Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: gingerninja38 on July 26, 2011, 14:07:14
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my 2 year old was 'helping' me at the allotment today and has managed to snap one of the branches on my apple tree. :-[
It's a 3 year old falstaff, it was new in the ground last year and it has masses of fruit.
the branch is still partly attached to the tree and it is a big(ish) branch that forms part of the main stem, (like a Y shape with a branch up the middle of the Y.) the branch broken is the right hand 'arm'
Can i save it? the branch has about 10 apples on it and is heavy. i have propped it up with masses of canes as a quick way to try and save it till i can go back later when the kids are in bed.
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It is well worth a try taping it up with a breathable material it may re join
Other may give more advice but i would prop and tape up worth a try anyway :)
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If it is still partially attached it is worth of try. Take all the apples off..shorten the branches to take some weight off and tie it back really tightly..but musn't wait..sooner the better..though if the surface has dried out now it might be late or it need bit work first.
You could try carefully cutting the surface of the breaking..with sharp knife try to 'plane' few mm to get fresh new surface on both sides..press them back together..tie with something..long strip of fabric do nicely.
Next spring you will see if the branch start growing..when the first leaves start coming through..carefully untie/cut the strapping off.
If it haven't healed you can then remove the branch...at least you have tried.
If the branch do come unattached..then there is nothing to do for it..
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Adding some form of splint to it before taping will also help to support the weight.
Plus you could also attach a guy rope system from an adjacent branch to take a bit of the strain but still let the branch.
Then there is the traditional " Y " crutch or crutches to support the branch.
Basically all that is required is forming a system to take the strain until harvest time!
But as goodlife says do it sooner rather than later before things dry out!
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If you do manage to splint it, leave the splint in place for a couple of years till there's plenty of new wood covering the break. I managed to do this once with a tree which had been vandalised, but it broke off completely when I unbandaged it too soon.
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looks like its worth a try ;)
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well i've taped it up, looking around the internet it has been suggested to use electrical tape because it's flexible, so i used that.
i taped it up then put some rubber covered wire over that so form a tight seal, then i staked the branch in 4 places to hold it up and take the strain off the join. i will losen the wire in the spring and leave the tape on for as long as possible.
i guess i'll only know in the spring if the branch comes into leaf if it has worked, but i hope that because it's a young tree it will pull through
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They tend to put most of the wood on towards the end of the season, so you need to keep the wrappings and stakes in place till the end of next growing season, to enable it to lay down a decent thickness of wood.