How to seal a hollow in the apple tree: tools and materials. How to treat an old apple tree
Many gardeners are faced with a problemthe formation of lesions on trees. Often they arise on the apple tree. The reasons for this process can be different. Therefore it is important to know how to seal a hollow in the apple tree. This procedure is described in the article.
Reasons for this phenomenon
The appearance of a hollow in the trunk of an apple tree is considered dangerousphenomenon, as he has a tendency to expand. Often the cause of this education is associated with the infection of the tree with rot rot. To its pathogens include saprophyte fungus cavern.
Since healthy nearby tissues are infected,this disease progresses. Therefore, if you do not take measures, then there is a big hollow. To the formation of a fungal infection lead to mechanical damage. They can appear because of:
- Incorrect pruning of branches.
- Broken branches in strong wind.
- Damage to the trunk rodents.
With the formation of a hollow in apple trees, the volumes decreaseharvest, besides, it becomes brittle. In the end, if you do not solve the problem, the tree quickly dies. Therefore, it is important to know how to seal a hollow in the apple tree, because of the wrong treatment can only damage the plant. Even if there are many damaged trees in the apple orchard, they must be cured.
What is filling the hollow?
It is important to know not only how to seal a hollow inapple tree, but also with the help of which this work is carried out. Various methods are used to solve the problem. The hollow can be closed with a broken brick and small rubble. Then a hole is poured with a mixture of sand, cement, and lime. If the hollow is small, then it will be sealed with strong dry cork structures. For their production, solid apple varieties are used. But for this it is important to perform high-quality cleaning and disinfection of the hole.
Remedies can be made by cement or installationfoam in 3-5 layers. Then, apply garden var, oil paint or a thick cement slurry. This is required to prevent air from entering the hollow, so that holes do not appear in the future. Special wire tires should be applied. They tighten the damaged apple tissue, which improves their splicing.
How to do the work correctly?
With the formation of damage, one should not think thatThis is an old tree that can no longer bear a harvest. In fact, even apple trees, having an age of up to 10 years, may face this problem. If you perform medical procedures, the overgrowth of the hollow occurs quickly. Healing depends on the general condition of the plant, the size of the lesion. Full preservation of the tree is possible if the problem is detected early.
To treat hollows, you must perform a sweepdead wood, as well as treatment of the interior with fungicidal means. The component allows to remove microbes with disinfection of the wood surface. The crack is eliminated by a small chipped brick, cement mortar or foam. Do the work in autumn after harvest. During this period, the exchange slows down, so the procedure will be easily transferred by the damaged tree. If the treatment is performed correctly, it will be possible to cure most plants in the apple orchard.
Preparation and removal of the hollow
How to seal a hollow in the apple tree? First you need to clean the bark near the damage. For this you can take a sharp knife. It is important to remove rotten and flaking cortical structures. Damage sealing should be performed after cleaning the hollow inside the apple tree. At this time, you should remove the rotten parts of the apple tree. Thanks to this, it will be possible to protect the tree from rotting processes inside.
It is necessary to disinfect the painfulsite. For this purpose, 3% dissolved in water, copper sulfate. The substance in the amount of 300 g should be diluted in water (1 liter). Suitable for disinfection and 5% remedy. It must be diluted in water, adding 1 part of the substance to 1 liter of liquid. After the drying of the hollow, it is necessary to prepare for the filling of the seals and sealing. If you perform treatment with such means, you will destroy the fungus and microorganisms, leading to decay of apple tissue.
Suitable are heteroauxin-containing drugs,which are used for processing the inside of the trunk. This allows you to disinfect and improve the growth of apple trees. In addition, this leads to faster healing of lesions. The hollow usually grows in 6-8 months, if everything is done correctly.
Use of cement
How to seal a hollow in an apple tree with cement? This will require:
- Scraper made of steel and chisel.
- Iron vitriol - packing.
- Soft brush.
- Cement.
- Sifted sand.
- Red bricks - 1-2 pcs.
- Olifa.
- Latex gloves.
- Trowel.
- Gauze bandage.
The procedure is as follows:
- Scraper and chisel need to clean the inside of the hole.
- A 5% disinfectant solution should be prepared. To do this, pour 4 tsp. vitriol in 0.4 liters of warm water and carefully place.
- You need to put on gloves and a bandage, and then with a brush you can treat the inner part of the tree with the created antiseptic.
- After drying the hollow, fill it with a finely broken brick.
- In a basin it is necessary to mix cement (liter bank) andsand (3 kg). Gradually, you need to pour in water, mixing the solution. When the composition in the form of thick sour cream is obtained, it is necessary to pour in linseed oil (1 tablespoon) and mix again.
- The solution is poured into the hole.
- The seal should not be above the bark, so before drying, excess cement should be removed with a trowel and smooth the surface with your hand.
- After 6 days, the seal should be covered with oil paint (2 layers).
If the damage is large, the reinforcement is reinforced with chunkssteel wire or plaster mesh. If you are interested in how to seal a hollow in an apple with clay, you should use this instruction, using only the appropriate solution.
Treatment of old apple trees
How to eliminate the damage on the old apple tree? This is a difficult task. Apple trees can be struck at 1-1.5 meters. It is necessary to carry out disinfecting measures, as for a young tree. Then the horticulturist must be closed up with a quality hollow. If the procedure did not lead to a positive result, then you should dig up the old apple tree, which has damage. In order not to lose the future harvest, a young seedling should be planted on the site of the uprooted plant.
Cracks appear on young and old plants. If you properly treat the damage, then the problem disappears quickly. After that, the tree can again bring a rich harvest.