I was talking to roughbarked in the Holiday forum about our sick peach tree. These are the photos of the poor thing. It was neglected prior to us buying the house 3 years ago and in our first year it put out a HUGE crop of peaches. The tree did not fare well. We had to prop it up as it was bowed over with the weight of the crop and then we picked all the peaches. Last year we pruned it fairly heavily and we had a light crop of okay peaches. This year I noticed the following damage….

Split trunk and woodpecker hole

More splitting further up the trunk.

I’m a bit peeved that I missed the woodpecker doing its thing :/

Sorry – that first photo is a bit blurry :/ all I can say is it was windy and I fell over :P

The photos came up fine here…you might have to wait for RoughBarked to come in…

Thanks, Dinetta. I mentioned it to roughy over there ——>

kii said:

Thanks, Dinetta. I mentioned it to roughy over there ——>

I hope there is life elsewhere in the tree. ie: can you find live bark anywhere?

we don’t have woodpeckers in Australia, which is probably why you didn’t see it :D Something has been at it though by the looks of that hole.

The splitting looks to me like something that might happen under drought conditions. I don’t know if you can do much about it but Roughbarked would be the best one to answer that.

kii is in New Mexico.

buffy said:

kii is in New Mexico.

Ah, then it looks like woodpecker damage :D

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Thanks, Dinetta. I mentioned it to roughy over there ——>

I hope there is life elsewhere in the tree. ie: can you find live bark anywhere?

The wood in the photos is dead. When cracked so deeply and the bark falls away, the tree is firewood unless you can find live bark somewhere and encourage that to grow by removing the dead wood.

Poor tree!

The woodpecker was looking for an insect inside the tree (right?) so insect attack might be a major part of the problem (might not??).

RB is right about trying to save any wood that is still alive :(

podzol said:

Poor tree!

The woodpecker was looking for an insect inside the tree (right?) so insect attack might be a major part of the problem (might not??).

RB is right about trying to save any wood that is still alive :(

It is not uncommon for borers to attack drought weakened trees and indeed provide food for birds such as woodpeckers. The combined effect of drought and attack by borers is often too much for the tree unless the dead top is removed and a lot of water applied to the still existing live parts. Often only the rapidly disappearing roots.

roughbarked said:

podzol said:

Poor tree!

The woodpecker was looking for an insect inside the tree (right?) so insect attack might be a major part of the problem (might not??).

RB is right about trying to save any wood that is still alive :(

It is not uncommon for borers to attack drought weakened trees and indeed provide food for birds such as woodpeckers. The combined effect of drought and attack by borers is often too much for the tree unless the dead top is removed and a lot of water applied to the still existing live parts. Often only the rapidly disappearing roots.

sometimes it is easier to replace it with a young healthy tree

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

podzol said:

Poor tree!

The woodpecker was looking for an insect inside the tree (right?) so insect attack might be a major part of the problem (might not??).

RB is right about trying to save any wood that is still alive :(

It is not uncommon for borers to attack drought weakened trees and indeed provide food for birds such as woodpeckers. The combined effect of drought and attack by borers is often too much for the tree unless the dead top is removed and a lot of water applied to the still existing live parts. Often only the rapidly disappearing roots.

sometimes it is easier to replace it with a young healthy tree

indeed. One must also make preparations so that the tree site should either never be short of water again or.. choose a new site.

Thanks for all the replies.

The tree is in flower atm, and some peaches have set. We trimmed off quite a bit of dead wood in the branches. I always water the trees deeply 3 times a week during the lead up to and including Spring/Summer……and yes we are in drought conditions.

We figure that the tree is on the way out but thought maybe we can bandage it or seal the cracked areas with something. We still have the plank supporting it and so far it has made it through the Spring Winds (blowing as I type).

I have seen woodpeckers in action – at our previous place one was just outside the window having a go at some dead flower stalk from a century plant.

Through the flyscreen, so a bit fuzzy.

kii said:

Thanks for all the replies.

The tree is in flower atm, and some peaches have set. We trimmed off quite a bit of dead wood in the branches. I always water the trees deeply 3 times a week during the lead up to and including Spring/Summer……and yes we are in drought conditions.

We figure that the tree is on the way out but thought maybe we can bandage it or seal the cracked areas with something. We still have the plank supporting it and so far it has made it through the Spring Winds (blowing as I type).

I have seen woodpeckers in action – at our previous place one was just outside the window having a go at some dead flower stalk from a century plant.

Through the flyscreen, so a bit fuzzy.

Kewl woodpecker action shot.
Anyway yes, if there is life in the tree and the sap is flowing to parts of the tree above the damage then the sap will only be flowing on the opposite side of the damaged trunk. This by the way can also be damage done right from planting. This looks to be a classic example. When the tree was transplanted originally, the thinnest bark was rotated to the side facing the fiercest sun. The thin bark is on the south side of the tree in downunder but in NM, the north side would have the thinnest bark. Damage done in this way may take years to cause death of the tree but it does end up with the bark dying completely.

Repairing it depends upon how much living bark is left. How vigorous that side of the tree is and so forth. Reducing stress is the easiest way and this will normally require removing much of the top growth to reduce the strain on the living sap stream and increase the canopy of leaves so as to increase energy storage capacity. One would probably be wise to remove the fruit also in order to reduce stress. If it is thought that the structural integrity of the tree means that the dead parts shown in the photographs need to be retained, then the cracks should be filled. Treat first with a fungicide soaked into the dead wood before filling the cracks with any water based filler. Paint it with grafting Mastic. If you wish, the black mastic can be covered with any light coloured water based paint. Water and feed the tree well and cross your fingers.

kii…I had a peach tree in Casterton that was pretty sickly because other trees had grown up and shaded it. I had nothing to lose, so I took cuttings. When I pruned it in Winter, I stuck some of the prunings (after tidying them up) into a pot of garden soil. I did get a replacement tree out of them. It fruited this year for the first time. The process has taken about 4 or 5 years. It is just such a lovely fruit that I was hoping not to lose it.

Yes. Peach and other Prunus species can be grown from cuttings as can most plants. However, I’d never need to graft a tree if taking a cutting was all anyone needed to do. Not discouraging the concept of saving a variety. Eventually though it is going to come to pass that grafting the cutting onto another rootstock will be required. Thus it is as well to do it from the beginning. So, before any other steps are taken, take some of the living tree and graft it onto another Prunus tree. ie: if there are other plum, apricot, peach or almond trees in your yard, take a few buds off the ailing tree and bud them onto those.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5415717_do-paint-bottom-trees-white.html

role of copper (ignore that it relates to citrus on this page).
http://www.fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/coppers-role-in-citrus-orchard-rehabilitation

• If the trunks of your fruit trees split on the south or west side of the tree, they are suffering from winter sunburn. If a leafless tree is suddenly subjected to bright sunlight after a very cold period, the sap will swell and split the bark. This will provide an opportunity for boring insects to invade. To avoid sunburn, paint the trunks with interior white latex paint or wrap the trunks with a tree wrap available in nurseries and mail order catalogs.

from: http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/mg/gm_tips/DormantFruit2.html

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/249729/Orchard-plant-protection-guide-2012-13.pdf

and just for arguments sake:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg092040537692.html

>>Eventually though it is going to come to pass that grafting the cutting onto another rootstock will be required.<<

Why?

buffy said:

>>Eventually though it is going to come to pass that grafting the cutting onto another rootstock will be required.<<

Why?

The list of reasons are numerous. Mainly because science and management practices agree that the trees do better on specific rootstocks. However, it isn’t such a biggie, particularly if your tree has performed well on your site and has no diseases. Some variants do well on their own roots, others do not.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>Eventually though it is going to come to pass that grafting the cutting onto another rootstock will be required.<<

Why?

The list of reasons are numerous. Mainly because science and management practices agree that the trees do better on specific rootstocks. However, it isn’t such a biggie, particularly if your tree has performed well on your site and has no diseases. Some variants do well on their own roots, others do not.

I have always believed that it helps when the tree is to grow outside its preferred conditions. E.g. different climate zones, different soil profiles, different rainfalls, etc. When all conditions are met the tree will grow fine on its own roots.

quote from the for argument’s sake link I posted:

““I think one should be cautious to accept anyone’s testimony unless the success has been repeatedly duplicated by others.”

Even if you duplicate the success yourself you should be cautious. I’ve had the benefit of not only growing fruit on the west coast and the east coast, but also on scores of sites in the same areas- sometimes only a few miles apart. What works here often doesn’t work there. Scientific evaluation consists of many controlled studies where the results are never completely conclusive. I’ve often made a fool of myself assuming anecdotal observations are the holy grail and I’m sure I’ll continue doing so.

It is fascinating how certain teachers, especially those obsessed with their own work and become grandiose in their own assessment of the importance and uniqueness of that work sometimes get a cult following that drink the cool-aid and gives the teacher the god-like status that is even beyond what he (she) himself perceives. “

Please don’t just accept my word as gospel.
Please accept that I do confer with others..

“Tree grafting is an excellent way to bring the best of two varieties together into a single tree. Grafting trees is a practice that has been done by farmers and gardeners for hundreds of years. But, the method is not fool proof. “

even though they don’t know SFA about grammar:

“This is then binded together with tape or string.”

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/can-grafted-trees-revert-to-their-root-stock.htm

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>Eventually though it is going to come to pass that grafting the cutting onto another rootstock will be required.<<

Why?

The list of reasons are numerous. Mainly because science and management practices agree that the trees do better on specific rootstocks. However, it isn’t such a biggie, particularly if your tree has performed well on your site and has no diseases. Some variants do well on their own roots, others do not.

I have always believed that it helps when the tree is to grow outside its preferred conditions. E.g. different climate zones, different soil profiles, different rainfalls, etc. When all conditions are met the tree will grow fine on its own roots.

Correct in what you said. Peach trees are all outside their zone, in Australia.

Oh and by the way. Figuratively, this is known as “patch budding”.

Though in reality it is all graft and corruption.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/hort/info/fruit/graft.htm

Firstly, one grafts to get what one wants:
• Exact copy of the desired species DNA, on rootstock best suited to soil and climate
• Disease free material, growing on disease resistant roots
• Multiple copies of the same

and etc.

Top thread going here…hugely informative for a non-grafting person like me…

roughbarked said:

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/hort/info/fruit/graft.htm

Firstly, one grafts to get what one wants:
• Exact copy of the desired species DNA, on rootstock best suited to soil and climate
• Disease free material, growing on disease resistant roots
• Multiple copies of the same

and etc.

though I do disagree with this comment: “(Cherry, plum, and apricot are not easily cleft grafted or whip grafted.) “

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99559986@N00/4997472533/

Dinetta said:

Top thread going here…hugely informative for a non-grafting person like me…

Kewl. Well if there is anything I can give to the community, it is my experience.

I understand the general reasons for grafting for commercial purposes, and to get multigrafts going, but I’m not completely convinced the grafted ones are always better. Certainly with roses, I’ve done better with cuttings growing on their own roots. Grafted roses always, but always want to throw the rootstock up and it’s a pain in the arse.

buffy said:

I understand the general reasons for grafting for commercial purposes, and to get multigrafts going, but I’m not completely convinced the grafted ones are always better. Certainly with roses, I’ve done better with cuttings growing on their own roots. Grafted roses always, but always want to throw the rootstock up and it’s a pain in the arse.

In the case of roses, I agree. Particularly if your soils are free of diseases and other problems.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

I understand the general reasons for grafting for commercial purposes, and to get multigrafts going, but I’m not completely convinced the grafted ones are always better. Certainly with roses, I’ve done better with cuttings growing on their own roots. Grafted roses always, but always want to throw the rootstock up and it’s a pain in the arse.

In the case of roses, I agree. Particularly if your soils are free of diseases and other problems.

However if one is at least able to perform a graft, then at least they are easier to make work than cuttings. For the preservation of the particular variety of peach or other fruit..

roughbarked said:

Oh and by the way. Figuratively, this is known as “patch budding”.

is there a bud in the patch?

roughbarked said:

Though in reality it is all graft and corruption.

:D

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Oh and by the way. Figuratively, this is known as “patch budding”.

roughbarked said:

Though in reality it is all graft and corruption.

is there a bud in the patch?

:D

umm .. good question. There may be heaps but it looks like he has just cut the patch off the tree. Whether this is on the rootstock or the scion tree is not stated.

kii said:

Thanks for all the replies.

The tree is in flower atm, and some peaches have set. We trimmed off quite a bit of dead wood in the branches. I always water the trees deeply 3 times a week during the lead up to and including Spring/Summer……and yes we are in drought conditions.

We figure that the tree is on the way out but thought maybe we can bandage it or seal the cracked areas with something. We still have the plank supporting it and so far it has made it through the Spring Winds (blowing as I type).

I have seen woodpeckers in action – at our previous place one was just outside the window having a go at some dead flower stalk from a century plant.

Through the flyscreen, so a bit fuzzy.

I have no advice to offer but I love the piccy. First one I’ve ever seen.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

Top thread going here…hugely informative for a non-grafting person like me…

Kewl. Well if there is anything I can give to the community, it is my experience.

I’d say your experience is invaluable. Your sort of knowledge should be put into writings for all who need it. Is there a way to do it?

“I’d say your experience is invaluable. Your sort of knowledge should be put into writings for all who need it. Is there a way to do it?”

It’d probably look like this :)

http://artistbooks.ning.com/photo/bark-book-poplar

Teleost said:

“I’d say your experience is invaluable. Your sort of knowledge should be put into writings for all who need it. Is there a way to do it?”

It’d probably look like this :)

http://artistbooks.ning.com/photo/bark-book-poplar

That’s kewl man. ;)

Teleost said:

“I’d say your experience is invaluable. Your sort of knowledge should be put into writings for all who need it. Is there a way to do it?”

It’d probably look like this :)

http://artistbooks.ning.com/photo/bark-book-poplar

That’s it. Roughbarked and all. lol.