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The bark splitting you've noticed is called frost cracking and it is usually on the south or southwest side of a young tree. The injury happens during the winter when the sun shining on the bark heats it up. Then when the sun sets or even just goes behind a cloud, the temperature of the bark drops rapidly and the sudden change in temperature causes the bark to crack. Once the injury has occurred, there isn't much you can do except try to minimize any other stresses on the tree as it heals. And it's surprising how much the trunk can be injured and the tree still thrives and eventually closes over the wound. To prevent this from happening in the future (or to worsen on your already cracked tree), wrap the trunk with tree wrap tape (available from a garden store) or put on white plastic spiral trunk protectors. Cover the trunk in late fall and remove the covering in spring. Once the tree is 4 or 5 years old, its bark has usually toughened up enough that you don't need to wrap the trunk. |
