Can anyone help me with what this may be on the trunk of my mandarin tree?
The tree is approx 6 years old and has been in different pots – usually going up a size as the tree grows.
It appears that this is below the graft.
Thanks
by brjakj
Can anyone help me with what this may be on the trunk of my mandarin tree?
The tree is approx 6 years old and has been in different pots – usually going up a size as the tree grows.
It appears that this is below the graft.
Thanks
by brjakj
2 Comments
This just looks like a spot where a branch has been cut off that is slowly growing over. In fact it may be where the top of the rootstock was before it was cut off for grafting.
It looks like a deep fissure? It might’ve been a cut or trimming effort that’s been infected in the past. It looks to have healed somewhat but never closed up.
The risk will be if the core wood has borers, dry rot or this becomes an avenue for phytopthora. You can limit chances of these by spraying the fissure with copper based fungicide, then pyrethrum in horticultural oil.
The hole points up so water will likely collect in there. You could try to block a small gap like this with a bit of bath soap or candle wax, which may stop borers entering/escaping and water getting in and possibly help the bark to heal over time. But otherwise avoid filling it with foam or the like, it holds water in and can make rot worse.