Repairing a freeze crack

[LogRite]

I have a 25ft purple plum tree that I thought had been hit by lightning. Somebody told me it looked more like a freeze crack. It starts at the 6" from the base of the tree and goes up to the first crotch. It's about 1/2" wide. The effect on the tree is that the leaves look weak and thin, but otherwise growing normally. Is there a way I can repair it so it makes it through the winter?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The tree is the only one who can "repair" the crack. You can help the tree out by keeping it stong. Remove any turf around the tree, the more the better. Add coarse wood chips about five inches deep, keep them off the trunk, think donut not volcano.

There was a research project done about frost cracks. The conclusion was that the trees that weren't watered developed more cracks. Keep the tree well-watered.

In time the tree is likely to grow over the crack. If you can keep the crack from worsening the tree could live a long time. Unfortunately, most times the crack gets larger before the tree can grow over the crack. You might consider planting a replacement tree nearby incase you have to remove this one in the future. Heck, as long as you're planting, put in a dozen trees.

Tom