Bark damage pic #1

Bark damage pic #2

Bark damage #1 -- looks like someone cut off branch too close. Leave it be.

Bark damage #2 -- bark is dead because underlying wood is dead. Leave it be. If tree fails, replant if desired.

So...do nothing and hope it lives?

Jean is correct, there is actually nothing you can do to repair the bark damage. Cut away all the rootstock suckers, which as sapping your cultivar's growth (anything you see with "leaves of three" are the trifoliate rootstock). Mulch well around the base of the tree, just make sure the mulch is 3" to 4" away from the trunk. Fertilize well 4 times a year and let your tree grow as best it can. Not a good candidate for grafting with all that bark damage. But, it has a pretty, architectural form, so I would encourage it to grow.

Patty S.

Thanks, Patty :)

If you are feeling adventurous you might want to try grafting the top of the tree to some of those suckers.

That way if the main trunk fails then you have another healthy tree growing off of the suckers.

Could be Psorosis; most common in older trees; no cure available. If it were my tree, I would paint the trunk with white latex paint diuted 1 to 1 with water to at least protect it from sunburn.