4

In August, a wind storm split this black walnut's leader. The leader broke again higher up, and came completely off, but a large part of the main stem (lower down) is still attached, and although it's fallen and rested on a nearby tree, the cambium is still green.

This is about 22 feet above ground level. The tree is 9 years old (grown from seed), and has grown very fast. I'm guessing that's why the leader split.

What are my options? I'd prefer to have a central leader growth habit if possible, as these get quite large.

J. Musser
  • 52,241
  • 23
  • 122
  • 333

1 Answers1

2

Here's what I ended up doing:

Materials:

  • steel pipe
  • outdoor grade duct tape
  • 50lb UV resistant nylon zip ties
  • strips of rag

The hard part was pulling the stem back up, as it not only weighed over 100 lbs, but had put on a growth ring in that position. Here's to hoping that I didn't cause too much damage in the process.

I trimmed up the jagged edges on the split, then I used tape to hold the stem together, then used zip ties padded by rag strips to tightly fasten the stem to the steel pipe (which is copper coated).

I am aware of how the ties can affect the future ring growth, so I placed the pipe on the more sensitive side. I may go up again with a pole pruner and relieve some of that weight which is causing high tension.

J. Musser
  • 52,241
  • 23
  • 122
  • 333