Question
We had five (5) small laurel oaks planted in our new yard in 2005.  They all had wire supports on them which were not removed in time to prevent them from being partially grown into the trees.  Also, the sprinkler system has a special tree outlet at each tree.  Two (2) of the trees look OK, two (2) look sick (yellowing and lost foliage on one side of the trees), and one (1) has already been lost and removed.  Is the grown in wire killing the trees, and/or are they getting too much water from the sprinkler system twice per week?

Answer
The cable cutting into the trunk. leaving the guy wire on the trunk too long can become strangulated as the trunk diameter increases. The wire will cut into the trunk and possibly kill the tree. Usually about one year is the length of time or at least loosen the cable.


The sprinkler system you talked about sounds like a drip line. IF so this is not enough water during drought conditions. I would recommend that you water with 1 inch of water --place a pan under the trees and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Do this every third day for a month unless it rains. Then after a month water once a week. Unless the drought conditions persist.

Trees can survive with embedded wire. The wound would have to heal over the wire before the wire strangles the tree. The living layer of cells is just under the bark and the wire can cut this layer girdling the tree. The tree tries to grow over the wire and form new cells over the wire. Without seeing the trunk I can not tell if this is what is going on or not. DO NOT try to cut the wire out this action will normally girdle the trunk and kill the tree.

This Fall I would fertilize the trees with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good. This will increase the growth and the wound healing.Do not fertilize while there is a drought going on wait until the Fall.