I have a 5 year old apple tree and it now has what I think is a canker on the trunk, about 18 inches up from the ground. This canker is maybe 1.5 inches x .5 inches wide and .5 inches deep. It looks ominous and I'm worried that if I do nothing, it may kill the tree. Any suggestions ?
I had a canker a little higher up the trunk which I didn't notice for a year or two and the bark below the canker started to crack and form more cankers. Seemed like the rain carried the disease down the trunk of the tree. This occurred on a couple of trees and I seemed to have solved the problem by cutting the tree back to a point where the bark seems completely unaffected. The trees are sprouting new growth and I am starting over. The original problem came into the garden on a Sorbus x hybrida 'Fastigiata' and I believe was spread by poor pruning hygiene.
I have had the suggestion to spray with Copper fungicide and then seal the wound up wiwh Tree Seal so I think I'll give that a try. I really don't want to cut the tree below the canker as there would only be a stub of a trunk and I doubt it would grow back.
I had a canker develop on the main trunk of a young apple tree that was planted to replace an adjacent older tree. I sprayed the canker with fixed copper and removed the older tree to let in more light and air. The canker eventually healed over, and the tree is healthy now.
Thanks for all your replies. I am now wondering about only using Copper fungicide and not sealing over the wound. The canker is a sizeable hole and my concern is that if I seal it over I might seal in moisture which could harm the tree further. This is one of our favourite apple trees and I really want to do the right thing.
