trunk split,, tree company tied it together with string to hold, say they can nail it back... will this work? i was not familiar with this technique, i thought that since the trunk was split there was no way to fix.. is this something I can do myself? They want close to 300 bucks to do this. thanks
It would be useful to see a picture, and a more detailed description (size of the tree), but yes, if handy you can do this yourself, and the sooner the better. Be careful not to devise anything that can girdle the trunk. I repaired a young forest pansy redbud two years ago, with two 10-32 bolts, it's healing nicely but will need a few more years... the bolts will remain.
Nails will not work well. If truck is not too thick, drilling long holes and install very long bolts with washers and nuts at each end might work better. However, it will not be long for diseases get introduced into the bark. After bolting the tree, try spraying pruning oil on it to seal the trunk.
The tree can still live a long life, but over time it will not look healthy. The bark will get some deceased and not look as good. You might just simply replace it.
The main reason the tree split is that it grew to fast when it was young. Too much fertilizer perhaps. Also trees that split tend to have full dense tops. Pruning the trees so the the wind can flow between the branches helps to put less strain on the trunk.
Three hundred dollars can buy a new tree.
We have a lovely 20 year old Japanese Maple that is gorgeous, and has a big split in it. When we had some trees removed, the arborist suggested that we get a 4 or 5" hose clamp to bring the branches back together. He also said not to put anything on it, like pruning oil, but ours is an old break. Good luck with your tree. Nan in DE
I would be afraid the hose clamp would crush the bark completely around the tree which it may kill the tree quickly. Pruning oil may or not be a good, their are pros and cons about pruning oil. A tree within minutes will start to seal itself. But a very large split will allow bugs and diseases set in before it can self seal itself.
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