save a split japanese maple

[topherbecker]

I have a small mounding Japanese Maple which was damaged by our recent massive snow storm in the midatlantic. There is a large split right at the crown (?) of the tree and one of the three primary branches was splitting off too. I don't know when the split occurred - sometime between Feb 6 and yesterday when i uncovered the tree.

See pictures before and after the 'repair' i made today. I used cotton rope (might be sash cord), and wound it VERY tightly. The split at the top is pulled nearly completely together, but as you can see from the pics, there's still a little 'crack' showing. I don't think I can pull it together any tighter. Do you think what i've done is good or do I need to adjust, use different materials, or try a different method?

Thanks for any advice you can give. We've had this tree for 5 years, and it's been in it's current location for the past four years. It is pretty well established.
-Chris

http://picasaweb.google.com/becker.c/SplitJapaneseMapleRepair#

 

[treeseer]

Do you think what i've done is good or do I need to adjust, use different materials, or try a different method?

You done good. Just drill through and insert 2 bolts to hold it tight for good.

 

[S Mc]

Topher, I am sooooo sorry about your tree. Poor baby!

Whereas you have the right idea in bringing it back together, the rope definitely will not work. It is going to do more harm than good.

Before I go into what we would recommend, please be aware that this injury is going to take a few years to overcome.

You have done a good job of pulling the tree together. So before you take the rope off, we would recommend installing a cable above the the split crotch. This is going to require very small, but strong, hardware (stainless steel eyescrews) and cable. Unfortunately, I don't have a clear enough view of the tree to describe exactly where to place the cable.

We would also recommend a small rod through the fracture below the crotch (where your rope is now, so at that point the rope would come off prior to the bolt being installed). Use a 1/4" thread rod with washers and nuts.

The small limb that has been ripped can be cabled to the two upper limbs in a triangulated manner.

If the diameter of your tree is about 2" then you can go 1/4" diameter for your eyescrews and 1/8" cable. DO NOT WRAP THE CABLE AROUND THE TREE, attach with eyescrews.

Good luck and if this sounds confusing, please ask more questions.

Sylvia

 

[topherbecker]

Thanks for the responses. I will get a couple pics tomorrow showing the entire tree and maybe you can recommend where the hardware should go.

Couple quick questions:
can the repair I've made with the rope stand for a couple weeks before the more permanent fix?
I've read that the tree will begin to heal over the would 24-36 hours after the injury. In thus case, the tree has probably been split for at least a week. Is it not too late to save? I'm going to try even if the odds are low, but I'd kind o like to know what to expect.
Thanks
Chris
and yeah we were pretty bummed when we found this. Also lost a couple of HUGE azalea and the neighbors weeping maple is probably a goner too.

 

[S Mc]

Chris, yes a tree starts to seal or heal immediately, but we are talking on a cellular basis. So that becomes a relative term. Trees seal over wounds much slower in the winter than in the spring. As this is a wound that will not seal over by itself if left alone, you really have nothing to lose.

The tree can exist for many, many years with the hardware in it. What it can't do is exist indefnitely with a substance girdling its cambium. Hence, the recommendation for you to take the rope off.

You said you pulled the rope as tight as possible. Did you scrape or damage the bark during this process? If it isn't too tight, you can leave it for a couple of weeks. If super tight, I would replace it with the bracing or loosen it asap.

Sylvia

 

[topherbecker]

It's on there TIGHT. Anything less and I wasn't able to get the wound to close. I'm not sure if I damaged the bark - guess I'll find out when i take off the rope.

I'll attempt to make the repair tomorrow, or at the least loosen the rope a bit.
-Chris

 

[treemandan]

I have screwed tree like this back together with drywall screws. I don't know if there is some compound in drywall screws that would harm a tree but they tend to rust away after the wound has sealed. I would either bolt or screw it at the union and use arbortie above the breaks for added support.

 

[topherbecker]

So I picked up some hardware, but i think it might be too large. I got 1/4" zinc-coated bolts (couldn't find SS small enough). The trunk is just barely an inch in diameter where i will need to drill. What do you think? Find some smaller bolts?

I've taken off the rope and used a clamp to secure the split. Also I wound some garden wire around the two large branches to provide support. I plan on keeping this in place after I get the bolts drilled through.

Some more pics if you're curious. The ruler for reference is 18".
http://picasaweb.google.com/becker.c/SplitJapaneseMapleRepairMorePics#

-chris

 

[treeseer]

ye gads; 1/8" plenty big; do NOT use the 1/4". one rod can go beyond the union.

the clamp in lieu of cotton is hard to comprehend; bark damage likely :censored: bad there but oh well.

the BMP's say to always cable when bracing but given the spreading nature of those branches this seems like a case for exception.

tight garden wire is bad for tree--use something softer please, if you need to use anything at all.

 

[S Mc]

Chris, go with as small as you can on the hardware, definitely smaller than 1/4"; use 1/8" as Treeseer recommended. This tree is even smaller than it looked in the first pictures. This is why I tried to give an example with the 2" to give you some kind of guide.

You can put the bolt right above where you have the clamp (virtually smack dab on top of it). You may or may not need cabling because this tree is so lateral (weeping variety/style).

Think surgical precision here when you are drilling. Predrill your hole but just the size rather than bigger (as we would on a larger tree).

The degree of joining you have achieved is perfect. Did you require the green, spongy wrap in order to achieve this? or were you able to get this with the clamp alone? If you needed the green wrap, then you probably will have to cable. About in the same spot with the same tension. You will NOT wrap the cable around the limbs though. We are thinking virtually picture-hanging equipment here. Eyescrews that have maybe 50 to 75 lbs capability depending on how much tension you have on the green wrap.

A side note: The BMPs do not require a cable above the brace. This is a "should" not a "shall". They recognize that not all trees have the structure to accommodate a cable...and this little guy certainly falls into that category.

Sylvia

 

[treeseer]

Think surgical precision here when you are drilling. Predrill your hole but just the size rather than bigger (as we would on a larger tree).

Yup; i shoulda said that. :blush:

A side note: The BMPs do not require a cable above the brace. This is a "should" not a "shall". They recognize that not all trees have the structure to accommodate a cable...and this little guy certainly falls into that category.

Thank you Syl; it does say "usually"; I sit corrected.

 

[topherbecker]

Thanks again for all the good information.

I will get the smaller hardware. I failed to measure the tree before I left for the store, so just bought what looked reasonable. Of course when i got it home, i realized, it was probably too big.

As far as the join... I tied in the green wrap prior to removing the cotton rope. then i removed about half the rope, clamped it, and removed the remaining rope. so i do not know if it would stay without the clamp.

As far as cabling... why is it preferable to use the eyescrews vs. wrapping around the limbs as i have done? it seems less invasive to wrap. When putting in the eyescrews, is it preferable that they go in perpendicular to the branch or can it go in at an angle/at a bend in the branch. I'm thinking if it's going in perpendicular, there will be some lateral stress internal to the branch when cabled.

For the bolt, do i go right through the center or should i offset it a little? Is there anything critically important to the tree running through the center of the trunk?

thank you,
chris

 

[S Mc]

Chris, when cabling and/or bracing a tree, we do only what is required...no more. It is a method that is used as a last resort. Your tree is an illustration. If you don't brace and possibly cable, this tree will not be able to retain its major limbs.

A small or young tree may be entirely composed of growing tissue. But the most important is the outermost growth. Every year a tree puts on a new growth ring on the outer circumference. Whereas all the tissue on this tree is important, you can drill through it and it will seal over the wound. If you girdle the outside with a wrap, you can kill it or cause an injury so severe that it will not structurally recover.

So in essence the amount of critical tissue you are disrupting with a bolt is going to be less than a cable going all the way or even halfway around the limb.

I would install the bolt first and see if this does the trick. And, yes, go right through the center. You may be able to dispense with the cable altogether.

In a full-sized tree, we would put the cable hardware in direct line with the cable. This little guy is so tiny and the limbs so horizontal, I'm not sure you can achieve that to tell you the truth. Get them aligned as best as possible. And they need to go in deep enough to be well anchored. Again, precision drilling as opposed to ripping the bark and wood tissue.

Sylvia

 

[D Mc]

Those are great suggestions, Tree Co. I would like to clarify for the homeowner though, the webbing that is suggested to support the limbs only needs to support the underside, not be wrapped around. It can be a loose cradle.

With a tree of this small size, very probably the heavy-duty, stretchy, green tie tree tape could be wrapped from rebar to rebar to create a saddle.

As far as a turn buckle goes, if the spacing between the eyescrews is small enough, the turn buckle could be attached to the eyescrews with no cable.

Dave

 

[hokiejane]

Likewise, I'm heartsick over a Japanese Maple that took a hit during the big snow. I kept it clear of the snow, and this actually happened afterward. I think what happened was that I didn't keep the ends of the low branches free of the snow, and as the snow melted and froze, it just pulled down on the branches. That's all I can figure.

The tree has suffered a break before, but not this severe. I called a local arborist the first time, and he came right away and put a bolt through it. Unfortunately, he appears to be out of business now. A call to another one has gone unanswered as I'm sure they're swamped.

The tree has been like this for a week now. Is there hope? I have five photos posted, just click Next.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56004&id=1188306532&l=0c177b2c84

Thanks.

Jane

 

[treevet]

just click "next" where? I'd like to see a picture of the back side of that split.

 

[treevet]

You done good. Just drill through and insert 2 bolts to hold it tight for good.

You should retract that opinion....focus.

 

[hokiejane]

just click "next" where? I'd like to see a picture of the back side of that split.

The "Next" is above the photo on the right side. I just posted two more photos from the other side.

Thanks for looking at them.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56004&id=1188306532&l=0c177b2c84

 

[treevet]

I guess I need a facebook account. I will get one sometime but Sylvia probably will be along shortly and give you a very good opinion as she did in the other tree. Until then maybe a prop under the cracked side limb to keep it from further damage if it turns out it is a keeper.

Don't constrict it with rope or later a u clamp like the first poster did that may have been preceded by TS's reply that what was done was excellent and that may have given him the impetus to put the clamp on.

 

[hokiejane]

Ok, thanks much.

Will this link work for you?

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56004&id=1188306532&l=0c177b2c84