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#1
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in tree trunks
I've found that PL-Premium (polyurethane construction adhesive) to be a
very durable, strong and water-proof glue for wood for all applications (indoor and outdoor). I just filled a couple of holes on the trunk of a silver maple that have been formed by some sort of insect over the past maybe 6-months. The hole is in the face of a limb-cut that I made a few years ago and had painted with black pruning paint. I was surprised how deep the "rot" was - I was able to push the plastic dispensing nozzle of the glue cartridge all the way into down into the trunk. So even though I've already done it, I'm wondering if anyone knows how well this stuff works at filling holes in tree trunks to prevent further rot and allow the tree to grow over and eventually cover exposed heartwood. |
#2
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in tree trunks
"Sum Guy" wrote in message ... I've found that PL-Premium (polyurethane construction adhesive) to be a very durable, strong and water-proof glue for wood for all applications (indoor and outdoor). I just filled a couple of holes on the trunk of a silver maple that have been formed by some sort of insect over the past maybe 6-months. The hole is in the face of a limb-cut that I made a few years ago and had painted with black pruning paint. I was surprised how deep the "rot" was - I was able to push the plastic dispensing nozzle of the glue cartridge all the way into down into the trunk. So even though I've already done it, I'm wondering if anyone knows how well this stuff works at filling holes in tree trunks to prevent further rot and allow the tree to grow over and eventually cover exposed heartwood. Using pruning paint is not a recommended procedure because it traps moisture in the cavity and encourages rot, such as you found. It's better to leave this type of wound alone and let the tree heal itself. (Palms are a different matter . . . as monocots they don't heal . . .) |
#3
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
JimR wrote:
Using pruning paint is not a recommended procedure because it traps moisture in the cavity and encourages rot, such as you found. This was insect-induced rot. Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter. Wood protected by oil-based coatings tends to weather better than left untreated. It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. I've also found that pruning paint is good when applied to the top surface of horizontal limbs near the trunk that squirrels tend to tear apart - dammage that most people don't see because it's over their heads. The squirrels don't find the bark so tasty with the paint. |
#4
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
On Jul 29, 12:26*am, Sum Guy wrote:
It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled into lumber is no longer alive... Wood on a tree is still alive and growing... It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal naturally... Exceptions to this logic are rare... ~~ Evan |
#5
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
On Jul 28, 11:26*pm, Sum Guy wrote:
JimR wrote: Using pruning paint is not a recommended procedure because it traps moisture in the cavity and encourages rot, such as you found. This was insect-induced rot. Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter. * Wood protected by oil-based coatings tends to weather better than left untreated. It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. I've also found that pruning paint is good when applied to the top surface of horizontal limbs near the trunk that squirrels tend to tear apart - dammage that most people don't see because it's over their heads. *The squirrels don't find the bark so tasty with the paint. what insect makes a hole 3" |
#6
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in tree trunks
On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:26:22 -0400, Sum Guy wrote:
JimR wrote: Using pruning paint is not a recommended procedure because it traps moisture in the cavity and encourages rot, such as you found. This was insect-induced rot. What insect *induces* rot? All the wood eating critters I know about show up after the wood is dead. Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter. Wood protected by oil-based coatings tends to weather better than left untreated. It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. Those decks and stuff are *dead* wood. Presumably you cut the branch off on a live tree. The tree will bleed and heal the wound much better without being insulted further by some foreign sealer. I've also found that pruning paint is good when applied to the top surface of horizontal limbs near the trunk that squirrels tend to tear apart - dammage that most people don't see because it's over their heads. The squirrels don't find the bark so tasty with the paint. I prefer to apply lead directly to the squirrels. But I don't think squirrels do any damage to hollows in trees Jim |
#7
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in tree trunks
"Evan" wrote in message ... On Jul 29, 12:26 am, Sum Guy wrote: It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled into lumber is no longer alive... Wood on a tree is still alive and growing... It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal naturally... Exceptions to this logic are rare... ~~ Evan ==== Live Oaks maybe an exception. The pruners here are adamant about using paint to prevent Live Oak wilt. |
#8
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
On Jul 29, 6:55*am, "JimT" wrote:
"Evan" wrote in message ... On Jul 29, 12:26 am, Sum Guy wrote: It's funny how pruning paint is somehow not good for exposed wood, yet you see people applying coatings to their decks and other exposed wood all the time. Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled into lumber is no longer alive... Wood on a tree is still alive and growing... It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal naturally... *Exceptions to this logic are rare... ~~ Evan ==== Actually the wood inside the tree is dead. Only the outer layer of a tree is alive. But generally it is best of you just let the tree bark grow over the wood. The black tree paint inhibits that and does trap moisture. It will eventually heal it's self but it will never repair the rot inside. If a substaintual part of the truck has rot in a spot it is now weakened. If that is the case and the tree has the potential to land on your house then have it removed. Lots of times if you look at trees that have broken off during bad storms you see that it was at a spot like this. Used to be people would clean out holes like this and fill them with concrete. Don't know how well that works. It's possible your holes were made by wood bees. Were they about a 1/2" round and so well done that they almost looked like a drill had done them? Wood bees will go a long way into wood. |
#9
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
ransley wrote:
Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter. what insect makes a hole 3" The exposed inner heart-wood of the tree has a circular profile and is 3" in diameter, and it oriented vertically with respect to the ground. This is where a secondary trunk had been, which was cut maybe 2 or 3 years ago. This circular area was sprayed with pruning paint last year. The surface was solid and intact at that time. The bark is growing nicely around the perimiter of this area (this is a silver maple). I have two such similar cuts on a sugar maple - the exposed area was even larger (4 or 5") and painted them soon after the cut was made. This was about 5 years ago. They are 75% covered over now by the growing bark, and they remained solid (no rot, holes, fissures developing in them). Getting back to the silver maple, at some point this year I noticed the appearance of some cracks or voids on the cut surface along with what looked like sawdust shavings around the crack. Yesterday I shoved the plastic dispensing nozzle of a tube of PL Premium deep into the main crack (it went in all the way - I wasn't expecting that) and I pumped the crack full of glue. |
#10
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
Jim Elbrecht wrote:
This was insect-induced rot. What insect *induces* rot? By rot, I mean the development of cracks, fissures, cavities and holes caused by the removal of wood caused by insect activity. I guess I used the wrong term. All the wood eating critters I know about show up after the wood is dead. When you cut a large limb off a tree, the inner wood that you expose *is* dead. The only living part of the trunk is the bark. Those decks and stuff are *dead* wood. Presumably you cut the branch off on a live tree. The tree will bleed and heal the wound much better without being insulted further by some foreign sealer. If the cut is large enough, it will expose dead wood, and that wood is vulnerable to insect dammage and weather-related dammage (actual rot, fungus, etc). This dammage may set in before the tree has enough time to grow around and cover the exposed surface with new bark. |
#11
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in tree trunks
"Sum Guy" wrote in message ... I've found that PL-Premium (polyurethane construction adhesive) to be a very durable, strong and water-proof glue for wood for all applications (indoor and outdoor). I just filled a couple of holes on the trunk of a silver maple that have been formed by some sort of insect over the past maybe 6-months. The hole is in the face of a limb-cut that I made a few years ago and had painted with black pruning paint. I was surprised how deep the "rot" was - I was able to push the plastic dispensing nozzle of the glue cartridge all the way into down into the trunk. So even though I've already done it, I'm wondering if anyone knows how well this stuff works at filling holes in tree trunks to prevent further rot and allow the tree to grow over and eventually cover exposed heartwood. Silver maple is a garbage tree. The wood is soft because they grow so fast. Surely you've noticed how they break during wind, and how fast those things grow. Why you would want to save the thing is beyond comprehension. |
#12
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
jamesgangnc wrote:
But generally it is best of you just let the tree bark grow over the wood. The black tree paint inhibits that and does trap moisture. Pruning paint does not inhibit bark growth over the exposed cut surface, and it does not trap moisture because the exposed heartwood quickly dries out once exposed to the air after it's cut, and any moisture deeper in the wood under the painted area will find other ways to move within the tree. It will eventually heal it's self but it will never repair the rot inside. I know that, but I'm thinking that the glue will (a) kill whatever organisms/insects are in there causing the dammage, (b) fill the voids to prevent re-introduction of similar pests, (c) perform mechanical bonding and return strength to the dammaged area (in a way that other simple fillers wouldn't). It's possible your holes were made by wood bees. Were they about a 1/2" round and so well done that they almost looked like a drill had done them? Wood bees will go a long way into wood. We call them carpenter bees, and they have drilled those perfectly round holes in the side of my eaves under the gutters in previous years before I replaced the wood and covered them with aluminum siding. I have lots of other lumber that sits in my back yard (remnants from other projects) but I've never seen these bees go after that wood, nor the exposed eves of my shed. In the case of the fissures on the exposed cut surface of the silver maple, these are not the perfectly round holes made by carpenter bees. |
#13
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
On Jul 29, 8:54*am, Sum Guy wrote:
ransley wrote: Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter. what insect makes a hole 3" The exposed inner heart-wood of the tree has a circular profile and is 3" in diameter, and it oriented vertically with respect to the ground. This is where a secondary trunk had been, which was cut maybe 2 or 3 years ago. This circular area was sprayed with pruning paint last year. *The surface was solid and intact at that time. *The bark is growing nicely around the perimiter of this area (this is a silver maple). *I have two such similar cuts on a sugar maple - the exposed area was even larger (4 or 5") and painted them soon after the cut was made. *This was about 5 years ago. *They are 75% covered over now by the growing bark, and they remained solid (no rot, holes, fissures developing in them). Getting back to the silver maple, at some point this year I noticed the appearance of some cracks or voids on the cut surface along with what looked like sawdust shavings around the crack. *Yesterday I shoved the plastic dispensing nozzle of a tube of PL Premium deep into the main crack (it went in all the way - I wasn't expecting that) and I pumped the crack full of glue. Seems like that would be ok. It's going to be a weak spot even after the tree grows over it. But there's nothing you can do about that. |
#14
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
JimT wrote:
Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled into lumber is no longer alive... Wood on a tree is still alive and growing... As has already been mentioned, the wood inside a tree under the bark is actually dead wood. The only difference between it and the lumber you buy at Lowes is that the wood in the tree hasn't been milled. It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal naturally... Exceptions to this logic are rare... If the exposed surface is large enough, the wood can rot and/or be attacked by insects before the tree has a chance to grow bark to cover it. I think that different climates can be more problematic than others. In the north-east and great-lakes area, you have a shorter growing season (takes more time to cover exposed cuts with bark) and lots of humidity and freeze-thaw action in the winter, both of which is hard on untreated exposed wood. |
#15
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Using PL-Premium (construction adhesive) to fill holes in treetrunks
"Marty B." wrote:
Silver maple is a garbage tree. Why you would want to save the thing is beyond comprehension. I have lots of trees in my large back yard, and this tree is near my back fence, it's about 30 feet tall, and provides privacy between me and the apartment building across the street behind me. If I could go to a big-box building store or nursery and bring home a 20 or 30 foot mature tree of my choice and plant it exactly where I wanted it, like I can do with a flag pole or a mail box, then sure we'd all be doing that. But trees don't grow on trees (so to speak). We can put up skyscrapers in only a year or two, but it takes decades for a tree to grow to the size that you want them to be. Until we can easily replace mature trees with other mature trees in a few hours or days, I don't think I'm going to be cutting mine down because it's not exactly the tree I might want in a given location. If you ask me, we need more trees and fewer people on this god-damn planet. |
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