Hello, I have a pink flowering dogwood tree(cornus florida Rosea) that some of the bark was scraped off. Its a new tree, planted for about 6 weeks. The bark loss is about 1/3 of the circumference of the tree in one spot. How can I best protect the tree to enable its survival? I have read about using a tree paint or possibly grafting, but the tree is probably too small to find a good branch. |
A healthy tree will seal the wound and eventually callous over the damage. If you use wound dressing or tree paint you'll be interfering with the process so I don't recommend their use. If you're concerned about damaging the tree again, or if you're concerned about insect or disease problems you can place a tree guard or other temporary barrier around that portion of the trunk. Tree guards are perforated plastic strips that are rolled around the trunk of a tree to protect it from sunscald. Placing one around the trunk of your tree will help protect the wound until it has a chance to heal itself. Holes allow for good air circulation which will also help the damaged part heal. Best wishes with your dogwood. |