Plum tree

Does anyone spray their plum tree. If so what do you use? At the very bottom of my tree it looks like it is cracking. I also have scratch marks on it. I am sure the neighbors cat maybe causing the scratch marks but the crack is about 6" long and is at the bottom of the tree. I would really hate to lose the tree. It has made a few plums the last few years. Any advice on spraying and what to spray would really be helpful. Thanks. I live in Texas.

Hate to sound like a broken record, but your county extension agent is the place to start. For the million summer probelems (insects and fungi) the simplest solution to buy a bottle of home orcahrd sparay and follow the directions. Of ten time, plums are attacked by borers, This requires a more potent insecticide, on the trunk and around the base of the tree, just as it breaks dormancy. The county agent will know whats reccommended for Texas. A dormant oil spray will also help with things like scale. In most places plums require quite a bit of preventive maintenance

Take close-up photos to show your county agent. You might be closer to the county agent in Conroe, but I've included both the Montgoery and Harris County agent information.

You didn't mention the age of your plum tree, but as plum trees age, the trunk will develop vertical stretch marks that might have the appearance of cracks. As for the cats, once they have left their scent marks on the trunks, they will continue to scratch the tree. You may want to put a temporary cage around the trunk at least until they go elsewhere. Make sure the cats can't get through the cage.

In this area, dormant spray is usually all that is needed. I don't know if the drought we are having could have caused the crack. It might have if you didn't water the tree on a regular basis. I live in Fayette County slightly southeast of Austin.

http://montgomery-tx.tamu.edu/
http://agdirectory.tamu.edu/dept_detail.cfm?id=212&table_id=4.0