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GLT's Grow: Cracking Trunk Indicates Graft Problem

Mike Cameron

Mike in American Fork, Utah recently planted an apple tree that's developed a problem. The trunk shows the bark near the graft union is starting to crack and peel away.  Is this a root stock issue, or something else?

  • The practice of grafting is very common in fruit trees, said Patrick Murphy, host of GLT's Grow.
  • The grafting is done to initiate a dwarfing of the specimen. 
  • Grafts can change overtime.
  • Freezing and expansion of water will impact the graft and weaken it.
  • Grabbing a plant by the trunk is another way to have a negative impact on the graft.  Only grab by the rootball.
  • A critter nibbling on the tree can cause the problem , too.
  • The tree can recover from this, leaving a wound behind.
  • Don't cover or paint the trunk.  Let it heal on its own.
Reporter, content producer and former All Things Considered host, Laura Kennedy is a native of the Midwest who occasionally affects an English accent just for the heck of it. Related to two U.S. presidents, Kennedy appalled her family by going into show business.