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#1
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Hope for fallen tree?
I've got a young 4-in-1 plum tree that was blown over a couple of weeks
ago. Thing is, it didn't break completely through and the bark seems undisturbed on one side. Not only did the tree not die, it's still growing. Is there any chance that this thing might go on to heal and live a healthy life, if propped up sturdily enough, or is it a lost cause? If I had to replace, this would be a good time, except that nobody seems to be offering these right now. |
#2
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It really depends on how big is the break. The tree needs a path of cambium growth
to feed the upper branches. A tree with it's trunk completely girdled, that is broken cambium (the green layer just underneath the bark) all the way around, will not survive. You can do some fancy 'bridging' grafts to re-establish this path. However, if there is sufficient continuous cambium left, the tree may still survive. You may have to do some work splinting the broken area and staking the tree for support. It all depends on how much work you want to put into it. If the tree is adversely effected, you will begin to see die off starting at the top of the tree and working it's way down. This could be quick, or it may take a few seasons to completely go. Young fruit trees typically need staking until their trunks widen enough, especially grafted dwarf varieties which could break at the graft. This is especially true if the tree is out in the open in an unprotected spot. You can try and repair this one, and see what happens. Sherwin D. wrote: I've got a young 4-in-1 plum tree that was blown over a couple of weeks ago. Thing is, it didn't break completely through and the bark seems undisturbed on one side. Not only did the tree not die, it's still growing. Is there any chance that this thing might go on to heal and live a healthy life, if propped up sturdily enough, or is it a lost cause? If I had to replace, this would be a good time, except that nobody seems to be offering these right now. |
#3
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I like the tree, and I would like to save it. I planted it last spring
as a four-foot stick, and it's already grown to about 10 feet tall and borne fruit once. Is that abnormally fast growth? Would that help account for its breaking? It broke below the graft, and it's next to a fence, so it's not really unprotected. It lost a limb earlier this year, so maybe it's weak-wooded. |
#4
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That seems like rapid growth for such a tree. This may be due to an extensive
root system on the root stock causing the tree to put out a lot of matching top growth. Plum is in the cherry family, which is normally a hard wood, but this rapid growth may have caused the tree to develop softer wood. If you support the tree as I mentioned earlier, the trunk will eventually thicken up and the tree will be less prone to break. Although it is next to a fence, if it is upwind of the prevailing winds in your area, it will still take the full impact of these winds. If you lost the limb because of too much fruit on it, try thinning more aggressively. Another possibility is some animal, like a deer breaking the branches or pushing the tree over. Sherwin wrote: I like the tree, and I would like to save it. I planted it last spring as a four-foot stick, and it's already grown to about 10 feet tall and borne fruit once. Is that abnormally fast growth? Would that help account for its breaking? It broke below the graft, and it's next to a fence, so it's not really unprotected. It lost a limb earlier this year, so maybe it's weak-wooded. |
#5
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