Hi all. Please see the following numbered photos: I planted this Sweetheart cherry tree in the ground in spring 2023 after having it in a pot for a year. Initially it did fine but after a few months, the right branch started drying and died. I cut it off. The tree did well in growing a number of branches that grew 4-5 feet each in the season. The problem is that around the area where I cut the right branch, there is some kind of dark cavity, where the tree is also oozing resin. You can see in photos 5 and 6 that the left branch, instead of looking like it came out of the main trunk, it looks like it’s half-circled around the trunk and prone to snap off.
My questions are:
- what could have caused this and if this issue is related to the dead branch?
- Most importantly, can I do anything about it?
- Would you say that this tree is likely going to be fine or the issue is serious? I have ordered a few new trees and can pull the cherry out and use its spot for one of the new trees if it’s going to die anyway. But of if chances are > 50%, I’d rather keep it.
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@SfromKY … that is a nasty looking wound. Too bad.
Worst case scenario… you could lop it off about there and graft to it.
The established root system would push growth faster than a new tree would.
Something that might work… cut it off at the red line above and let the part marked with green become your tree.
Of course both of those rely on wounds healing to work. If done at the right time of the year with clean tools that normally works.
Hopefully you get some other help on this one.
Good Luck !
TNHunter
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May be bacterial canker. Tends to be a common problem on stone fruit. It looks like you have some new buds coming. Is there a graft union visible closer to the ground? If so, you can do what was just suggested by TNHunter and cut well below any sign of problems but above the graft union and start some new branches. If that keeps happening to new branches, then I would for sure get rid of it asap. I don’t think I would pull it and immediately plant another stone fruit in the same hole, would be best to wait a year or so. You’d probably be ok putting an apple or pear or something else there though.
Sometimes trees can live with bacterial canker and manage it, others are more like victims and those are the ones that need to go.
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@TNHunter , thank you for the suggestions. If I went with your first suggestion and lop it off at your red line, which would be about 18 inches off the ground and the graft union, would the tree start sending scaffolding branches that low? I would not mind it being low of course.
You have a dead stub sticking out of the cambium. The tree can’t close the wound because of that. Before I would give it a heading cut, I would take a sharp knife and carve the stub back and also take all rotten wood out below.
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