Content
Gardeners who plant cherries in their gardens usually hope for a bountiful and tasty harvest for many years. It is even more offensive when cherries crack, which seem to be cared for according to all the rules of agronomic science. This problem is typical both for cherry fruits and for its bark, branches and especially the trunk in its various parts, regardless of the region where the fruit crop is grown.
Why the trunk and fruits of cherries crack, how to cope with these misfortunes and what preventative work should be carried out - you can learn about all this from the article.
Why do cherries burst?
The main reason why cherries crack is excess moisture both in the soil and in the air. In general, all stone fruit crops have difficulty withstanding waterlogging of the soil, and as for cherries, they are particularly sensitive to it.That is why it is categorically not recommended to plant cherries in lowlands where water accumulates, or where groundwater is located high.
In years with high rainfall, the harvest may be minimal, and if the root system is seriously wet, cherry trees may even die in the coming winter.
Cracking of the bark of cherry trees can, along with waterlogging, also cause large temperature changes in winter and especially in early spring. These are the so-called sunburn and frost damage. The combination of these factors within one year can be especially dangerous.
When small individual cracks appear, the cherry tree itself will take care of their treatment and, under favorable conditions during the summer period, will be able to cope with the healing of wounds. It’s another matter if the cracks are large and in unfavorable places (in the forks of branches and trunks), especially if various kinds of pathogens get into them. In these cases, the trees have little chance of survival.
Problems and diseases of cherry bark and their treatment
Cracks in the bark on the trunk or branches of a cherry tree are initially only an aesthetic problem. But if left without proper attention, the consequences can be more than serious.
When the bark and trunk of a cherry tree crack, infectious diseases can develop:
- bacterial cancer;
- false tinder fungus;
- sulfur-yellow tinder fungus.
Gum therapy is non-infectious.
When an infection gets into a crack in a cherry tree, diseases of the first group develop, which are very difficult or almost impossible to fight. Therefore, prevention and timely treatment of wounds in cherry trees is very important.
When gum drips on the trunks and branches of cherries, a sticky translucent mass is released in various places - gum, which hardens in the form of glassy drops.
Signs of the disease are especially active:
- on acidic or waterlogged soils;
- after using high doses of fertilizers, especially nitrogen;
- when cherries are weakened by infectious diseases such as monoliosis, clasterosporiasis;
- after damage to the cherry bark as a result of frost damage or sunburn.
In fact, gum production is a tree’s reaction to any damage or weakening.
Why do the bark and trunk of cherry trees crack?
The primary source of all diseases of the cherry bark and trunk is the appearance of cracks, so first of all it is necessary to understand in detail the reasons leading to this phenomenon.
- As mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons why cherry bark cracks is excess soil moisture. As a result, the young bark begins to grow rapidly, and the old, not so elastic, cannot withstand such pressure and cracks.
- An equally common cause is exposure to contrasting temperatures. It is especially dangerous for cherry trees in early spring, when the sun begins to heat up very intensely. Scientists measured the temperature on the southern sunny side of a tree trunk in February - March: it reached 15...20 °C. At the same moment, the ambient air temperature in the shade was -15...-18 °C. In the sun, tree sap liquefies under the influence of heat and then freezes - as a result, cracks appear on the bark.
- No less dangerous are sunburns, which look like brown or reddish spots on the branches or trunks of cherries. In these places, under the influence of sunlight, the process of photosynthesis begins, although not as active as in the leaves. But the substances formed as a result of its activity have nowhere to go: in winter there are no growth points, and energy can be spent on the development of all kinds of infections that remain dormant in the tree.
- Another reason for the appearance of gum and, as a consequence, the formation of cracks in cherries are mistakes made when pruning the tree (untimely or excessive pruning).
- Improper planting of cherries, primarily excessive deepening of its root collar, can also lead to cracking of the tree bark.
- In addition, all stone fruit trees, and cherries in particular, have a predisposition to the appearance of cracks on the trunk due to the growth characteristics of standard cells.
Therefore, it is very important not to overdo it with the application of nitrogen-containing mineral and organic fertilizers, which affect the growth and development of plants.
What to do if the bark on a cherry tree bursts
First, you should optimize the watering regime and try not to over-moisten the soil in which the cherries grow.
Unfortunately, humans cannot cope with constant heavy rains. Therefore, the question arises: what to do when the cherry tree trunk has already burst.
- Whatever the size of the damage to the bark on the trunk, it must be cleaned with a sharp instrument to the living tissue and slightly dried.
- Afterwards, treat with any 1–3% solution containing copper sulfate (Khom, Oksihom, Bordeaux mixture). To do this, dilute 100–300 ml of solution in 10 liters of water. It is necessary to spray so that the mixture does not flow off the bark, but settles in the crack.
It is good if the edges of the wound on the bark are light in color: this means that the damage to the trunk is caused by purely physiological reasons and the infection has not yet occurred.
If the edges of the bark are brown or it is impossible to completely clean the wound (for example, due to its inconvenient location), then more intensive treatment will be required. In this case, you can use a nitrophen solution. This is a fairly serious fungicidal drug, capable of destroying all infection on dead wood, while it practically does not penetrate into living tissue. But special precautions should be taken when working with it.
After treating with fungicides, the crack in the tree should be closed with one of the suitable putties. The easiest way is to use garden varnish. But not every varnish promotes good healing of wounds on a tree. Before using (purchasing), you need to study the composition of this product.
Compositions based on natural beeswax, coniferous tree resin, vegetable oils, and protective phytoncides have a good effect on cracks in cherry trees.
Garden varnish is easy to prepare with your own hands.
You need to prepare:
- 2 parts spruce or pine resin;
- 1.5 parts linseed oil;
- 1 part turpentine;
- 1 part beeswax.
Melt all ingredients in a water bath and mix well.
If, as a result of exposure to garden varnish, a crack in a cherry tree does not heal for a long time, you can try periodically lubricating the wound with a putty made of fatty clay and horse or cow manure.
A natural recipe that was used to treat trees several centuries ago is effective for healing wounds:
- manure – 16 parts;
- chalk or dry lime - 8 parts;
- wood ash – 8 parts;
- river sand – 1 part.
The disadvantage of putties is that they are washed off fairly quickly by rain. But on the other hand, they do not interfere with the natural healing of wounds and provide a protective and healing effect.
How to deal with cracks on a cherry trunk: prevention
- The most common causes of cracks in the trunk of a cherry tree are weather conditions: frost and heavy rainfall. Therefore, one of the main preventive means of control is the selection and planting of cherry varieties that meet the requirements for the climatic conditions of the area.
- Also, when planting a tree, it is necessary to choose an elevated place with a deep groundwater level.
- Planting should be carried out according to all the rules, in no case deepening the root collar or grafting site of the cherry seedling. It is better if they rise a few centimeters above the ground.
- The soil for planting should not be too acidic (pH in the range of 5.5–6.5), otherwise it is necessary to add lime or at least wood ash.
- Excessive moisture should not be allowed, especially if the weather is rainy.It is best to grow cherries using drip irrigation.
- Regular painting of trunks and lower branches with garden whitewash in the autumn and repeating the procedure in early spring if necessary helps prevent frost damage and sunburn. You can also further protect tree trunks by tying them with spruce branches, straw or spunbond.
- To prevent the appearance of cracks in cherries, the trunk is treated annually with an ash-soap solution. 2–3 kg of ash and 50 g of soap are dissolved in 10 liters of hot water, and then the branches and trunk are generously lubricated with a rag soaked in the solution. This procedure can be carried out even twice a year: in spring and autumn, since it not only disinfects the bark, but is also a good top dressing.
Cherry bark comes off: causes and treatment
There may be several reasons for the peeling of cherry bark from the trunk.
- Large temperature difference in early springwhen the bark swells and expands during a sunny day, and contracts on a frosty night, but can no longer return to its original place. The bark peels off from the tree trunk. Most often this process can be observed from the southern and southwestern sides. As a preventive measure and treatment, it is necessary to protect the trunks in the fall by whitewashing or mechanically, tying them with covering material or spruce branches.
- Bacterial stone carcinoma - a disease that is practically untreatable. In this case, the bark can die off from any direction of the world.
If cracks have already appeared, furrowing will be an excellent remedy against their enlargement. This method can also be used for prevention starting from the 4th–5th year of the cherry tree’s life. The best period for the procedure is April - May.
Using a sharp and clean knife, carefully cut furrows about 15 cm long on the bark. Then, after making a gap of several centimeters, cut out the next furrow; This can be done along the entire length of the trunk.
It is important that the depth of the furrow is no more than 3 mm; the knife should not cut through the wood, but only the bark.
Having retreated 7–9 cm, you can cut the next furrows.
The cambium begins to grow rapidly in the area of the furrows - the wounds quickly heal, and at the same time, excess tension in the cortex is relieved. Cracks, if they appear, also heal quickly. As a result, the thickness of tree trunks quickly increases, they grow better and bear fruit more abundantly.
The bark on the cherry tree has peeled off: causes and methods of treatment
Peeling of the bark on the cherry and a decrease in the number of fruits indicates that the tree lacks three microelements that are responsible for cell plasticity:
- sulfur;
- molybdenum;
- magnesium
Foliar feeding can help cherries. Such spraying with the above preparations must be carried out immediately after flowering and a second time after harvesting.
In addition, the bark must be lightly peeled and thoroughly whitened with chalk.
Why do cherry fruits crack on a tree?
The main reasons for cracking of fruits on cherries are a lack or excess of moisture.
Possible reasons
Cherry fruits crack when moisture accumulates on the surface of their skin in unlimited quantities. This can happen due to unfavorable weather conditions and too much watering.
Another reason for cracking of cherry fruits is oversaturation of the tree roots with moisture. Moreover, this can also happen during prolonged rains - in this case, the upper part of the berries most often suffers. And if watering was uneven or heavy rainfall occurred after a long drought, cracks appear in the berries, mainly on the sides.
As the tree receives abundant moisture, the berry begins to quickly increase in size, and the skin cannot keep up with it and breaks. The berries can be eaten, juices and compotes can be made from them, but cherries are no longer suitable for sale.
How to prevent cracking of cherry fruits
To prevent the appearance of cracks in cherry fruits, it is necessary to provide the trees with uniform moisture. The easiest way to do this is with a drip irrigation device.
You can also use the following recommendations:
- In the spring, be careful with watering and begin to moisten abundantly only in May, when the leaf mass is growing, but only in dry weather.
- Regular moistening is especially important for cherries at the beginning of flowering and after, during fruit growth. When the berries begin to ripen, watering can be slightly reduced.
- In the second half of summer, the amount of moisture is not so significant, but it is important to thoroughly water the cherry trees before winter when the first autumn frosts occur.
- Selecting and properly planting a suitable cherry variety will also help cope with this problem.
- Fruits of such varieties as Summit, Lapens, Yaroslavna, Valeria have denser pulp, thick skin and are not so susceptible to cracking.
What medications are there for cherry cracking?
There are a number of drugs, the use of which can reduce cracking of cherry berries. They cover the fruits with a transparent film, which increases skin elasticity and prevents moisture loss.
The simplest remedy is to spray the trees with a solution of calcium chloride. Its only disadvantage is that the fruits must be washed with water before consumption or sale to remove salt deposits.
The preparation “Vodosbor” (from pine resin) is of exclusively natural origin.
The following drugs are used for protective purposes:
- 30-D;
- Kalbit S;
- Frutasol;
- Platinum;
- Fertilider.
Many of the listed remedies not only protect cherry fruits from cracking, but also reduce ripening time and increase the size of the fruit and its sugar content.
Conclusion
Of course, cherries also crack as a result of circumstances beyond a person’s control, but following some simple care rules can help, if not completely cope with the situation, then make life easier for both trees and gardeners.
A variety of medications can come to the rescue, some of which you can make yourself.
