Hi there, hoping you can help – a week ago, I accidentally stripped a piece of bark from the lower trunk of our 5 year old wisteria (I was attempting to pull a lower twig off – I know I should have used snips), and would like to know if I should repair the stripped area, and if so, how? You can see the Wisteria and the damage inset into the image.
Dear gardener, thank you for offering this question to the Toronto Master Gardeners.
My most reassuring comment to you is that wisterias are very hardy. You also seem to have damaged less than 25% of the bark. This means that your wisteria will probably survive despite the damage.
This short article from the Morton Arboretum in Illinois offers the following advice: “The injured bark should be removed carefully, leaving healthy bark that is sound and tight to the wood. A wound dressing (tree paint) is not necessary. You will be able to observe the wound closing from the edges each year as the tree grows.”
Just so that you have this as a future reference, the Ontario chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture’s website is where we usually direct people to help them locate a qualified arborist in their area.
You already know that you should have used snips to remove the branch you did not want, so all I can add is that you should also make sure the snips are really clean so that you are not transferring viruses and fungi between plants. Happy growing.
June 2, 2024