Need Advice

[nwiajonj]

Hello...

I have a couple questions.....

I have a hackberry, 90 yrs old, splitting down the main trunk, I've been thinking about some kind of band and/or chains to try and hold it together. Maybe above the split, pull the main branches back together. Would that work? Are there specific tools or methods that are applicable to this problem?

I have a nice maple, 12 years old. It keeps growing suckers at the ground level. I've cut them off, broke them off, but they just keep coming back. Some one told me to put "Roundup" on the cuts, and that would eliminate the problem. (My apologies to those with weak hearts.) I'm a farmer, and this sounds a little scary to me. Can we make them go away?

This is my first post on this great site, sorry if it's in the wrong place.

Jon J

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Hey Farmer Jon! Welcom to the site.

As you should know Glyphosate is an All Vegitation Killer. So roundup will translocate to the roots and do damage.

If the tree si burried too deep it may be sending up sprouts to help the roots breath.

Does the trunk look like a post in the ground, or is there a nice flair where you can see the transition from trunk to root?

If it is too deep, excavation may be nessesary to save it.

As for chemical sucker control, an NAA product like "sucker stopper" workes very well.

For the hackberry, what you propose is more like a ligature then a brace. The growing and circulatory part of a tree si the cambium, right undre the bark.

A band or chain will choke the trees vascular system and eventually kill it.

Waht arborists do is cable the top and brace the crack with several rods staggered through the trunk.

On a large tree it is best to hire an experianced professional.

 

[nwiajonj]

Thanks, I think I can do this.

Jon J

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Do some research on cabling and bracing, doing it wrong could make things worse.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

re the sprouts, clipping them at the origin (no stubs) and covering them with porous landscape fabric and washed stone is an alternative.

Re cabling/bracing, I do NOT recommend you try it alone, but to find out more you can comb the archives at www.isa-arbor.com and tcia.org. Back issues of their mags have articles on it; ANSI specs are available for $15/copy as well.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

i havent seen many if any trees that have re-grafted once split down the main trunk ..it might have grafted when younger but not in matureity...if its not in a highly used area try bracing as already sujested ..but if the tree is in an area where people are about ..consider the chop..for legal purposes..oh yes and plant another

 

[Elmore]

Sprout Inhibitor

There is a product, probably a few, that may help with that maple. One is called Tree Hold RTU. Here is a link:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&star...ications/ornamentals99/woody/pear.html&e=7781

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
if the tree is in an area where people are about ..consider the chop..for legal purposes..

IS the UK more litigious than the USA? Hard to believe it is.....
Cabling and bracing should produce a safe enough result in most cases, especially if professionally installed.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

going by the amount of insurance cover we require i would say yes

5 mill is a must overhere if you want any commercial work

and 2 mill for domestic work...but back too the subject have you ever seen a large mature tree with a split trunk heal/graft??.i havent...whats the point of prolonging the inevitable..Guy do you honestly think this tree is not going to become a hazard.obviously it would be ok if left in an open feild ..this is just my opinion

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
5 mill is a must overhere if you want any commercial work
Wow, 1 mil is enough here (so far). NO matter what the premium, not every tree with a defect needs to be cut down for legal reasons.

have you ever seen a large mature tree with a split trunk heal/graft??.i havent

If by graft you mean the bark on either side kissing and sticking together, then yes I see it all the time. Sharing circulation, as in a true graft? Dunno. The hardware is designed to hold up the tree even when the crack is bad. Would be key to check for rot annually.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

unfortunatly the trend for people carrying out tree reports in the uk is that this tree would not be saved especialy if the tree was in a ameinity or residential area ..most trees with fungi [rotting] will be removed even if the decay is less than matthecks 1/3 rule..aparently if you cable brace a tree in the uk you are admitting the tree has a structual problem making the tree a potential hazard. not many arbs now cable brace overehere now , though lots of trees where braced propped etc in the 70s.i think we have lost some realy good trees due too report writing arborists being over cautious..

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
.i think we have lost some realy good trees due too report writing arborists being over cautious..

Guess I'd be toast if i went over there.:embarssed: Some trees I look after are over 90% hollow. Some have decay fungi>1/3 circumference at base. Do arborists go to the gibbet when trees fall in the uk?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

well i dont know of any consultants in gaol..but have heard of one or 2 in court...trees and subsidance to property are also big issues overhere slightest trace of root fiber near a house or clay shrinkable soil and large thirsty tree you can guess the rest

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Court is not a bad place to be if you are sure of your facts and not afraid to say so. Good outcomes can occur in court; not that I'm in a hurry to go in there again but I wouldn't mind it either.

Re subsidence, I'd heard it was a pretty whacky situation.