I got this pink lady semi dwarf last fall on an end of the year clearance deal. When it came out of dormancy it only leafed out on one side and only the bottom half of the tree was alive. So I cut out all the dead then noticed it had a split down the whole trunk and one half had died. What is the best solution? I feel like it will break in half under its own weight if it ever does manage to grow new branches and fruit.
If I cut the whole thing off below the damage but above the graft would it survive and grow into a tree shape? I don’t really want to replace the entire tree because I already have 6 other apple trees I only planted this one because it was cheap and a variety I didn’t already have. Now that it’s here and in this condition I’m happy to try saving it in some way as a learning experience.