tree damage

moneyistooshorttomention

Just discovered a branch had substantially broken off a young apple tree I have, when I wondered why it was hanging down at an angle.

I cant think of any reason as to why that could be. What could have caused this?

It is still a very young tree, with pretty flexible thin branches. This particular branch had one small apple on it (so not down to branch being overloaded). Weather hasn't had a gale or anything recently, so its not down to that.

a. What cause could there be for this please then in this case? Can these things just happen for no visible reason?

b. I've cut the broken branch off and hope the tree will recover okay. Is there anything I need to do to ensure it does recover alright?

wallbash

a) don't know

b) give it time, it will be fine.

But would be thinking of having a hard look at the 'now' shape of the tree.
Would be easier to have a hard prune next winter to rectify the proportions

scottishblondie

I would hazard a guess that a bird or other animal sat on it and broke it. I've seen some extremely overweight pigeons try to sit on really tiny branches, and it usually doesn't end well for the branch! As wallbash said, it will be fine in time.

wellused

I don't want to usurp your thread but this reminds me of my wormery, it is sited behind my shed on the allotment and one morning I discovered that a piece of the plastic lid had been broken there was a hole about the size of your fist, first I though vandalism but no sign of any other damage, then maybe someone had thrown a stone from the public road about 30 foot behind my shed and scored a lucky strike but no sign of a stone, then I thought that maybe the day before when I inspected the worms I had stepped on the lid as it lay on the floor but surely I would have noticed this, the broke lid is a mystery unless a magpie or crow or some other largish animal had attacked the lid to get at the juicy worms inside. Who knows what goes on when no one is about? Sorry to go off topic.

moneyistooshorttomention

Raised a little smile from me about whether it was a Sumo Wrestler size bird. There's plenty of birds of various descriptions round here, including seagulls. Now wondering if seagulls like immature apples and were trying for a meal for themselves. I've seen some blackbirds trying to make a meal of some of my soft fruit and scared them off their hoped-for snack sharpish..

As for wormeries, I've got one and have been religiously "feeding" it, but when I turn the tap at the bottom hoping for some of that nutrient-rich liquid they are supposed to produce, I haven't had a drop and hence wondering whether all my worms in it have emigrated and that's the reason. Am trying to summons up my nerve and a spare pair of rubber gloves to try and literally "get to the bottom of it" to check and see.