Vertical cracks, trunk of Asian pear tree

[vincent p. norris]

I noticed jsut today that one of my Asian pear trees has vertical
cracks in the bark (I hope only in the bark) on the trunk.

There are about half a dozen of them, about six inches long.

Is this normal? If not, what should I do about them?

Thanks. vince norris

[dr-...@wi.rr.xx.com]

this could be winter damage. the side facing the sun heats up in winter, the part in
shade doesnt, the bark splits from unequal expansion. I painted my new pear trees
white to reflect the sun so this wouldnt happen. it wont kill the tree, but insects
might get in there. paint the trunks with white latex. Ingrid

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[vincent p. norris]

>this could be winter damage. the side facing the sun heats up in winter, the part in
>shade doesnt, the bark splits from unequal expansion. I painted my new pear trees
>white to reflect the sun so this wouldnt happen. it wont kill the tree, but insects
>might get in there. paint the trunks with white latex. Ingrid

Gee, Ingrid, we hadn't had any winter before I noticed the cracks,
except for two mild frosts. Could it have happened that fast?

Thanks for the suggestion, but white paint will look pretty bad next
summer. Would a cardboard cylinder do as well?

(Hope I don't seem ungrateful for the help!)

vince norris

[dr-...@wi.rr.xx.com]

wrap it in white material then. these are new trees? otherwise, it happened last
winter, you didnt notice. actually, the white paint sorta fades. or use white wash
which washes off in summer rains. Ingrid

vincent p. norris <vp...@psu.edu> wrote:

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[Sed5555]

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

[vincent p. norris]

Thanks to both of you for the help.

This tree is about ten years old and the trunk is about three inches
in diameter. I had been putting that spiral plastic gizmo around the
trunk when it was smaller, but I'll put some "wrap" around it this
year.

vince norris

[dr-...@wi.rr.xx.com]

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

sed...@aol.com (Sed5555) wrote:

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