Many gardeners are faced with the problem of damage to trees. Often they occur on the apple tree. The reasons for this process may be different. Therefore, it is important to know how to seal a hollow in an apple tree. This procedure is described in the article.
The reasons for this phenomenon
The appearance of a hollow in the trunk of an apple tree is considered a dangerous phenomenon, since it has a tendency to expand. Often the cause of this formation is associated with infection of the tree with wound rot. Its pathogens include a saprophytic fungus cavern.
Since healthy nearby tissues become infected, this disease progresses. Therefore, if no measures are taken, a large hollow appears. Mechanical damage leads to the formation of a fungal infection. They may appear due to:
- Incorrect pruning of branches.
- Broken branches in strong winds.
- Damage to the trunk by rodents.
With the formation of a hollow, the yield of the apple tree decreases, and besides, it becomes brittle. As a result, if you do not fix the problem, the tree quickly dies. Therefore, it is important to know how to seal a hollow in an apple tree, because due to improper treatment, you can only harm the plant. Even if there are many damaged trees in the apple orchard, they must all be cured.
What fills the hollow?
It is important to know not only how to seal a hollow in an apple tree, but also with what help this work is done. Various methods are used to resolve the problem. You can close the hollow with broken brick and small gravel. Then the hole is poured with a mixture of sand, cement, lime. If the hollow is small, then close it up with solid dry cork structures. To obtain them, solid varieties of apple trees are used. But for this it is important to perform high-quality cleaning and disinfection of the hole.
It is possible to eliminate the deficiency with cement or construction foam in 3-5 layers. Then apply garden var, oil paint or a thick cement mortar. This is required to prevent air from entering the hollow so that holes do not appear in the future. Special wire tires should be applied. They tighten damaged apple tissue, which improves their fusion.
How to do the job?
With the formation of damage, one should not think that this is an old tree that can no longer bring a crop. In fact, even apple trees under the age of 10 can face this problem. If you perform medical procedures, then the overgrowth of the hollow occurs quickly. Healing depends on the general condition of the plant, the size of the damage. Full tree preservation is possible with early detection of a problem.
For the treatment of the hollow, it is necessary to clean the dead wood, as well as treat the inside with fungicidal agents. The component allows you to remove microbes with disinfection of the wood surface. The crack is eliminated by small chipped bricks, cement mortar or foam. Work must be done in the fall after harvest. During this period, the exchange slows down, so the procedure will be easily transferred to the damaged tree. If the processing is carried out correctly, then it will be possible to cure most plants in the apple orchard.
Preparing and eliminating the hollow
How to seal a hollow in an apple tree? First you need to peel the bark around the lesions. To do this, you can take a sharp knife. It is important to remove rotten and flaking cortical structures. Damage repair should be performed after cleaning the hollow inside the apple tree. At this time, the rotten parts of the apple tree should be removed. This will protect the tree from rotting inside.
It is necessary to disinfect the painful area. For this, 3% copper sulfate dissolved in water is suitable. The substance in an amount of 300 g must be diluted in water (1 liter). Suitable for disinfection and 5% agent. It must be diluted in water by adding 1 part of the substance per 1 liter of liquid. After drying the hollow, you need to prepare for overlay seals and termination. If you perform the processing by such means, it will turn out to destroy the fungus and microorganisms that lead to decay of the tissues of the apple tree.
Suitable heteroauxin-containing preparations are used to treat the inside of the trunk. This allows you to disinfect and improve the growth of the apple tree. In addition, this leads to faster healing of the lesions. Hollow usually grows in 6-8 months, if everything is done correctly.
Cement use
How to seal a hollow in an apple-tree with cement? This will require:
- Steel scraper and chisel.
- Iron sulfate - packaging.
- Soft brush.
- Cement.
- Sifted sand.
- Red bricks - 1-2 pcs.
- Drying oil.
- Latex gloves.
- Trowel.
- Gauze bandage.
The procedure is performed according to the following instructions:
- Use the scraper and chisel to clean the inside of the hole.
- A 5% disinfectant solution should be prepared. To do this, pour 4 tsp. vitriol in 0.4 l of warm water and carefully place.
- You need to wear gloves and a bandage, and then with a brush you can treat the inside of the tree with a created antiseptic.
- After drying, the hollow should be filled with finely broken brick.
- In a basin, cement (a liter can) and sand (3 kg) must be mixed. Gradually, you need to pour water, mixing the solution. When you get the composition in the form of thick sour cream, it is necessary to pour in drying oil (1 tbsp. L.) And mix again.
- The solution is poured into the hole.
- The filling should not be above the bark, therefore, before drying, the excess cement should be removed with a trowel and smooth the surface with your hand.
- After 6 days, the seal must be coated with oil paint (2 layers).
If the damage is large, the seal is reinforced with pieces of steel wire or plaster mesh. If you are interested in how to seal clay hollows in an apple tree, you should use this instruction using only the appropriate solution.
Treatment of old apple trees
How to fix damage on an old apple tree? This is a challenge. Apple trees can be affected by 1-1.5 meters. Disinfecting measures should be performed, as for a young tree. Then the gardener needs to close up the hollow. If the procedure does not lead to a positive result, then you should dig up an old apple tree that has damage. In order not to lose the future crop, a young seedling should be planted in the place of the uprooted plant.
Cracks appear on young and old plants. If the damage is properly treated, the problem disappears quickly. After that, the tree can again bring a rich harvest.