I have a 9-year old choke cherry tree only 4 feet tall with a forked trunk that was split by the deep snow we had here last winter. The trunk is only 1/2 inch in diameter and the split is about 3/4 inches deep down the centre of the fork. The leaves look healthy. Can I do something to save it?
With a trunk that small you should be able to reconnect the two sides of the split at the cambium layer by wrapping PVC tape around the trunk, starting below the split and wrapping upwards to the top of the split section, then continuing to wrap around one of the branches above the split for a few inches. Then apply another layer the same way except wrap the upper part around the other branch. Be careful not to make a well in the center of the "Y" that would hold water. You can apply some grafting wax around the top middle of the "Y" to keep water out of the split. It would also be useful to attach a wire or rope between the two branches somewhere above the "Y" to hold them together, especially during the winter. By the way, a thin wire or plastic tie wrapped around the very top of each tape layer will keep the tape from slowly unraveling with age. This would have worked best if done immediately after the splitting occurred, but it may not be too late.
