Standing water in trunk of tree

[dcaldwe]

Hello all.

I have an oak tree that is approximately 35-40 years old. It has three main trunks converging into one at the base. Unfortunately, the base is not solid. There is a 12" wide hole in the middle that collects water. I can drain it with a cup but after a mild shower, it will fill up from run off from the tree.

I need a course of action.
a. I could drill small holes through the trunk to allow water to escape...but, I would think the hole would clog and that would introduce moisture to the interior of the tree.
b. Fill it up with dirt and cap it off with something like concrete. The dirt would stay moist but the concrete would keep a lot of the water out. Standing water vs wet dirt.
c. Leave it be and hope for the best.
or
d. ???? Suggestions.

 

[dcaldwe]

Follow up

That is also the easiest. But, that brings up another question. It is standing water in Texas heat. Mosquitos love it. Any way to keep them from loving it so much?

 

[treeseer]

Mosquitos love it. Any way to keep them from loving it so much?

Put a frog in there to eat the larvae.

I agree with c. a. and b. will lead to decay in a very bad place.

 

[boo]

wet-vac., small umbrella, re-route water run off from stems?
"3 main trunks" does not sound good, look for included bark, could be failure later.

 

[elmnut]

If it bothers you alot you can use an expanding foam product such as "Great Stuff" to fill the void, it is not toxic to the tree, and will keep the water from gathering. Also sounds like you may need some dynamic cabling. The foam is easily trimmed after it cures. The old timers would drill a 1/2" hole on an angle and then install a drain pipe. All I could see with this method was a ruined chain. Leaving it alone is OK in my opinion also.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The water is no problem.
multi-stemmed trees can be weaker than trees with a single stem, but not necessarily. If you have concern, take a picture and post it. We'll let you know more.
As for insects, I have to wonder how sterile a neighborhood you live in where you worry about such a small body of water. I fly a bucket truck from time to time, and I have yet to see a gutter that has no standing water.

 

[Mike C]

I have a similar concern. I just pulled a smaller plant growing in the trunk of an oak in my yard. Prior owner must have filled with dirt and/or leaves composted over time. When I pulled the plant out I decided to dig out the wet soil digging 12-16 inches to the bottom. Now it collects water. Any suggestions? I don't want this tree falling on my house or a neighbors.

 

[Jason Douglas]

Periodically take a leaf blower too it.

You can also have a local arborist assess for decay.

 

[ATH]

For the current: I doubt the previous owner filled it with dirt...more likely leaves that have decayed.

Best to leave it alone and periodically dry it out. The thing with filling it is that you guarantee that it will NEVER dry out. Sure, filling it means you cannot see the standing water, but there will be moisture still down in there. If mosquitoes are your biggest concern, you can get larvicide tablets available. Their efficacy for controlling mosquitoes over a large scale area by treating small individual areas is ........ questionable.

 

[Toronado3800]

Mike, you have a no win situation there. CODIT is not working and I believe it is wrong to even try to applying it your situation. Sure it could be filled and sealed but keeping that water tight is a thing you can't even verify without cutting into the tree.
If this tree is out in the middle.of a field where it won't cost much to remove and has no sentimental value I'd go make an old school drain like mentioned above then after the next dry week or two pour some deck sealer in there.
The sealer in such quantity may just kill the tree. The rot as is seems 90% certain to do that in a decade or so.
The situation sucks either way, sorry.

 

[jeannejain]

I have a problem similar to Mike C's. I originally hired an arborist to inspect my much loved 75-100 years old Southern Live Oak tree due to tiny ants in the crotch of the tree and to ask if some of the very large branches should be removed. The aborist told me the tree was old but healthy and is capable of supporting the weight of all the large branches. He said I shouldn't worry about the ants. Now it is rainy season and water is sitting in the crotch of the tree where the ants were living. I am concerned that the tree will rot from the sitting water and will have to be removed which would certainly break my heart. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Raintree]

Leave it alone, wood doesn't rot well in low oxygen environments.

 

[chainsawman123]

Hello all.

I have an oak tree that is approximately 35-40 years old. It has three main trunks converging into one at the base. Unfortunately, the base is not solid. There is a 12" wide hole in the middle that collects water. I can drain it with a cup but after a mild shower, it will fill up from run off from the tree.

I need a course of action.
a. I could drill small holes through the trunk to allow water to escape...but, I would think the hole would clog and that would introduce moisture to the interior of the tree.
b. Fill it up with dirt and cap it off with something like concrete. The dirt would stay moist but the concrete would keep a lot of the water out. Standing water vs wet dirt.
c. Leave it be and hope for the best.
or
d. ???? Suggestions.

you should have it cut down and you could use the wood for firewood to heat your home