Wednesday, January 8, 2014

dear tree

Our beloved ornamental cherry tree, which sits in front of the house and blooms so magnificently every spring -



Our dear tree which was so weighed down by snow two years ago -

                           

has a split right down the length of the trunk, and I was the one to discover it (with a shock) this morning.



I was very surprised two years ago when there seemed to be nothing wrong, after the big snow. But maybe that caused a weakening, and together with temperatures in single digits yesterday, this crack developed.

I called the nursery where we got it - she said when it's getting warmer to paint it with that black tree stuff. I thought she'd say we should wrap it up! Bind the wound! Put it in swaddling clothes like a baby! She didn't seem to think so.

My brother knows an arborist - we're going to see what he thinks. It's heartbreaking.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, I do hope you can save it - such a beautiful tree! I'm glad you found the split, now at least you have a chance mend it up.

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  2. Noooooo. Those trees are the prettiest. I hope it can be saved.

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  3. Oh dear, I am so sorry!!! God bless and save this little tree!!!

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  4. Oh that is so sad, I do hope it can be saved and live on for many years.
    Your cowl was finished just in time for the big freeze, hope you are keeping warm, the last few days here have been quite pleasant at the end of a week of heatwave.

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  5. The arborist got back to my brother - he recommends cutting it down. He said it will probably rot where it's open.

    Also, we noticed another thin crack in another limb. It really seems to me that this can be traced back to the snowstorm of two years ago. If we had only known what signs to look for, perhaps we could have treated it. It's a wonderful - I'd buy another one without a second thought.

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    1. Is there a way to start/save cuttings of it?

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    2. I keep thinking that I want a keepsake from it, Val. I don't carve, so the beautiful cherry wood won't do me any good. I wonder if it's too early to gather branches inside to force them. As for starting a new tree from it - that would take so long. We'll probably buy another; but perhaps I could still root a little one from it. You have made me think - thanks!

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    3. Yeah--I'd want to do something with it too. You're probably extra glad now that you took so many pictures of it.

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  6. Oh, this is sad news! I love trees so much, and your cherry tree is so pretty. ((((Hugs)))) ♥

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  7. That is sad. I think I would put the stuff on it to keep the bugs out and wrap a band around it to keep it together and see what happens. It will either graft back together or die, but at least it would have a chance and you may get to enjoy it a year or two more. Just my thoughts. They're such pretty trees.

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  8. We had a tree do the exact same thing several years ago. It has since had to come down for totally different reasons but, we were able to mend it to some degree. We had a friend put really really strong bands on it that he used at the brick yard he worked and I put peat and other high nutrient soil type stuff in the crack. It mended across the gap. Also, we severely trimmed the top up to get a lot of the weight off of it while it attempted to heal. (they bounce out of that trimming) I don't know if it would work or not, but it might be worth a try.

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    1. Heidi, I thank you for this information!! xoxo

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  9. I understand Lisa. These trees are like friends. I have the same flowering crab in my backyard and each year looks a little more like it is dying. I can hardly bear the thought of it not being there.

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