Callous growth on Crepe Myrtle

[melbrackstone]

I remember asking my doc if my 2 year old son was ever going to keep his hands out of the front of his pants, and he said no, that's the fiddle gene. Ain't nuffin gonna stop that. Well, it seems I'm the one who gave it to him, cos I just can't stop fiddling with my trees.

What I'd like to get some feedback on, if possible, is will it help the tree to callous over if I stop root-pruning and repotting every year? Or maybe I should let the tree just grow new long branches for a year or so? *gasp!*

This CM had a stump when I bought it, and one of the helpful masters up here in Brisvegas decided to carve it as a pretty little vulva. I figured it wasn't my thing, so I carved it away, then started trying to grow back the trunk. You can see from the pics it's started, but it's got a LONG way to go.

Can anyone give me some hints on what I should be, or should NOT be doing to give it a push?

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[shibui]

Letting the tree grow will help heal over a scar. The more growth the more the trunk thickens and its that trunk growth that closes wounds.

Looks like you have already sealed the wound. I find that sealed wounds heal over faster than those open to the air.

I've seen mention of lightly carving the inside of the callus annually to increase healing but I'm not so sure that helps.

[melbrackstone]

I've seen mention of lightly carving the inside of the callus annually to increase healing but I'm not so sure that helps.

Thanks Neil, that's what I did last year, and it appears to have activated the callous again, and I sealed it with that Japanese green liquid whose name I can't quite recall, which has also done its job. Looks like I just need to let it grow then, and stop fiddling!

Cheers!

[alpineart]

Hi mel , I have one that has been healing for near 10 years , they were 30-50mm branches chopped off so they are big scars . I haven't let the tree get out of control which as Shibui said would have slowed the healing process through lack of growth .

Very nice semi cascade by the way .

Cheers Ian

[melbrackstone]

Thanks Ian, looks like I'm in this for the long haul.....lol.

[Kevin]

Hello Mel,

I'm by no means a scientist, but i have done a lot of reading and had experience, in particular with a Chinese Elm which was heavily scared after a thorough pruning. I have many chemical fertilizers which are left overs from my hydroponic days, one of which was Calcium Nitrate Ca(NO3)2. I decided that it was about time to alternate from my regular blend of fertilizer and try the Ca(NO3)2. Well, i continued with the Ca(NO3)2 on a weekly basis of 2 tablespoons per 9 litres water in the watering can for several months. My observations from my regular fert to the Calcium fert was an incredible development in the healing and rolling over of the wounds, almost in front of my eyes.

I would also like to stress to all about the importance of 2 to 3 chemicals which are often overlooked by enthusiasts of potted culture. These being Calcium, Magnesium and a little lesser Sulfur (be careful with this one). Ca and Mg are so important for plant growth and development and can be and often is deficient in potted medium and water supply. Many of the pre packaged fertilizers sold in shops as complete fertilizer don't have Ca or Mg whatsoever. So be mindful of checking the ingredients of your ferts before buying them.

I've attached below a small summary of information relating to Ca and Mg and potted culture to support my above observations and statement. I hope this helps with your situation.

https://www.trees.com/gardening-and-lan ... for-plants

Kevin

[melbrackstone]

Thanks Kevin, much appreciated. I'll start reading now.

[kcpoole]

what about grafting a few small branches next to it to speed up the rollover, If you have several smaller ones a sacrifices you can remove each and have smaller scars later on?

Ken

[melbrackstone]

Thanks Ken, I don't know that I have the skills with grafting to not mess it up even more, but I'll consider it! Cheers.

[delisea]

Hi Mel,

I am having the same issue with a crepe myrtle. Bjorn suggests that you scrape the edge of the callous and then cover it with cut paste. I have been doing for years with very slow progress. One detail that I have been missing is that you need to do the scraping every six weeks or so during the growing season to encourage the plant to keep repairing the wound. I am doing it that way this year but it is too early in the season to know if it works.

The type of cut paste might have an influence. Some have a growth hormone that is supposed to encourage growth of the callous. Look up the Kanshin website and they have both types. https://kaneshin.shop2.multilingualcart ... Y_155.html

Sweet tree BTW.
Cheers,
Symon

[melbrackstone]

Thanks Symon, I'll look into that. I have used the No 154 for years, but not rescarring every six weeks. At the moment the wound is sealed with Kiricuchi-naori, which seems to have helped somewhat, and I also have some of the Kiyonal, but haven't tried that on this wound.

I only repotted this tree back in July, and it's powering away now, but it's also warmed up at last, so a fresh scarring might be worth trying, since it's clearly growing strongly atm. As you can see, it's a huge wound, so it's going to take quite awhile. If I can shorten that time with extra fiddling, then I reckon I might have to....lol.