Knowledgebase
Is this canker or sunscald on my apple and peach trees? #808473
Asked August 29, 2022, 9:52 AM EDT
I planted these bare root trees this spring, so they are both 1-2 years old I believe. I have a Liberty apple tree and a Vivid Peach tree. I noticed the white marking on the apple tree back when I unboxed it but I didn’t know back then to check for peeling bark/canker. Do you know what this is? My trees are close together. I don’t remember if they looked like this when I unboxed them both but I do vaguely feel like its gotten worse over the course of the summer. What should I do?
Adams County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello!
The white looks like paint. Nurseries sometimes put that on plants to track age of plants. The damage looks more like something scratched or damaged the bark as opposed to a disease. The bark on young trees is easily damaged.
Thanks!
Okay, should I do anything to heal the trees? The apple tree trunk looks pretty badly damaged- do I need to seal it or carve off the broken bark?
Great question! It can seem tempting to want to seal off a wound on a tree but actually it's better to leave the tree to seal over the wounds. Trees can manage with wounds that are below about 30% of the trunk quite well, beyond that they begin to struggle. Keep the cultural care (watering, mulching etc.) good and they ought to do well.
