Plum Tree Bark Question - Ask Extension
My twelve year old toka plum tree's bark has changed in one spot. Some of the bark is coming away from the tree on the main trunk. There is minor crac...
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Plum Tree Bark Question #893589
Asked March 04, 2025, 12:37 PM EST
My twelve year old toka plum tree's bark has changed in one spot. Some of the bark is coming away from the tree on the main trunk. There is minor cracking underneath. I can see no signs of worms or bugs. Any diagnosis and treatment advice?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
There isn’t anything to be done except to carefully prune or cut away the loose bark if you can do it without injuring healthy bark. Once the ground thaws, water your tree and make sure it gets an inch of water per week until the ground freezes in late fall.
Thank you for the advice! I have removed the dead bark. Is there any particular reason this happens? We have three fruit trees, this being the oldest. I'm trying to learn how to care for them well.
A
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-stone-fruits-home-garden
From a previously answered question
“Split bark, or vertical cracks along the lower tree stem of young trees, most commonly occurs on thin-barked trees like plum trees. Cracks can become long-term open wounds that are more susceptible to wood-boring insects, fungal diseases and wood decay. Sunscald occurs when the cambium cells under the bark heat up during sunny winter day. Sudden extremely cold temperatures at night following warm periods kill cambium cells in the trunk. Long, vertical cracks or scars due to frost may form on the lower trunk, usually on the trunk’s southern or western side. Unfortunately, there is nothing that you can do when this happens.”
Plum trees are also short lived trees in an urban setting. Your tree was also planted too deeply and unfortunately that will affect its longevity. There isn’t anything that can be done unless one has an air knife or is willing to excavate the root zone by hand. Excavating may not have any effect either so it can be a lot of work for little gain.
https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/d/11253/files/2025/01/BarkSplitting.pdf
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/shedding-peeling-and-splitting-bark-shade-trees
From a previously answered question
“Split bark, or vertical cracks along the lower tree stem of young trees, most commonly occurs on thin-barked trees like plum trees. Cracks can become long-term open wounds that are more susceptible to wood-boring insects, fungal diseases and wood decay. Sunscald occurs when the cambium cells under the bark heat up during sunny winter day. Sudden extremely cold temperatures at night following warm periods kill cambium cells in the trunk. Long, vertical cracks or scars due to frost may form on the lower trunk, usually on the trunk’s southern or western side. Unfortunately, there is nothing that you can do when this happens.”
Plum trees are also short lived trees in an urban setting. Your tree was also planted too deeply and unfortunately that will affect its longevity. There isn’t anything that can be done unless one has an air knife or is willing to excavate the root zone by hand. Excavating may not have any effect either so it can be a lot of work for little gain.
https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/d/11253/files/2025/01/BarkSplitting.pdf
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/shedding-peeling-and-splitting-bark-shade-trees
