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Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) + Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) diagnosis requested.

elymus.caninus8Kk34u1belymus.caninus8Kk34u1b Posts: 3
in Problem solving

Hi. I have a problem with the appearance of plants.

I will ask for an opinion. Are these cracks on the bark of the lilac tree (Syringa vulgaris) normal or a disease:

At first they were narrow cracks like in this photo (there are only few on this bush):

The bushes were planted last year (seedlings about 50 cm) Apart from these cracks, the bushes look healthy, have large growths, are blooming.

I noticed similar cracks today on a thickest/oldest stems of a hazel tree (Corylus avellana), which was planted 2 or 3 years ago (this bush is slow growing comparing to my lilacs).

I don't know if the cracks on both plants are caused by the same factors, but maybe it will be a clue for someone who will answer me (normal or a disease). Im from Central Europe, Poland, zone 6. Clay soil, regular watering (if needed).

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Did you have a very cold winter? Cracking in bark can be caused by very cold weather followed by a thaw. It can also be caused by hot dry weather followed by a lot of rain.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I have an old Cotoneaster that has split at the base. I think it has also been caused by the weather condtions. One side looks healthy and is growing well. The other side the sap didn't rise properly and it has slowly died.
    It would seen that your shrub is trying it's best to recover, I think you can only wait to see.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • elymus.caninus8Kk34u1belymus.caninus8Kk34u1b Posts: 3
    Thank you for the answers. The winter was mild. But last year there were period of dry weather followed by lots of (artificial) rain (when I got back from vacation and started watering).
    I noticed the first narrow cracks last year (I don't remember exactly when: in autumn or winter).
  • elymus.caninus8Kk34u1belymus.caninus8Kk34u1b Posts: 3
    I'v sliced that stem a bit.

    Looks like cracks are not interconnected inside deeper layers of wood.
    I think Crosssection also looks good.
    I was a little scared because from the outside it looks similar to fungus Anisogramma anomala (Anisogramma anomala's host is only the European hazelnut), so I thought it was some kind of fungus, but since the cracks are not interconnected, maybe there is some defect related to uneven development.
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