Should I fill hole in tree?
 

Hurricane Isabel left a huge branch from my Bradford Pear on the front lawn.
I know these trees are prone to wind damage and it sure was damaged. A
fairly deep wound (like a deep pocket) now exists and I'm not sure what to
do. I sprayed some insect spray on it to discourage insects from moving in
and added some brown spray paint to 'seal' the wood a little. (Anyone
cringing yet?) Hey, if it's a goner, it's fate. But I want to give it a
little chance and am mostly worried about water collecting in there and rot
starting.

Is there anything made to fill the hole? Cement perhaps? (NOW I see the
eyebrows going up!) I don't want to spend money for a tree doctor since
this wasn't the best choice for a streetside tree anyway. The shallow roots
are lifting the sidewalk.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks. Ted

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

If you are worried about water collecting in the bottom of the "pocket", you
could try drilling a small drainage hole at the bottom of it. But really,
why not just go with the flow and have the tree taken down. If the current
damage heals, you are still vulnerable in any future storm. What would you
rather have five years from now, a struggling, mis-shaped Bradford pear
waiting for the next storm, that's still lifting the sidewalk, or an
attractive replacement tree just reaching it's stride?

I'm as sentimental about plants, especially trees, as the next person, but
sometimes you have to make the leap of faith and remove a specimen that's
not working out. I lost a large plum tree in a thunderstorm years ago, and
was heartbroken, but the tree I replaced it with (a zelkova) has worked out
much better in that spot, and the experience has taught me to try and be
objective.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"Ted S." wrote in message
...
Hurricane Isabel left a huge branch from my Bradford Pear on the front
lawn.
I know these trees are prone to wind damage and it sure was damaged. A
fairly deep wound (like a deep pocket) now exists and I'm not sure what to
do. I sprayed some insect spray on it to discourage insects from moving
in
and added some brown spray paint to 'seal' the wood a little. (Anyone
cringing yet?) Hey, if it's a goner, it's fate. But I want to give it a
little chance and am mostly worried about water collecting in there and
rot
starting.

Is there anything made to fill the hole? Cement perhaps? (NOW I see the
eyebrows going up!) I don't want to spend money for a tree doctor since
this wasn't the best choice for a streetside tree anyway. The shallow
roots
are lifting the sidewalk.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks. Ted

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

Is there anything made to fill the hole? Cement perhaps? (NOW I see the
eyebrows going up!) I don't want to spend money for a tree doctor since
this wasn't the best choice for a streetside tree anyway. The shallow
roots
are lifting the sidewalk.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks. Ted



No, leave the cavity alone. Anything you add will only make problems
worse. Drilling a drain can spread decay from dead wood into healthy
tissue. The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
and help, not hurt. Add mosquito dunks if necessary.

Or just cut the tree down and start over with a better species.

Keith
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

I'm glad you posted this, it counts as my "learn something new everyday" for
today.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


Drilling a drain can spread decay from dead wood into healthy
tissue. The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
and help, not hurt. Add mosquito dunks if necessary.

Keith
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please
visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

Keep the hole clean and allow the tree to heal itself. Thou, I'd
remove the entire tree if it were doing sidewalk damage. The smell of
these trees in bloom is horrible.


On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 14:47:32 -0400, "Ted S."
wrote:

Hurricane Isabel left a huge branch from my Bradford Pear on the front lawn.
I know these trees are prone to wind damage and it sure was damaged. A
fairly deep wound (like a deep pocket) now exists and I'm not sure what to
do. I sprayed some insect spray on it to discourage insects from moving in
and added some brown spray paint to 'seal' the wood a little. (Anyone
cringing yet?) Hey, if it's a goner, it's fate. But I want to give it a
little chance and am mostly worried about water collecting in there and rot
starting.

Is there anything made to fill the hole? Cement perhaps? (NOW I see the
eyebrows going up!) I don't want to spend money for a tree doctor since
this wasn't the best choice for a streetside tree anyway. The shallow roots
are lifting the sidewalk.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks. Ted

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 00:46:16 GMT, "SugarChile"
wrote:

I'm glad you posted this, it counts as my "learn something new everyday" for
today.

Cheers,
Sue

glad to help--you've been the victim of a very common misconception
which I'm happy to dispel.

K
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

In article ,
says...
:) The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
:) and help, not hurt. Add mosquito dunks if necessary.
:)
:)
Won't what you gain by stopping the bacterial problems
be lost by the interior wood fungal problem created by
the trapped water?
--

http://home.comcast.net/~larflu/owl1.jpg

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

there are more bacteria that grow underwater and without oxygen than those that do.
Ingrid

The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
and help, not hurt. Add


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

bacteria live in water or extremely moist conditions, fungi in less moist conditions.


Lar wrote:

In article ,
says...
:) The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
:) and help, not hurt. Add mosquito dunks if necessary.
:)
:)
Won't what you gain by stopping the bacterial problems
be lost by the interior wood fungal problem created by
the trapped water?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

In article ,
says...
:) bacteria live in water or extremely moist conditions, fungi in less moist conditions.
:)
:)
:)
Less moist as in wood above the water line a bit that
the wood has absorbed enough moisture suitable for the
fungi to develop.
--

http://home.comcast.net/~larflu/owl_b.jpg

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 14:06:56 GMT, wrote:

there are more bacteria that grow underwater and without oxygen than those that do.
Ingrid

The water that collects will stop air from geting to bacteria
and help, not hurt. Add


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.
but wood decay in trees is generally an aerobic activity.

Keith
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

I would put the concrete in the hole. It will make the pears a little harder. :)



"Ted S." wrote in message ...
Hurricane Isabel left a huge branch from my Bradford Pear on the front lawn.
I know these trees are prone to wind damage and it sure was damaged. A
fairly deep wound (like a deep pocket) now exists and I'm not sure what to
do. I sprayed some insect spray on it to discourage insects from moving in
and added some brown spray paint to 'seal' the wood a little. (Anyone
cringing yet?) Hey, if it's a goner, it's fate. But I want to give it a
little chance and am mostly worried about water collecting in there and rot
starting.

Is there anything made to fill the hole? Cement perhaps? (NOW I see the
eyebrows going up!) I don't want to spend money for a tree doctor since
this wasn't the best choice for a streetside tree anyway. The shallow roots
are lifting the sidewalk.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks. Ted

Should I fill hole in tree?
 

In article e4e73e6e.0309241211.2ebeb568
@posting.google.com, says...
:) I would put the concrete in the hole. It will make the pears a little harder. :)
:)
:)
:)
I don't think those marble sized fruits could get any
harder. :P
--

http://home.comcast.net/~larflu/oha9.jpg

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!