How To Repair A Broken Fruit Tree Branch

Spend whatever fourth dimension caring for fruit trees and eventually you'll come across it happen: the need for tree repair. One day, a tree is continuing proud with a large crop of fruit, and the next twenty-four hour period, a large branch has cracked under the weight, agonizing the shape of the tree and eliminating a large section of prime fruit-producing branches.

This frustrates and disappoints whatsoever orchardist, but there's a bright spot—simply considering a co-operative is broken doesn't mean that information technology will die. In fact, if the branch has simply cracked and did not detach from the tree, you might be able to save it.

Does it sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but with the right tools and supplies, you might tin brand information technology happen. I offering no guarantee that the following techniques volition piece of work for your own tree repair, but having enjoyed good luck with saving large fruit tree branches.

What You'll Need For The Repair

Considering cleaved branches can't back up their own weight, you'll showtime need a alpine stake or post to prop upward the co-operative. I use metal stakes, which are easy to maneuver into place and install in the footing.

You'll likewise demand various supplies to necktie the branch to the stake and support the damaged expanse where the branch connects to the tree. I like to employ blackness electrical tape and large naught ties. Lastly, you'll need something to cushion the area where the co-operative rests against the pale, so that the bark won't be damaged by rubbing back and forth against the stake.

How To Fix The Branch

Before yous brainstorm the tree repair, remove the fruit from the broken co-operative (making the branch considerably lighter) and lift the branch back to its original acme, which should seal the damaged area so well that you tin hardly discover the cleft. Once you lot've established the height needed to close the wound, install your pale or post then that it reaches up slightly in a higher place that top. If the pale or post isn't tall enough, the branch will rest in place, but the wound won't exist completely closed. If you have trouble getting the stake into the right position, you can also attach an extension to the stake to heighten its height.

For this purpose, I like to find an ash tree—though many types of trees will do—and cutting off a forked branch approximately ane/ii inch thick. After stripping off the leaves and branches, except for the fork, identify the cleaved fruit tree branch into the fork of the ash branch and necktie the ash branch firmly to the pale. Non merely does this raise the height of the pale, it besides provides a softer cushion for the fruit tree branch.

Once the stake is in place, you can lightly tie the fruit tree branch to the stake to ensure that information technology doesn't slip off. And then, wrap electrical tape around the surface area where the branch cracked, simply to provide a piddling extra back up and assistance seal the scissure. You tin can as well use a tree wound sealer to help repair the scissure and prevent disease from infecting the tree. In any instance, be sure that whatsoever zip ties, tape or rope used is not and so tight as to restrict the tree and interfere with growth, which can eventually harm the tree.

In theory, if you give your tree enough time, this tree repair method will strengthen the damaged area on its own, growing new wood until the branch can support itself once again. I don't notwithstanding have enough long-term experience with this repair method to give advice on how long this might take, but every bit I write this, I have 2 apple trees in the k with stakes property up damaged branches, and one has been in place for a few years without any signs of setbacks, producing abundant apples each fall. With a piffling effort and some luck, you can achieve the same consequence.

Source: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/tree-repair-broken-fruit-branches/

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