I just finished removing my trees from their winter quarters, which is
the ground where they had been buried for the last four months. Two
trees, an azalea and a young white pine, each had a branch dangling, no
doubt from the 26 inch snowstorm this past winter. Is there any way to
bind the dangling branches to save them? If I lose the azalea branch, I
lose the crown of the tree, and if I lose the white pine branch, I'm
left with only three other branches. Would raffia help in this
situation? Any suggestions short of restyling both trees?

Carol Schroeder
Columbia, Maryland, Zone 6/7

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In a message dated 3/23/03 1:18:19 PM, writes:

Would raffia help in this
situation? Any suggestions short of restyling both trees?

As with human reattachments it is required that the severed portion be alive.
If the entire branch is still alive, you can try using raffia and maybe wire
to bind the wound and possibly achieve healing. But, even if healing takes
place there is likely to be reverse taper where the wound callous over.

Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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Carol:
Even if you were able to reattach the branch and it took (leaves
appeared past the break), it would always be a weak point in your tree.
if it were my tree I would consider restyling the tree.

Carl L. Rosner

Carol Schroeder wrote:

I just finished removing my trees from their winter quarters, which is
the ground where they had been buried for the last four months. Two
trees, an azalea and a young white pine, each had a branch dangling, no
doubt from the 26 inch snowstorm this past winter. Is there any way to
bind the dangling branches to save them? If I lose the azalea branch, I
lose the crown of the tree, and if I lose the white pine branch, I'm
left with only three other branches. Would raffia help in this
situation? Any suggestions short of restyling both trees?

Carol Schroeder
Columbia, Maryland, Zone 6/7



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Carl L Rosner wrote:

Carol:
Even if you were able to reattach the branch and it took (leaves
appeared past the break), it would always be a weak point in your tree.
if it were my tree I would consider restyling the tree.

Carl L. Rosner


It would probably depend on the species. I don't know about white pine or azaleas.
I've had mixed results with doing this. Last year a parson's juniper was blown
over in a windstorm. The apex got whacked. The branch was dangling and I really
wanted to save it. It was broken about 3/4 of the way through. I wrapped it in
raffia, wired it into place, and left it for the season. In the fall it was healed
through. Now as I look at it there is no swelling and you'd never know it had
broken.

I've tried the same think with an Ilex crenata 'Helleri' with no success.

So, it depends.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a

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It would probably depend on the species. I don't know about
white pine or azaleas.
I've had mixed results with doing this. Last year a parson's
juniper was blown
over in a windstorm. The apex got whacked. The branch was
dangling and I really
wanted to save it. It was broken about 3/4 of the way through.
I wrapped it in
raffia, wired it into place, and left it for the season. In
the fall it was healed
through. Now as I look at it there is no swelling and you'd
never know it had
broken.

However, do not _ever_ try to wire and bend that branch!

Tree wounds do not "heal" like a broken bone heals. What you see
as "healing" is a thin layer of cells that have grown over the
broken part. Underneath the bark, the break is still just as
broken. ANY attempt at bending it in the foreseeable future will
lead to another break.

I almost always put a drop or two of model airplane cement on the
deadwood portion of a break before I try to repair it. That
doesn't make it any safer to wire and bend, but it keeps
accidents (a bird landing on the branch, brushing against it,
etc.) from being serious.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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In a message dated 3/22/2003 6:28:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, writes:

Is there any way to
bind the dangling branches to save them?

The good news is that branches can be saved IF you have sufficient tissue connected on the still attached side. Do the following:

1. Soak raffia in water.
2. Attach a piece to the tree such that it can serve as an anchor.
3. Place a length of aluminum wire (3mm)under the aligned branch. Place the wire on the side which is not broken.
4. Apply Crazy Glue to the broke ends of the branch and then connect the ends.
5. Wrap the branch with the raffia.
6. Do not remove the raffia for at least 4-6 weeks.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob/index.html

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Jim Lewis wrote:
snip


However, do not _ever_ try to wire and bend that branch!

Tree wounds do not "heal" like a broken bone heals. What you see
as "healing" is a thin layer of cells that have grown over the
broken part. Underneath the bark, the break is still just as
broken. ANY attempt at bending it in the foreseeable future will
lead to another break.

I almost always put a drop or two of model airplane cement on the
deadwood portion of a break before I try to repair it. That
doesn't make it any safer to wire and bend, but it keeps
accidents (a bird landing on the branch, brushing against it,
etc.) from being serious.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

I guess I wasn't clear--the purpose of the wire was only to support the
branch and hold it place as is--not to bend it.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a

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Jim Lewis wrote:
snip


However, do not _ever_ try to wire and bend that branch!

Tree wounds do not "heal" like a broken bone heals. What you
see
as "healing" is a thin layer of cells that have grown over
the
broken part. Underneath the bark, the break is still just as
broken. ANY attempt at bending it in the foreseeable future
will
lead to another break.

I almost always put a drop or two of model airplane cement on
the
deadwood portion of a break before I try to repair it. That
doesn't make it any safer to wire and bend, but it keeps
accidents (a bird landing on the branch, brushing against it,
etc.) from being serious.



I guess I wasn't clear--the purpose of the wire was only to
support the
branch and hold it place as is--not to bend it.


It wasn't that, but we have a lot of new-to-bonsai, and
new-to-tree-physiology members here, and I didn't want to leave
the impression that a broken branch will really, really "heal."

They do NOT heal. Once broken, a tree branch STAYS broken. You
can grow a few layers of cells over the break, thus, "fixing" it,
but it will always be there and always be a very weak point in
that branch.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Thank you Jim for making the point a lot clearer than I did. I am
talking from experience with a Buttonwood. It was two years after the
break had healed and with plenty of leaves to show it was healthy. I
inadvertently bumped into the branch and it snapped right off.

:-( Carl L. Rosner :-(

Jim Lewis wrote:

Jim Lewis wrote:
snip



However, do not _ever_ try to wire and bend that branch!

Tree wounds do not "heal" like a broken bone heals. What you


see


as "healing" is a thin layer of cells that have grown over


the


broken part. Underneath the bark, the break is still just as
broken. ANY attempt at bending it in the foreseeable future


will


lead to another break.

I almost always put a drop or two of model airplane cement on


the


deadwood portion of a break before I try to repair it. That
doesn't make it any safer to wire and bend, but it keeps
accidents (a bird landing on the branch, brushing against it,
etc.) from being serious.






I guess I wasn't clear--the purpose of the wire was only to


support the


branch and hold it place as is--not to bend it.




It wasn't that, but we have a lot of new-to-bonsai, and
new-to-tree-physiology members here, and I didn't want to leave
the impression that a broken branch will really, really "heal."

They do NOT heal. Once broken, a tree branch STAYS broken. You
can grow a few layers of cells over the break, thus, "fixing" it,
but it will always be there and always be a very weak point in
that branch.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden





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