Tried rope wrapping a cracked limb instead of cutting it down last week

I have this old oak in my backyard that has a big crack in one of the main limbs. Normally I'd just chainsaw it off, but I watched a video about using rope wraps to stabilize it and give it a chance to heal. So last Thursday I climbed up there with some 3/4 inch rope and spent about 2 hours wrapping it tight. Its only been a week but the crack hasnt spread at all even with the wind we had Saturday. Anyone else mess with this technique or am I just delaying the inevitable?

2 comments

2 Comments

simoncarr21d ago

You ever try something from a YouTube video and immediately think "well this is gonna end badly"? I did the same thing last year on a maple branch that was split halfway through. Used some old climbing rope and wrapped it like a mummy, looked terrible but it held through two storms before I finally took it down. The crack actually stopped spreading for about 4 months, so I'd say you bought yourself some time at least.

holly6321d ago

Same here with a cracked limb on my pecan tree last spring, and @simoncarr is right-mine held for about 5 months before I finally caved and cut it down, so you definitely bought some time lol.