Rot where tree has been pruned

10 years ago

Hi I have a Sakura cherry tree today I was looking at it and I see that where it has been previously pruned and the tree has started to cover the wound the wood is broken up and pieces are falling out. In one spot, the wood has turned to powder almost. Is this a natural process of the tree covering up the wound or is this something I should be worried about and call an arborist. thanks.

Featured Answer

wisconsitom

10 years ago

OK...so yes, some decay has set in at each of these former branch sites. There is callus formation-that roll of tissue you see around the perimeter, and that's a good sign. The tree is spending some of its energy trying to wall off these wounds, and is doing a reasonable job of it. But..........here's the famous but.........this is a cherry. I don't know anything about Sakura, except to say it sounds vaguely Japanese, but in any case, all cherries are relatively short-lived trees.

So, where are we now? Call and arborist? Nah, we just told you everything there is to know about this, at least in terms of actionable things. So what about action? There's nothing you or anyone else can or should do. It being a cherry, I don't picture this thing towering over your home, so that threat is out. I guess I would just say enjoy it while you can and realize it could break apart as Ken said, or just continue to gradually decline.

Resist anything anyone tells you about how it "needs" this fertilizer.....or that a deep aeration of the lawn will aid its recovery. That's all nonsense. Finally, I would not position my children underneath the tree during high winds. Other than that, like I said, enjoy it and start the thought process about what you might want to do when this tree goes bye bye.

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Comments (10)

wisconsitom
10 years ago
A picture would help immensely. Rot is not a "normal" part of the wound compartmentalization process, although it does co-occur frequently. And a bit of decay is not necessarily a serious issue, so long as the tree is indeed able to wall off the affected area completely. The walling-off process is weakest in the vertical dimension, hence, there are lots of trees with partially to totally hollow trunks.

Any chance you can provide us a close-up view?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
need pic ...

how old.. how big..will it hurt anything if it fails ... etc???

ornamental cherry .. in tree years.. are rather short lived.. maybe 20 years max ...

if your is.. i dont know if i would invest in getting a pro opinion as to its health ... besides the fact that there really isnt anything you can do about a tree hollowing itself out with rot ...

i might plant another.. and just watch this one fail over time... if not just remove it outright ... presume its not a threat to anything...

in other words. it might end up cheaper to invest in a new plant ....

need that pic or 3 ... ken
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Hhychin (z7 philly)
Original Author
10 years ago
Hhychin (z7 philly)
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for your help. Here are 4 places that I noticed where the wood was falling out.
Hhychin (z7 philly)
Original Author
10 years ago
The tree looks healthy otherwise. Lots of blooms and leaves. I just happened to look over where there had been prune cuts and noticed this.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
The tree looks healthy otherwise.

==>> not in my world.. last pic.. everything above that problem.. will fall off in some storm or some such ... what will it fall on ...

how about a pic of the whole... and a pic of its location in the yard ...

ken
Hhychin (z7 philly)
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok thanks. It is a cherry so as you say it is not that tall and so not over any structures. It probably has been there a good many years if I had to guess I'd say more than 20 years so I will just keep an eye on it in case the branches seem to weaken. I will say that it sends up suckers like nobody's business.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
10 years ago
Looks like a non sealed pruning wound. No one really has decided what to cover them with so there is nothing you should have done.

With a cherry I would leave it until its appearance no longer pleased me.
wisconsitom
10 years ago
Well, that and the fact the limbs removed were roughly the same size as the trunk is in diameter...close to it. This is never a good situation. I don't always agree with Ken about the relative severity of a given situation, but these wounds, while attempting to close, are large, again, compared to the main bole, and as such, an inherently unstable situation. Still, there's nothing to be done.