How To Repair A Broken Branch On A Fruit Tree
How to gear up a tree with a split torso from current of air damage
Dec 15th, 2009
Readers of this web log will know that my favorite tree is my forest pansy redbud, indeed the related posts you'll find at the bottom of this missive will betoken to the other blog posts where I have mentioned it. I love this tree because information technology has spring interest, in the form of the standard pink redbud blossoms, just it too has a somewhat unique purple colored leaf that creates squeamish involvement in the summer every bit well.
I wanted ane of these probably for 2 years before finding and buying one, and then, dorsum in early October, disaster struck! A wind storm heavily, heavily, damaged the tree. Splitting the trunk in ii places.
In retrospect going out and looking at the damage, it was bound to happen, the tree had grown so well that some limbs obviously outweighed the strength of their junction with the trunk, it should have had some preventative pruning washed, but I was busy being a new dad.
Some people, when a tree is damaged like that, would but cut it down. If they recollect it'll never be perfectly shaped again, they don't want it. I personally think a tree that survives damage will have more character and be more interesting, plus, I did say information technology was my favorite tree, so I decided to repair it.
When faced with this sort of damage you actually take two options, yous tin attempt to mend the split, which is possible when it is a 50/50 dissever or shut to and in that location is still substantial amounts in tact on both sides. Or, if one side is severely weaker, information technology may not be able to be saved and so you lot'll have to trim information technology up and make it as make clean every bit possible. I had to exercise both.
The flick above is of the upper torso split, this one you'll find is actually severe with no structural integrity left on the right side. Trees do all of their physiology in the sparse green moist layer right beneath the bark (xylem, cambium, and phloem layers, sometimes just called cambium) then if in that location isn't enough bark area left to sustain the dissever branch, it'll die. If you're a few hours or a day after the impairment and the leaves are wilting, you lot'll know in that location isn't plenty cambium left. You might be able to do some heavy pruning so that the remaining foliage is amend matched to the remaining cambium, but chances are you simply need to cutting the limb off.
So, for the damage shown to a higher place, the leaves were already wilting and the structure was and so evidently compromised, so I cut the limb off, as cleanly as I could.
The above picture is of the lower trunk split. This is the first branching point of the torso, the outset main scaffold branch split off. In this example though the prognosis was much improve, the leaves had not wilted in the least (and I was easily 8-10 hours after the storm) there was still structure integrity to the branch (it was hanging parrallel to the ground, not drooping all the mode) and the split was probably 40/60. So I decided to fix information technology.
The first thing I did was some severe pruning to reduce the weight load of the branch. This branch had grown significantly during the summer and actually weighed likewise much, I probably took off seventy% of it's mass. Just so I could elevator information technology back into place as much equally annihilation else.
I temporarily tied the branch upwardly with twine, temporarily for a few reasons, namely because if you tie a tree you choke it. People run into this all the fourth dimension with birdhouses. They do not want to "hurt" the tree so they use rope, twine, or wire (the worst) to tie a bird house to a tree. Really, the better thing to do is just to smash it. A tree can survive a puncture wound no trouble, but if the tree grows into a rope or wire it'll impede the flow in the cambium layer and asphyxiate it.
After the tree was in identify I got out my power drill and bored a hole through the tree at the site of the carve up. Then I went down into my basement and looked through my screw/nut/commodities/nail organizer. In a bin called "toilet parts" I found some large brass bolts, these were perfect. Brass doesn't rust, and existence an blend of copper it may accept some antifungal properties. I put a large commodities through the hole and secured it.
I then drilled another hole a few inches above the split and put a longer bolt through there. I made sure the hole was slightly smaller than the bolt so I really had to shove and pound it in (thus making sure in that location would be no gap) and then I used a wrench to tighten basics on both.
My tree was now a cyborg, and the actions I took may seem astringent, drilling two holes, but as I said, trees can survive puncture holes no problem. There was another flap of torn bark and I actually brought out my nail gun and put some brad nails into that, more wounds, merely the tree doesn't mind them.
Eventually the tree will grow over those metal rods, incorporating them into it's construction, and existence all the more stronger for information technology, with no adverse damage, because they go through the cambium layer, non around it.
And so, weight removed, gash mechanically repaired, at present I had to worry about insects and diseases. I had both a can of tree pruning sealer and a can of natural shellac wood sealer. I had just read an article proverb shellac was meliorate than the other stuff and and so used it. Shellac is an all natural waxy resin made by insects and used in everything from wood products, to food, to pills. You probably eat a little flake every day, information technology is harmless, but it seals woods skillful. Insects and diseases love open wounds and so it was of import to seal the tree with something.
That taken care of, the last matter I needed to worry well-nigh was water. Only like with concrete, water can get in a scissure, freeze, and then widen and make the crevice worse. Even with the shellac the force of h2o expanding as it freezes was a potential run a risk. What I eventually did, though which is not shown in the movie, is simply put a bead of silicone caulk around the top of the crack (only not the bottom) preventing whatever water from seeping in, simply if any does, notwithstanding allowing it to seep out. Silicone is a neutral and inert substance and the tree will probably grow effectually it fine, or, later on healing has progressed, I tin can have it out. Another option would be to wrap the tree in some sort of plastic, but that tin can concur in wet too close to the bark and promote rot, I think my caulk solution is all-time.
I'll post an update next year to show how the tree is doing.
Should you repair every tree? No, you shouldn't, if there is a safety issue where the tree overhangs a structure or is where people ofttimes sit, walk, or play, y'all should always err on the side of safety. If the tree limbs are likewise big for you to manage to put dorsum into place, you may not have to cutting the tree down, but you'll demand to remove the limb. But, if your tree is not yet also large to manage (mine was only about ten feet tall) you lot can try to repair it. It doesn't need to be a total loss.
Leave a Response
Acme of page...
Source: http://www.gardeningblog.net/2009/12/15/how-to-fix-a-tree-with-a-split-trunk-from-wind-damage/
0 Response to "How To Repair A Broken Branch On A Fruit Tree"
Post a Comment