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Hole In Crotch of Lacebark Elm

12 years ago

I have a 30 y.o. lacebark elm that basically splits into three main branches. I just dicovered recently that there's a pretty deep cavity between the main trunk and the first large side branch. I was thinking of cleaning it out as best I can and fill it with concrete so water can no longer stand in it.

Is this as good of method as any or is there a more preferable option?

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
and what do you imagine static acidic concrete will do to a tree that is grown to blow in the wind ...

if its a threat to you.. your house.. or the nieghbors.. its gotta go ..

if its out on the acreage.. ignore it...

whatever you could dream up to insert ... will eventually fail due to the movement of the tree.. allowing water and insects to get behind ... and cause more damage.. especially since it will NEVER dry out ... the hole as it is now.. does get wet.. but probably stays relatively dry weather permitting ...

soo.. the bottom line.. this is a situation where darned if you do ... darned if you dont.. so you just have to look towards safety ...

i always dreamed that plastic wood might work .. but then.. its not wood.. its plastic ...

good luck

ken

ps: and dont paint it either...
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
12 years ago
Tree science is not that far along yet. No one knows for sure how to treat it or the horticultural equilavelant of neosporen.

I just had a white ash with a similar problem removed.

If you are feeling experimental dry it out and fill with silicone. Check every few months. The tree will attempt to encapsulate it.
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IMO, the big issue is the overboard pruning that previous owner did to it, and that above all, you need to not do anything for a while, to let the poor thing do some growing. As far as that goes, and I agree with the posters above that the branch angles are good, is that elms generally are not especially handsome trees in youth. Even the American elm is just kind of awkward-looking when young, giving little hint of the imposing structure it will develop later. So yeah, let the tree do some growing, perhaps create some more branches, then see if there is a need to do any subtle leader-training, etc. +oM
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first.. they are NOT evergreen in so cal.. are they?? .. even in your zone.. it is pretty near winter ... arent all those leaves going to be falling off soon ... [perhaps i will learn something new today] i deep soak my trees.. MAYBE twice a year... once a week sounds like a lot ... dig a small hole beside the root mass.. and find out if you really need all that water ... it is my opinion.. that trees like to near dry in between PROPER waterings .... and i dont think that is possible with your deep waterings PLUS sprinklers ... especially this time of year.. when there is no real heat.. deep in the soil ... [what is your native soil.. and did you amend the planting hole???] it is not uncommon for there to be leaf damage/sacrifice .. due to transplant [this is where you tell me you did that 2 years ago] .... ONLY YOU can define whether it is too much or too little water... per above.. insert finger into rootball ... and per me.. dig small hole next to rootball.. 12 or 18 inches down.. AND FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE.... guessing is insufficient .... and anyone who gives you an otherwise definitive answer.. is just speculating .... and that is why all the replies seem to be hemming and hawing .... give us some more facts ken ps: the latin name might have allowed me to google your plant.. rather than contemplate the invasive weed trees known here in MI as C. elms .. which i think i learned were asian elms ....
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brandon7 TN_zone7
12 years ago
Whatever you do, don't fill it with concrete or, even worse, silicone. Long, long ago, people did use concrete or bricks and mortar to fill in tree cavities. They assumed that it would provide additional strength and keep out critters. In some cases, the tree was able to survive for a long period of time despite the treatment, but the method almost never results in a positive contribution in the long run. Adding things that hold in moisture often encourages rot.
snasxs
12 years ago
Can you post a picture?

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