Tree branch cracked, but not broken off...

[Homerboy]

... can I save it?

We've had some good storms up here lately and on one of my trees, where the branch ...umm... branches off, it has split and is hanging on by roughly half it's diameter (it's about 2" in diameter). Is it possible to try to save the branch by binding it up and hoping the split heals itself? If so, how?

 

[dphantom]

highly doubtful. cut it off before it breaks and possibly hurts someone.

 

[lxskllr]

Disease can fester in the crack more easily, even if it could repair itself, of which I'm doubtful. I've never seen it happen, but I suppose it could. What kind of tree?

 

[Thebobo]

I would say give it a shot. People manipulate trees and cuttings all the time. Get some splints large metal or wood dowels, some kind of wrap (green nylon boat rope) and go for it.

https://www.hunker.com/13428626/how-to-repair-a-split-tree

 

[Homerboy]

I would say give it a shot. People manipulate tree and cuttings all the time. Get some splints large metal or wood dowels, some kind of wrap (green nylon boat rope) and go for it.

https://www.hunker.com/13428626/how-to-repair-a-split-tree

Yeah I did some Googling and seems that it's doable. As you said (and was my first thought as well), people do branch grafts all the time (though usually smaller), It's a "vertical" V in the tree (truth be told it's a tall flowering bush... not sure what kind) I think if I can get some tape around the two pieces and support it a bit it could heal up. I read some articles that even state that screwing/bolting the pieces together can work.

 

[boomerang]

It won't heal itself IMO. It's wood, not fresh green growth.

I had a Black Locust with three trunks growing out of it. It was a good sized tree. One of the three trunks was coming out at a pretty serious angle. It was arguably going more horizontal than vertical. That trunk split where a major branch sprouted out of it, that branch pretty much going vertical. I had a tree guy come out (this was at the extreme for ladder work and I'm not fond of tall ladders) and he drilled through and ran a threaded rod through the two halves of the trunk, put big washers and then nuts on and cranked the assembly down as tight as he possibly could. It pulled the split together not completely but enough to where it wasn't even all that noticeable.

With the three trunks he was able to run a cable from that trunk (he threaded in an eye bolt) to another trunk (another eye bolt) and got it good and taught. Once he had the cable supporting part of the weight of the split trunk, he was able to tighten the nuts further and he cut off the ends of the threaded rod. I lived there nearly thirty years and in the last year the cable finally snapped. The trunk did not come crashing down though. The end of the threaded rod, the washers and the nuts, the tree grew over them. You couldn't tell they were there.

So, after that long story, if you have enough meat to work with (on the tree, on either side of the split) the threaded rod just might be the ticket.

 

[zinfamous]

You could try and bind it then seal the "wound" with parrafin wax or something, but I don't think that would work in the end. Best bet is to do a clean cut below the break and leave it at that. You shouldn't need to seal the end.

 

[Homerboy]

Well mother nature might decide the fate for the branch in the end anyways. More severe storms rolling in tonight.

 

[zinfamous]

Well mother nature might decide the fate for the branch in the end anyways. More severe storms rolling in tonight.

Honestly, that's pretty much what I do.

I have a mostly dead tree in the back, and have basically let the storms this year and last take it down, piece by piece. The worst branches seem to be mostly gone, and have been safely distributed throughout the lawn, without hitting mine or anyone else's property. ....I mean, this is a terrible strategy and I wouldn't recommend it...but it is working so far.

 

[lxskllr]

Well mother nature might decide the fate for the branch in the end anyways. More severe storms rolling in tonight.

If you really like the tree, it would be better to remove the branch in a controlled fashion. Natural breaks can do a lot of damage.

 

[mindless1]

If you want to try to graft it, you may want to cut off the cracked area so you have two well-fitting ends to graft. I know it seems like the split might fit back together but there may be fibers pulled out of shape preventing a tight fit.

 

[13Gigatons]