KellyStBooks
New Member
This is my first post. I am in need of some assistance from the experts in this forum.
We have two sour cherry trees on our property that we believe are over 85 years old ... story goes they were planted by my wife's great-great grandmother - they may even be older.
From what I've heard, the life span of these trees hovers in the 100 year range.
I am in Ohio and with the recent ice storm the trees both iced up and have suffered significant damage.
Both are estimated at 15-20 feet high.
One simply toppled over due to the weight. The trunk is now at 45+ degree angle to the earth. Surprisingly, it does not appear as if the roots are exposed. (This, I surmise, is due to the wetness of the earth as the ground is very soft due to the large amounts of rain and snow we have had.) I am unsure of the tap root (is this correct?) has cracked or broken.
The second one suffered breakage at the top third of the trunk and also lost a couple of the major branches. It almost looks like this tree is broken in half.
Because of the family ties to the tree, we want to do all we can to save them. (My wife cried when she saw them - the trees were part of the reason we purchased the house from her father).
In addition, we have enjoyed MANY cherry pies made from the wonderfullly sour fruit. The trees produce a great amount of fruit -- what we can pick before the birds fill up.
Question is, what to do? Do I need a professional (we've already called one to come out and take a look) or can the salvage be accomplished by the two of us (we are handy with tools, have machines available to us, etc.) If a professional were involved, what could we expect to pay?
Lastly - if the trees cannot be saved, can we preserve their legacy by making starters from the limbs (my neighbor, who has since moved away, did this - I recall seeing her split the bark on the trunk, insert the branches and then growing the starters in pots).
Thanks in advance for any advice that can be provided.
Michael @ Kelly Street Books
We have two sour cherry trees on our property that we believe are over 85 years old ... story goes they were planted by my wife's great-great grandmother - they may even be older.
From what I've heard, the life span of these trees hovers in the 100 year range.
I am in Ohio and with the recent ice storm the trees both iced up and have suffered significant damage.
Both are estimated at 15-20 feet high.
One simply toppled over due to the weight. The trunk is now at 45+ degree angle to the earth. Surprisingly, it does not appear as if the roots are exposed. (This, I surmise, is due to the wetness of the earth as the ground is very soft due to the large amounts of rain and snow we have had.) I am unsure of the tap root (is this correct?) has cracked or broken.
The second one suffered breakage at the top third of the trunk and also lost a couple of the major branches. It almost looks like this tree is broken in half.
Because of the family ties to the tree, we want to do all we can to save them. (My wife cried when she saw them - the trees were part of the reason we purchased the house from her father).
In addition, we have enjoyed MANY cherry pies made from the wonderfullly sour fruit. The trees produce a great amount of fruit -- what we can pick before the birds fill up.
Question is, what to do? Do I need a professional (we've already called one to come out and take a look) or can the salvage be accomplished by the two of us (we are handy with tools, have machines available to us, etc.) If a professional were involved, what could we expect to pay?
Lastly - if the trees cannot be saved, can we preserve their legacy by making starters from the limbs (my neighbor, who has since moved away, did this - I recall seeing her split the bark on the trunk, insert the branches and then growing the starters in pots).
Thanks in advance for any advice that can be provided.
Michael @ Kelly Street Books
