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Very sick tree - Help please!

  • 11-06-2006 7:41pm
    #1
    Dinarius
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭


    This tree doesn't seem to be very healthy.

    http://homepage.eircom.net/~ThePlayer/IMGP1684-1.jpg

    There was a lot of dead wood on it that I cut away and then applied Seal and Heal to the exposed cut surfaces. I also applied it to the area of decay on the trunk, pictured here........

    http://homepage.eircom.net/~ThePlayer/IMGP1679-1.jpg

    My neighbour says that it isn't flowering like it used to (we only moved in six months ago). The flower is pictured here.........

    http://homepage.eircom.net/~ThePlayer/IMGP1683-1.jpg

    Apologies for the image quality. The flower is bone dry and crumbly.

    We really like this tree. It is the perfect natural sun umbrella. We sit under it all the time. What can I do to revive it?

    Many thanks.

    D.


Comments

  • #2
    CJhaughey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,907 ✭✭✭✭CJhaughey


    Are you sure you didn't ring bark it when you chopped bits off it?
    Have you watered it lately?
    Probably should have left well enough alone, tree was good and you put some chemical on it and it gets sick?
    Maybe you should just leave it alone and see if it pulls through, Looks like a Rowan or Mountain ash from the pics.


  • #3
    Dinarius
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭Dinarius


    CJhaughey wrote:
    Are you sure you didn't ring bark it when you chopped bits off it?
    Have you watered it lately?
    Probably should have left well enough alone, tree was good and you put some chemical on it and it gets sick?
    Maybe you should just leave it alone and see if it pulls through, Looks like a Rowan or Mountain ash from the pics.

    It's a sumac.

    There have been dead branches on it for a while. I put on the Seal and Heal after cutting them off. If it is indeed sick, it was so before I applied the sealer.

    I have since been told that as sumac's are fast growing, dead wood is common. However, my main concern was the exposed trunk. That didn't look good.

    D.


  • #4
    Ayla
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Ayla


    Dinarius wrote:
    There have been dead branches on it for a while. I put on the Seal and Heal after cutting them off.

    Dinarius - I'm not a tree expert, but I did work in landscaping for awhile, and my observations, based on your pics and comments are these:

    * Your tree is mature enough that any short-term drying/lack of rain wouldn't really cause serious problems.

    * Our suggestions to our landscaping clients was always to forego such things as 'Seal & Heal' b/c you have great intentions, but you can actually be trapping infections inside the tree. Imagine if we kept a plaster on a cut on our body, instead of letting the air on it, we'd be ultimately causing more harm than good. This again probably isn't causing the problem, but it may not be helping in the future either, so I'd suggest to leave any gaps in the bark alone and let Nature do her thing. They look scary and ugly, but they may speed the healing process.

    * About what's actually causing the problem, unfortunately I don't know. Have you noticed any other Sumacs in your area having similar problems? If so it may be a disease that's striking the species. I think I've heard that Sumacs are prone to catching things.

    * Finally, if there's a spot of decay on the trunk, are you sure the tree's not so old as to be reaching the end of its life?

    My gut reaction (although again I'm not an expert) is that some sort of disease/infection has gotten into the tree (possibly through the initial trunk damage/decay). If this is the case, the best hope is to identify what that infection is and treat if possible.

    I'm sure this isn't really helpful, but I wish you all the best. It is painful to see a beloved tree in stress. When all else fails, let Nature do her thing.


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