two trunks....

[mnmsddy]

Hello all,

We have a castwellian cypress that was planted in the spring of 02' at that time it was about 7 ft high.

We have been enjoying the growth, how full and tall it was getting compared to the other two planted at thesame time... as luck would have it that was the one we needed most as a privacy screen.

The problem, during the snow/ice here this last month it bent over really hard, the other two did not, after some investigation we found that this tree has two trunks, so although pretty full, it is really two smaller trees growing together...

the question, is there a way to bind, mesh , somthing to get these two trunks to merge together?? I assume maybe wrongly that will mkae the tree stronger... wil they eventually merge together... should this tree be replaced now? so it is not a problem later...

any suggestions would be appreciated..

thank you

 

[MasterBlaster]

A pic would be way helpful.

But the ans to your question is yes.

Look at this while you get your pic ready...

http://www.wtsherrill.com/iwwidb.pvx?;multi_item_submit

Click the drop-down tab on the left for 'cabling and bracing'.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Whenever you have a case where 2 trunks are present, it is collectively referred to as co-dominancy. Each individual trunk is fighting to be the dominant leader on their journey towards the heavens above.

When the tree is in its juvenile state, as your's is, it typically doesn't create a hazardous situation. However as time goes by and more vertical weight is put into the equation, the problem begins to become more relevant. Co-dominants will never merge. Depending on the angle of their union, they may appear to be growing together, but they are actually pushing each other away. Once the bark of the trunks is established, the innerwood (sapwood if you prefer) cannot graft together creating a strong union. As a result you will end up with 'included bark'..........bark within the union. This is a weakness that is better taken care of when the tree is young. The least dominant side can be pruned back (subordinately pruned) to slow it's progress in an attempt to allow the more dominant side time to take. In the years to come, the rest of the weaker stem can be removed. Or in more radical cases, the entire trunk can be removed, but depending on your personal situation, this may be far to stressful for the tree. Sometimes a deformed specimen is all that is left, therefore, total removal is perhaps a better route.

Keep in mind that co-dominancy is something that is usually visible at the nursery (depending on the size you are purchasing). As a result, those with deformities should be avoided!

 

[tshanefreeman]

While I was typing my response, I see that 'MB' was also busy.

I see that I forgot to mention the idea of bracing and cabling. This is also a viable option. However, once you install either a cable or a brace, you have identified that there is a potential hazard lurking within your tree. Therefore, if the tree is young enough, it is better to deal with the problem before it progress to a point where more radical measures are required!

Keep in mind that both cabling and bracing are not a perminant fix. You can't simply have them installed and walk away. They have to checked for wear and durability to ensure that the preventative hardware will not fail...............leading to bigger problems!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yes, Mnsddy, they will never grow together. I shoulda said that. The link I offered was a way to keep the tree viable.

After I posted that, I KNEW I shoulda gone back and edited. But I coulda never gave as good an explaination as TSF.

 

[MasterBlaster]

About 12, 13 years ago a guy on our crew made the undercut on a tree that WASN'T supposed to come down. It was a water oak about 14" diameter in a stand with a bunch of other trees.
Anyhow, he put the pie cut back in and nothing was said of it. Over the years I've checked up on it, maybe three times. The last time I looked it was completely grown over, you could hardly see the lines.

I wonder what that has done to the structural integrity of that tree?

 

[mnmsddy]

Thank you

Great info, thanks to all, I was afraid the solution might be removal..

shane, you mentioned pruning, can you describe what needs to be done??? should I just start with some limbs... and then eventually the stalk, or what...

I am pretty good with tools and the ability to follow instructions...

Thank you all

 

[jmchristopher]

Subdomination!

If the tree you've got is vigorous and mostly woth keeping, I would probably recommend pruning it to subdominate one leader and encourage the other. The pruning is very well described by a fella named Ed Gilman, known to his friends as Dr. Gilman, who's a prof. from a university in FL.
First, pick the better of the two leaders based on either form or position. That's going to be your "keeper." Then you're going to perform fairly significant crown reduction on the other. That usually means taking a couple of the side branches and probably a "heading"cut at the top. Then look for smaller branches that might open up opportunities for well positioned branches on the "keeper." Think in terms of a process of reduction that will take 2 or 3 pruning visits over the next few years. You're working WITH nature here, and using the tendency of the dominant leader to make the most of light and nutrient resources, while you intentionally stunt the other. At the end of the process, you might even take the entire subordinant leader off, with no trauma to speak of to the remaining leader. The key is that you are working with a young, relatively easily managed tree.
Good luck!