MariannaMiller
1368495473
Posted 1398524074
Reply with quote #1
I have some 6-7 year old fig plants which pretty much died back to the ground this winter. I see lots of shoots coming up from the ground and know that I have a good and likely undamaged root system. I have not pruned back the dead growth at the top as when I cut into the wood, while not green, it does not look positively dead either so I decided to wait and see if new buds would appear on some of the older wood and then to prune back the rest. Now I am starting to see the major trunks at the bottom starting to get vertical splits about 3"-4" in length and oozing small amounts of sap. I am not sure as to what I should do at this point. So far no signs of insect damage but the sweet sap has to be an open invitation to ants, bees and every other pest and disease in the neighborhood. Suggestions please? We are discussing celeste and brunswick/magnolia which are pretty old hardy varieties. My smaller trees which were totally buried came through the winter without damage but these bushes were too large to bury.
fignutty
1374034473
Posted 1398525048
Reply with quote #2
I'd cut off all that damaged wood while you still have room. The longer you wait the more the new growth will be in the way. On mine the damaged wood never sprouts shoots so might as well be gone.
newnandawg
1344130335
Posted 1398525226
Reply with quote #3
I had many to die this winter and three that split as you described. I cut the dead wood off as low as possible.
paully22
1195324538
Posted 1398526465
Reply with quote #4
Cut off all dead wood. I would not fertilize. My experience is that with no root mass damage, it is much active feeding & actively pushing new growth, the new wood from ground will take off so crazily with stretchy nodes. I find stretchy nodes does not harden as well as nodes that are closer.
GeneDaniels
1384021772
Posted 1398527315
Reply with quote #5
The way I have learned to tell if it is really dead is to pour water on the wood, if while wet it looks deep green, it will probably still send out shoots. If it stays brown, even when wet, it is dead.
Seven trees in the ground : Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow. Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?
Chivas
1283819505
Posted 1398529254
Reply with quote #6
Gene that seems to work as an idicator for me as well, then when I see other trees with swelling buds I slowly cut back at the shoots until i see sap running, then maybe cut back another inch or so. The only problem with doing the cutting back if the buds have no broken is that the cut may dry up too much and crack which has happened to me this year on several trees.
Aaron4USA
1375832059
Posted 1398533569
Reply with quote #7
Marianna, scratch the eye parts (where the new sprouting would appear usually) on the dead branches, see if there is still green under dark flakes of the potentially sprouting part, you'll know if the entire branch is dead when you scratch and see nothing green underneath.
