Question
2 trees with rot
I have 2 large oak trees, don't know what kind of oak, perhaps you can identify them from the attached photos, they could be laurel. I took a claw hammer and cleaned out all the soft dead wood and found no insect infestation, that I could see.
I have a few questions:
1. Is there anything I can do to stop the rot, keep it from
spreading or from coming back? Will it spread to other trees?
2. Is there anything I can use to fill the holes?
3. Should I take these trees down?
4. If not, how long do you think they will last? We do have
hurricanes here in Florida.
I have several other photos to send but I don't know how to send more than one, as I have more than 1 tree with a prolem. Please advise.
AnswerLooks like decay fungi more than likely from a wound maybe from an insect called a borer. There is not anything that can be done for the decay fungi. This fungi infects the woody cells and over many years can make the tree hollow. It will not kill the tree since it does not infest any living cells. The loose bark can be removed this will help the tree heal over the wound better. The borers can damage and may kill the tree however. I would spray the wound area on the trunk with an insecticide called Merit. This will kill the insect in the bark and wood. Borers usually attack weakened trees so i would fertilize the tree with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the ate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good. Do this now and again in the Fall. This will increase the overall health of the tree.
The decay is in the woody part of the tree and will not effect the living cells and therefore will not kill the tree. It can however weaken the area wher the two stems are attached. There is not any fungicide that will control the decay fungi in the wood. I would suggest that you brace the two stems with rods. Here is a web link to this system with pictures. http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/hort/pubs/pubs/Cabling.pdf
