Hi, We have recently moved to a property with two old apple trees (unknown varieties) which both have thousands of little holes on the trunks. (see photos) I've never seen this before, so wonder if they are from foraging woodpeckers or flickers (which I've seen in the yard) or some pest? And whether I should be worried about the health of the trees as a result? The larger of the trees seems healthy and is producing well by the looks of it. The second tree, which may or may not be as old as the larger one, has had a lot of human damage--we've removed multiple ropes and cables which were embedded in the bark and wood, and there is at least one large eyebolt which is almost covered over by new wood/bark so we've decided to leave it in place rather than cut into the tree more. There are also large patches on the branches where the bark has been removed, yet there is still new growth at the ends of those branches. My question about this one--should I prune it back now to aid the recovery process, or is it more effective to just fertilize it for this year and decide on pruning next year? And my last questions are about the best way to give these trees a boost. We are right on the ocean, about 15 feet above sea level, and the soil is 99% sand/gravel, so the former residents said that most fertilizers aren't very effective since they leach right out. Would the trees benefit from a mulching of grass and/or compost laid out to the drip line, or would we be better off amending the soil from the dripline outwards? Thanks.
Howdy Apollo Smith, The holes in the trunk were made by the sapsucker - a type of woodpecker. Since there are no new holes, perhaps the bird has found better places. As for the other tree, don't worry - just remove any dead branches. Peace Pheh
A way to add fertility is to spread with a rake a wheelbarrow full of well-aged compost under each tree, out to the drip line (I'm not sure why you'd want to amend beyond that,) annually. Woodpeckers are good to have around, unless they're drilling into your house, for they'll eat some pests like codling moth larvae. Pruning is probably best to do about March.
