splitting bark on Bearss Lime

[lemons4us]

My Bearss Lime that is spending the winter in the laundry room under lights has newly split bark on the trunk. I think perhaps I wasn't careful enough when watering to make sure I didn't accidentally sprinkle the trunk? Or perhaps the damp potting medium was too close to trunk?
Overall, the tree is healthy, but I'm very concerned about bugs/fungi/disease damage for future (it does live outside when the weather warms up).
Please advise?

[brian]

I’ve never seen anything like that, I have absolutely no idea what could have caused it.  I have something like forty container citrus and not encountered this

[countryboy1981]

I believe it is freeze damage.  My trees will get that after a very cold winter.

[countryboy1981]

Let me say not to that extent.  This was after our super cold 17 winter where I lost the top of my trees over my soil mounds.  Limes are the least hardy trees and a very susceptable to cold temps.

[Bomand]

This is cold damage. Sometimes it does not show till the Spring. Very damaging to a tree. If the bark damage is severe somstimes an in arch will save it.

[lemons4us]

It's not freeze or cold damage - it lives in my laundry room during the cold months and it's only happened recently. So far, it doesn't seem to be impacting the health of the tree, but I'm sure it's not good for it - especially when it will get moved outside when the weather warms sufficiently.

I'm considering wrapping it with this - thoughts/advice?

[poncirsguy]

don't wrap.  It will hold moisture and pathogens against the tree.  Paint with latex white paint thinned by 50% water if you do anything

[Millet]

I can see why Poncirusguy advises painting the split, because it was long thought that painting the split was beneficial and gave some protection.  However, research has shown covering with either tar or paint is not effective in healing bark splits. From the pictures you posted the splitting does not look to be caused by phytopthria.  At this point if it was my tree I would watch it and presently do nothing. Bark splitting on lime trees is not all that rare.  One last comment, did your lime tree go through a period of drought then a period of watering?

[lemons4us]

Thank you, Millet.
For now I will not do anything to the bark. Good to know I don’t need to panic. I don’t think the tree was too dry, but I did realize that the mix was drier than I’d wanted it to be after a couple months living indoors (harder to soak it well). I ended up adding a tiny bit of dish soap to the water to mitigate surface tension as water was running right through. Do you think it got too much water? Leaves didn’t yellow or drop, but it does look like it’s “bursting at the seams”. I actually just watered it again as the mix was too dry...

[Millet]

Lemons4us wrote....." I wasn't careful enough when watering to make sure I didn't accidentally sprinkle the trunk? Or perhaps the damp potting medium was too. close to trunk."  For a container grown tree using the medium you are using, you do not have to worry about this at all. 

[lemons4us]

Thanks Millet, that's helpful to know.