Thanks to the excellent answer i received when i first posed a question about this i have noticed numerous small red ants by the trunk of the tree. the tree has been almost entirely "girdled" just above where it enters the ground. not sure if this is from the ants or something else. is there any good repair to the girdled area that might allow the tree to repair itself ?
2007-06-21 02:06:06 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Ants are a secondary infestation. That means that they could not have girdled your tree. Carpenter ants nest in decaying wood; they do not have the digestive system of termites to consume wood fibers.
Very often I see trees with mounded mulch on their trunks. Often times this is taken to extreme measures and the mulch is piled high enough to look like a volcano at the base of the tree. Mulch holds moisture against the bark of the tree. Tree bark protects a tree from disease and insects, but it is not designed to be constantly in contact with moist mulch/soil like roots. Ultimately the bark rots & girdles the tree. If you have had mulch piled on the base of your tree for an extended period of time, then this may have girdled your tree.
Even short term, mulch against the base of the tree can encourage insect damage. The tree could have been girdled by a boring insect as fluffernut has suggested. That's why it's so important to pull mulch back away from the base of your trees and shrubs.
Another possiblity is voles. Winters with long term snow cover encourages voles to feed on the cambium of shrubs and young trees, often times girdling them. If you live where there is consistant snow cover & you have voles, place hardware cloth (wire mesh) around the base of your shrubs & young trees.
As to repair of a girdled tree, no, there is nothing you can do to repair the tree. Some very vigorous trees can repair the damage on their own (native ash trees in Illinois). There is a chance that your tree could recover, but this injury will slow its growth and possibly disfigure the tree. It's best to replace the tree.
2007-06-22 23:56:20 · answer #1 · answered by A Well Lit Garden 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chances are you've had borers inside the tree which as girdled tree from inside. If you have multiple years experience in grafting you could do a girdle graft from above the borers activity down to the roots. I doubt but only a handful of people to could do that successfully on a cherry tree. I'm not one!
The ants could be carpenter ants eating the wood...or even termites.
Once you have been hit by the peach tree borer (yes they go to cherries as well) breaking the cycle is difficult. Through pheromone traps you can monitor when the moth is about and spray the lower part of the tree to prevent reinfestation. However, the damage to the tree may be too great already.
You might also check up on the limbs. Trees in trouble also attrack shot hole borers that bore into the limbs. Their holes look like shot gun damage. Only cure for these is to remove the infected limbs since the wood is damaged internally and will not support good limb activity in the future.
If the tree dies, do not plant another stone fruit (cherry, peach, nectarine, plum) since the borers are already vectored into your yard. Wait a few years. Times past we've had insecticides that would provide a 90 day protection for the trees against the borers. Not any more. All we can do now is monitor the peach tree borers flight with traps and then treat the trees right before the girls start laying their eggs.
2007-06-21 02:38:14 · answer #2 · answered by fluffernut 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Northern Star cherries are susceptible to over watering. The cracking and peeling of bark at the base of your tree is a good indicator of this. You should plant your tree in the ground. Check first that you have good drainage; for example, clay soil will not drain properly. Amend the soil with compost. There are several rot and virus diseases that affect cherries, and it's difficult to assess the health of your tree here. Take a cutting to a good garden center to have it evaluated. The spider webs could be a caterpillar infestation. Your tree may be alive if it has some green, or could be in the process of dying--check to see if the roots are healthy. Finally, you can return it or exchange the tree for a healthy one--might be your best option.
2016-05-21 09:46:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have some ants on a cherry tree, but they are not killing the tree. They are milking the aphids on the tree like little cows. These are black ants.
2007-06-21 02:16:16 · answer #4 · answered by Zelda Hunter 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wood glue actually works wonders in this case. It seals the sap in the tree and acts like an artificial bark.
2007-06-21 02:09:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋