Wire Marks

cquinn

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I've got some wire marks on a Crabapple that I purchased earlier this year at the apex. It came shipped to me with wire on it. I took off the wire and the only marks were those at the apex, as it was heavily contorted. They don't seem to be doing any better, and I love this tree. Does anyone have any experience on how to handle this besides hiding it with foliage. I thought about just working them to make it look like natural scarring which wouldn't look out of place with this little knarley tree, but I don't know. Thanks for the help!
 

cquinn

Shohin
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If the marks aren't too bad, I wouldn't worry. Why don't you upload a couple of pics so we can see what you mean?

Chris

I'll try to take some pics later when I get home. The marks are pretty deep though.
 

rockm

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"I took off the wire and the only marks were those at the apex, as it was heavily contorted. They don't seem to be doing any better, and I love this tree. Does anyone have any experience on how to handle this besides hiding it with foliage."

Plant it out in some akadama mix :D:D in a large container let it go for two or three seasons. Apple are relatively easy to grow this kind of damage out of (although wire marks never really completely disappear). Planting it out in the larger container (or, better, in the ground) will allow new growth above the scars to fill out the cambium faster and more fully than in a small container.

This could take a couple of years, since the plant isn't really filling those scars in as much as it's growing around them. Allow as much growth as possible on the scarred branches and dont' prune it. When the damage has been masked, hard prune the branches back.

Oh, good luck with the borers (if you've got an apple, you've probably got alot of bugs and there are borers in your future)....:D
 

cquinn

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"I took off the wire and the only marks were those at the apex, as it was heavily contorted. They don't seem to be doing any better, and I love this tree. Does anyone have any experience on how to handle this besides hiding it with foliage."

Plant it out in some akadama mix :D:D in a large container let it go for two or three seasons. Apple are relatively easy to grow this kind of damage out of (although wire marks never really completely disappear). Planting it out in the larger container (or, better, in the ground) will allow new growth above the scars to fill out the cambium faster and more fully than in a small container.

This could take a couple of years, since the plant isn't really filling those scars in as much as it's growing around them. Allow as much growth as possible on the scarred branches and dont' prune it. When the damage has been masked, hard prune the branches back.

Oh, good luck with the borers (if you've got an apple, you've probably got alot of bugs and there are borers in your future)....:D

So, keep it separated from my pines is what you are saying.
 

Attila Soos

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Nothing to worry about these wire marks. As the branch thickens, the wiremarks become a textural feature on the bark. You can mask these marks by slightly scarring the branch (create a number of inch-long scars along the branch, not too deep, so the branch doesn't swell, these scars should cross the wire marks). Using this scarring method, the wire marks become much less obvious, as the bark on the branch ages.
 

rockm

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"So, keep it separated from my pines is what you are saying."

I'm saying you will most likely have BIG bug problems with your apple.

It is the only tree I've ever kept (have since sold my only one off) that required repeated pre-emptive spraying of insecticide AND fungicide in the spring. Apples will draw every manner of sucking and chewing insect in your neighborhood. Borers are almost inevitable. You must also be wary of mice in the winter, as they can destroy an apple in winter storage pretty damn quickly by chewing off the bark BELOW the mulch line. You won't even seen the little BA$#!%^ do the damage. Spring will roll around and the tree doesn't leaf out...

All these bugs probably won't bother your other plants, and in fact may draw some insects away from the tougher trees in your collection.

I sold off a very nice collected apple after battling these issues for years. Beautiful tree, alot of work. Oh, good luck with the flowering if it's not a crab apple...:)
 

Attila Soos

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It's funny, my apples (I have around 10 differend kinds) never have any problems, except the occasional aphid infestation, and even that, just for a short time.

I guess it all depends on the geograpical area and climate one lives in.
 

rockm

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Again, Attila, hot, humid east coast weather is a big contributor to my problems with apple, oh I used the "big" apple species, not crabs. Fruiting apples tend to be extreme bug magnets. I learned that in High School as one of my best friends dad owned a big orchard. He sprayed for just about everything. Respect those smooth skinned, unblemished red apples in the grocery store. They take ALOT of work and skill to produce.
 

Tieball

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Nothing to worry about these wire marks. As the branch thickens, the wiremarks become a textural feature on the bark. You can mask these marks by slightly scarring the branch (create a number of inch-long scars along the branch, not too deep, so the branch doesn't swell, these scars should cross the wire marks). Using this scarring method, the wire marks become much less obvious, as the bark on the branch ages.

Do you happen to have any photos of this technique?
 
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