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How easily does an ....elm....heal?

19 years ago

I was bending a branch. SEEMED supple..until...SNAP!

Very critical branch.

I got a piece of wire and made a sling for it. It didn't snap...OFF! Just hanging by the lower part of branch, but the heartwood was also broken. Cambium intact on lower third of branch.

I was...out...of "Seal & Heal" so I rushed out and got a new bottle and after adjusting the wire sling to hold branch so the crack wasn't ....evident....got it painted all around.

Any opinions of how lousy I should feel?

Think it'll be okay?

Lesson learned.

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Comments (5)

mark_rockwell
19 years ago
You should feel pretty lousy ;-) Keep your fingers crossed. You did just about everything you could. Don't fidget with the branch--even if it does heal over. It will always be weak and further attempts to wire and move it will probably break it again.

Elms heal fairly well if they're left to grow. Don't prune the branch if new growth emerges. Let it alone all growing season and possibly the next.
Kazoo1
Original Author
19 years ago
Sounds like good advice. HAD to be the tree that everyone marvels at.
How does one know if the repair.. "took?"

It is already leafing out, but that was occuring at the same time as the break. When will I know if the cambium is truly knitting?
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revt
19 years ago
John Naka deals with the problem of breaking branches part way through in Bonsai Techniques Vol. 1, p. 79: "In case of breaking, cracking or splitting, it is better to treat it immediately with tree seal, pine pitch, egg white, or even mud. Wrapping the area with tape will also help the healing." If you have access to this basic text, check also Figures 199 and 200 about how to trim the damaged area.
Kazoo1
Original Author
19 years ago
Don't have the Naka book. But there was no "damaged" area around the wound. Like breaking a toothpick but not all the way. Still had springiness and I got it slung back to a higher branch and the crack was invisible. Put the Sealer all around the broken part just to make sure it was sealed from air or bugs.
It is now fully ringed with sealer, wired to a branch above with some ... s l i g h t....upward pressure to hold it closed.
I had this happen on a Hackberry that mended with no problem but have never broken an elm.
The branch did not break ....OFF.
Hoping it is enough. This is (was) a very nice tree.
Markp6
19 years ago
You may have a good chance of these living.
The thing to remember is that while new wood that is put down will knit thing together, what ever crack there is in the old wood will remain there. It will be a weak spot that coul dsnap if you try to wire at some future date.

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