This is another one that i didnt snag that had the same

Thanks but i have one that is girdled all the way around and others only have about 1 inch of good trunk left of about 3 1/2-4 inches. Do you think they will still make it with that much damage

the one in the pic is clearly encapsulating itself ... so i dont know how going in there and making more wounds accomplishes much of anything ...

all you can do.. is pray it finishes that job.. before the heartwood starts rotting.. which it wont.. if it stays dry .... which means.. dont put a plastic wrap on it ...

on the other hand.. they are freebie damaged plants.. and what better to experiment on ... maybe you should do it.. lol ... not much help between the 2 answers.. lol ...

ken

Lol thanks i did it with one and im going to see if it makes a difference or causes more harm in the spring i can try to remember to keep you posted on how it

Hey, I have an aunt with an almost girdled japanese maple and may suggest this to her, I was just wondering how your trees with the different techniques turned out. Thanks!

If your plans are to allow the plant to grow in a container for its entire life, It will take 20 years for a bridge graft to outgrow being anything but an eyesore. If the tree is planted out in the landscape at some point in time, it will become a hazardous tree with a trunk weakened from the inside out. The callus tissue along the left side of the wound is being supported (with water and nutrients) by the thick root immediately beneath the lower edge of the callus and moving down/left. I suspect the same is true on the hidden side of the wound with another root, meaning all the roots beneath the wound are or will be dead and a hollow trunk is in the tree's future.

So, if you keep it in the pot you can treat the hollow trunk as something of a feature if you like. I guarantee it will look better than a bridge or inarch graft.

Of course, you could easily layer the tree off above the wound and have a perfectly healthy tree.

This maple was layered off of it's roots:

You can see the tourniquet wire still attached ^^^ under the trunk where the old roots were sawed off.

Below is a hackberry being layered .....

..... and here it is 3 months later after separating the layer:

Ask if you need help.

Al