed a
number of the branches are suffering and have weak
looking leaves on them. Some are due to fungus from
all this wet weather and not enough sun others just
look fragile and worn not eaten just not healthy. I
was thinking it might be some kind of bark borer.
Some people after i have explained what it looks like
to them have mentioned woodpeckers. I thought id see
what you all thought it might be, and how i could tell
the difference between woodpecker holes and borer
holes. The holes are almost perfectly circular which
lead me to think of borers or some kind of boring
worm.

Second question. I had a busy spring and haven't
finished all my repotting yet. I have a old
kingsville which i got early last year as stock. Not
yet trained. I was going to train and repot this year
but since its late in the season im not sure if i
should do either this year. The soil is not what i
would like it to be its to dense IMO and im worried
about root rot. The root ball is pretty tight the pot
is about 6 inches deep i was hoping to take at least 1
inch off it in the repotting. Due to my abnormally
cold wet spring would it be ok to repot this late? I
have noticed new growth starting to come out but it
has definitely not yet matured.

Thanks again
Ben Griffin

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Hi Ben,


I have a 15 year old japanese cherry tree. This
spring i noticed round 1/8 of an inch holes in the
trunk. Hundreds and hundreds of them. They are in a
horizontal pattern going around the trunk. Then they
go up about a half an inch to 2 inches and start again
around the trunk in a horizontal pattern

....

Some people after i have explained what it looks like
to them have mentioned woodpeckers.


Some people are right
Borers make round holes, yes, and many like cherry trees, but they
don't emerge in neat horizontal rows. One species of woodpecker does
this: the yellow-bellied sapsucker (sounds like an obscure insult,
doesn't it?). For pictures of the bird and the damage, see:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...icus/s._varius$media.html

I'm assuming this is an in-ground tree... repeated "drilling' by
sapsuckers can weaken the tree and lead to secondary infections.
Putting burlap or wire screen around the damaged area is supposed to
stop the bird from returning for seconds, but the damage may already
be done. A vigorous tree won't be especially bothered by one spring's
sapsucker visits.


Second question. I had a busy spring and haven't
finished all my repotting yet. I have a old
kingsville which i got early last year as stock.


Go right ahead, if the tree is vigorous otherwise. Box don't mind
considerable root reduction, I'd certainly take off 1/3 the depth from
a nursery pot. Cut into the outside edge, pulling out some of the old
roots from the perimeter. Repot shallower and wider, like a somewhat
oversized bonsai pot, or a bulb-pan. If we ever see the sun again :/
you'll want to keep it in partial shade; as long as it stays overcast
and foggy, leave it out. Be sure not to overwater.

It'll do fine.

Anita
Northern Harford County, Maryland, USDA zone 6
"I like winter trees against the sky, I said.
What does that say about you, she said, that you like
undressed trees. A voyeur."
-from a poem by Kay Cheever

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Hi again everyone. I have 2 questions so rather then
put them in 2 seperate posts i thought id just put
them in one.

I live in NY, NY the weather here hasn't been above 65
or so for more then 1 day so far this spring. We have
had an incredibly cold wet spring this year. Our
average daytime temp for the past week would be about
58 degrees. Usually we are in the mid 70's this time
of year. Most of my trees haven't gotten enough light
due to the incredibly rainy season we have had so far.
"we set a record here yesterday for rainfall in one
day which hasn't been broken since 1819". And havn't
seen the sun for about a week, "today we had half a
day of sun". Anyway enough about the weather.

Well, even a cloudy day gives a plant the light it needs, so I
woldn't worry about that.

Can't help with the borers


Second question. I had a busy spring and haven't
finished all my repotting yet. I have a old
kingsville which i got early last year as stock. Not
yet trained. I was going to train and repot this year
but since its late in the season im not sure if i
should do either this year. The soil is not what i
would like it to be its to dense IMO and im worried
about root rot. The root ball is pretty tight the pot
is about 6 inches deep i was hoping to take at least 1
inch off it in the repotting. Due to my abnormally
cold wet spring would it be ok to repot this late? I
have noticed new growth starting to come out but it
has definitely not yet matured.

If you carefully washed off the soil from the roots, then
repotted in bonsai soil, using a chopstick to ensure that soil
goes everywhere between the roots, but took off very little
healthy root, you probably will be OK. Remove any rotted root,
of course. And cutting at the top won't hurt the tree.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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They do resemble the holes in that picture. However
the actual holes are move evenly spaced apart. They
almost look man made but they arn't. Yes it is an in
the ground tree its about 80 feet tall. With about a
1 and a half foot wide trunk. The holes do not make
rows and then stop though like in the picture. They
are neatly spaced holes spanning the width around the
tree trunk in a neat line. I will take some pictures
the next day its not raining which isn't tomorrow.
And i'll post them on the gallery and attach a link in
a post. Thanks for the kingsville advice. Yes it is
in a nursery container but has been raised by a bonsai
nursery so it is a shallow container. 8 inches wide
by 6 inches deep. Just a cheap plastic container. I
bought a mica drum to move it into which is 4.25
inches deep by about 18 inches wide. I'm hoping root
work has been done a few times in its life so i will
be able to spread them nicely over the wider pot.

Ben

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They do resemble the holes in that picture. However
the actual holes are move evenly spaced apart. They
almost look man made but they arn't. Yes it is an in
the ground tree its about 80 feet tall. With about a
1 and a half foot wide trunk. The holes do not make
rows and then stop though like in the picture. They
are neatly spaced holes spanning the width around the
tree trunk in a neat line. I will take some pictures
the next day its not raining which isn't tomorrow.

No need. They're yellow-bellied sapsucker marks. NOTHING else
makes a straight line of small holes. They can "circumnavigate"
the tree, make squares with dots, or any other combo.

They seldom do any real damage, though I suppose, as an earlier
responder said, they _could_ become an avenue for an infection.
I've not heard of this happening, though, and think it is
unlikely. I have a dozen willow oaks in my pasture that have
been "punctuated" by these little fellows over the past 30 years
or so and they're as healthy as a tree can be.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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************************************************** ******************************
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