Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin

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ritamax

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Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« on: June 13, 2012, 04:28:13 PM »
I had a call from my keyholder from Spain telling, that the bark of a newly planted Albizia julibrissin has awful looking damages. As there have been tenants and I have only this photo, I cannot really figure out, what could it be? Children, animals, fungus, bacteria? Any ideas?
Hobbygardener (MGS member) with a rooftop garden in Basel and a garden on heavy clay with sand 600m from seaside in Costa Blanca South (precipitation 300mm), learning to garden waterwise

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MikeHardman

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2012, 09:12:09 PM »
looks like impact damage to me, rita
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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ritamax

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2012, 12:10:18 PM »
Thanks, must be the tenant's children (they deny it, of course)... Is it fatal? Should I protect the bark somehow?
Hobbygardener (MGS member) with a rooftop garden in Basel and a garden on heavy clay with sand 600m from seaside in Costa Blanca South (precipitation 300mm), learning to garden waterwise

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MikeHardman

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2012, 01:29:50 PM »
If it is impact damage (and I'm going on what a car did to my rowan in the front garden a few years back (in the UK)), it may not be immediately fatal. But even it the wound does heal, it will be open for some years, which may allow disease to enter; and the physical strength of the timer will be impaired, rendering it more liable to break in a storm. Etc... 
So I would say its health has been compromised, but you'll have to just see how it goes.
If you wait a few months, you should see the true extent of the damage (dead bark should be more obvious). You could carefully remove loose and poorly-attached bark then paint over the area with wound paint. But opinions differ on the effectiveness of that. I don't use it any more.

You could also keep an eye out for suckers or new shoots arising from below the wounds.
In the past I have been successful (with a weeping pear that was almost ring-barked by canker) in taking a new low shoot and inarching it (type of grafting) above the wound. That provided the top growth with a second trunk, in effect, which in turn allowed the tree to regain strength in general and to recover. I had cut out the canker from the original trunk, and now (20 years later) both trunks have grown coalesced and you'd never know the near-death experience the tree had had.
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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ritamax

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2012, 09:08:50 AM »
Thanks for the detailed infos, Mike! Wound paint seems to be out of fashion in general, but someone said grafting wax could be an option. The tree stands sunny and airy, so I will probably just wait and see and hope for the best. Perhaps I will use telepathy and send good affirmations from Basel and in Spain I will certainly have a encouraging chat with it every day (just kidding).
Hobbygardener (MGS member) with a rooftop garden in Basel and a garden on heavy clay with sand 600m from seaside in Costa Blanca South (precipitation 300mm), learning to garden waterwise

David Bracey

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2012, 06:29:20 PM »
Ritamax, my advice would to cut off the dead and damaged bark.  You should then pare back the bark until you see the cambium.  This is a single cell layer which is bright green.  It is the dividing layer.  Paring back triggers the cambium to divide leading to callousing of the wound. It can be quite rapid.

I think wound paint is another product to sell to the unsuspecting.  Not sure if it does any good.
MGS member.

 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

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ritamax

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Re: Bark damages on Albizia julibrissin
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2012, 11:30:32 AM »
Thank you, David! I will print out the instructions, and if it looks very alarming, I will go on with it, as there is nothing to lose then. At the moment I might be too scared to try it (no experience with trees!). The poor thing is leaning a lot, so it definitely looks like someone has hit or kicked it. It has nice new leaves and it has flowered already for the first time (didn't see it though).
Hobbygardener (MGS member) with a rooftop garden in Basel and a garden on heavy clay with sand 600m from seaside in Costa Blanca South (precipitation 300mm), learning to garden waterwise