Hi.
A large tree branch fell in my backyard. There was no rain or wind recently, so maybe there was a long term issue?
Anyway, what’s the best way to “clean the wound”? Should I spray that tree black stuff on? Or wrap the tree in something?
This is in Central Texas. Thanks!
EDIT: Y'all are amazing. It is a Bradford Pear for sure. We had an Arborist trim all of our trees in March and I found the price quote saying he'd trim (and he did) that Bradford Pear for the deadwood.
by GeneralOptimal10
19 Comments
That’s a Bradford pear, they don’t have a long lifespan because they grow big very fast and then do this. I would remove it honestly.
That’s not “a branch” that’s half the tree. Don’t do anything to it except give it some extra water. It’ll survive or it won’t.
Have a *certified* arborist cone look at it if it’s near any important structures, like your house.
The issue is the species. Bradford pears are notorious for this.
I would remove and replace it with something better. If you want to keep it just put a clean cut at the bottom of the tear and that’s it. No sealant or paint or any of that crap. Probably have it pruned to limit other branch failure potential.
But really I would just replace it. Junk trees that are super invasive in many areas and they fall apart all the time
No to any sealing stuff, just keep it clean. But it’s a Bradford pear, so you should just get rid of it. Falling apart is their whole thing
It looks like a Bradford or Callery pear doing what they do best, which is self-destruct without maintenance. As far as awful trees go, they’re truly awful and there are literally trillions of reasons to despise them. You should do the world a favor and get rid of the rest of it and replace it with a proper, native tree.
Glue it back on?
This is not a tree you want to keep for a lot of reasons, this being a big one.
Bradford pears are invasive. Best thing to do is remove it and replace it with a better specie.
More and more states are making sales of these trees illegal. Which is good for everyone except half-wit landscapers who plant them and tree removal companies.
If you live in America – Bradford pears are not native and actually invasive. Please remove and I would recommend replacing with a native plant next! It’s better for our eco system to plant native.
Bradford pear, brought to you by Science. Continued to be promoted for financial profit oriented Fed Govt Science(National Arboretum) when its invasiveness and poor branching structure were well known. It’s a textbook example of how Science can be compromised and manipulated by power and money.
Immediately coat the tear in the trunk with Milk of Magnesia. Phillip’s not a generic brand. Repeat twice daily until the wound heals.
You don’t. That’s a Bradford Pear and they are best pruned at ground level.
Replace it with Keiffer pear tree if you want pears.
That’s a Bradford pear – they have terrible branch structure with narrow “V” shaped crotch angles instead of strong “U” shapes, which is why they literally tear themselves apart as they get bigger (no amount of wound care will fix this structural defect).
So, this tree came with the house and I’ll look to see if it could damage the wall behind (in this pic).
I’d hate to remove the whole thing (it’ll be expensive and it helps with general shade), so should I just leave it as-is?
Hey OP, I feel your pain. I had 2 Bradford Pears I inherited and both came crashing down. All of their benefits are short term and they are doomed to self destruct. I replaced mine with hardier native trees.
If the tree has trouble closing the woundYou can cover the wound with a tree sap/tar sealer to protect the heart wood.
It will help but it’s not guaranteed to save it.
You could also graft several other trees into that wound and make an attempt at creating a Frankenstein tree
Prune it horizontally at ground level and poison the stump, no joke. Makes good barbecue/smoker wood for chicken and pork.