Fill trunk hole

[Big50]

What would be the best product to fill a hole in the trunk of a palm tree to prevent water accumulation?

I was thinking of preparing mastic with wood shavings and white glue.

I appreciate any suggestion.

[Darold Petty]

I would hesitate to fill the hole because the seal will likely not be complete, causing moisture to remain within.  How large is the cavity?  Perhaps you could modify the bottom of the hole so that moisture would drain out and the air contact could evaporate moisture more easily ?   There are examples of palm trunks here with large cavities, but no apparent harm.

disclaimer, I have no experience with this problem , I just have heard anecdotes that filling cavities will exacerbate decay rather than help this situation.    

[palmsOrl]

This is just a shot in the dark.  What if you were to use a paint scaper or something similar to carve out the loose material within the hole, until you had clean margins of healthy tissue.  Then, dry any moisture with a towel or paper towels.  After that, I think they make products you can spray on wood or other surfaces that will dry and are supposed to suck the residual moisture out of the surrounding material it is applied to.  After that, fill the hole most of the way with "Great Stuff" expanding foam and sand this flat once dry, then apply a thin vaneer of that sealant tar.  Once dry, you could even paint the tar a color that would better match the trunk so it is less of an eyesore.

I have no idea if these materials could all be used together or if there would be toxicity concerns for the palm or of any other issues that might arise.  Not my area of expertise.  Just a thought.

I did something similar to a large oak tree that is a "V" shape and it had a hollow in the middle that collected water.  So I did the above to prevent rot from taking hold and eventually leading the tree to split during a storm.  Granted, I did this on a tree and a palm's tissues are different and are not hard and impermiable like that of trees.

[palmsOrl]

After I posted the above, I thought of an instance back in 2003-2004 where I successfully (the "filling" remained in place for 10 years without complication until I planted the palm in the ground and the filling would likely still in place if the palm remained) filled in a hole caused by rot on the woody trunk of a potted Cocos nucifera.  I will try to resist the urge to be overly verbose in my post here! 

I had a potted green Malayan dwarf Cocos in a pot back in 2003 and I noticed after pulling off the loose leaf bases that the palm had a good six inches of clear woody trunk despite being less than four feet tall.  Thus, I decided to apply bonsai techniques to the palm and I planted it into a somewhat large bonsai training pot.

I also noticed right at the base of the trunk just above where the roots meet the trunk that there was a circular area of rot about three inches in diameter and it turns out about an inch and a half deep.

After giving the problem some thought, I decided to try using Elmer's wood glue mixed with just the right amount of Florida sandy soil to both match the color of the trunk and lend the "filling" some durability and resistance to wear over time.  Sand is, after-all, minute chunks of rock/stone/quartz/whatever.

So, I cleaned out the hole with a knife so that all of the rotten tissue was removed then applied the first vaneer of glue/sand mix.  It took over a month to complete this because the mixture was obviously runny and so only a thin vaneer could be applied at one time and it had to be when rain was not expected within a day.  Finally, after a solid month and many applications, the hole was filled in and the dried mixture was flush with the trunk.  The dried sand/glue was pretty tough, as you could scratch it with your finger nail and it felt like scratching slightly rough glass.

No rot ever formed around the patch, the patch stayed in place and never showed signs of wear and never chipped from 2003-2004 until 2014 when I planted the palm in the ground and it really took off.  The palm was there until at least 2016 when I moved but I do not think it still is because it was in the back yard and by now would tower over the roof and be visible if it were.  I drove by last week to check it out.

On the plus side, one of my coconut palms remains to this day, a Hawaiian tall that appears to be just at the point where it should start trunking.  Orlando area coconut enthusiasts check it out, 640 Pansy Ave. Winter Park, FL 32789.  The coconut is to the right of the house in the back corner.

 

 

[Big50]

On 7/10/2020 at 8:49 PM, Darold Petty said:

I would hesitate to fill the hole because the seal will likely not be complete, causing moisture to remain within.  How large is the cavity?  Perhaps you could modify the bottom of the hole so that moisture would drain out and the air contact could evaporate moisture more easily ?   There are examples of palm trunks here with large cavities, but no apparent harm.

disclaimer, I have no experience with this problem , I just have heard anecdotes that filling cavities will exacerbate decay rather than help this situation.    

This is what I have, its around 5 cm x 3 depth, I already removed all the damaged tissue and it is completely dry but i think the best is to fill it to prevent it from spreading even more so still thinking about the best "product" to use.

[aztropic]

I would fill the hole with silicone rtv,then wrap some clear packing tape around the trunk for a day or two to hold shape until it dries,then remove the tape.Comes in many colors,including silver,brown,clear,and shades of white.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, aztropic said:

I would fill the hole with silicone rtv,then wrap some clear packing tape around the trunk for a day or two to hold shape until it dries,then remove the tape.Comes in many colors,including silver,brown,clear,and shades of white.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

I'd say this.

[palmsOrl]

1 hour ago, aztropic said:

I would fill the hole with silicone rtv,then wrap some clear packing tape around the trunk for a day or two to hold shape until it dries,then remove the tape.Comes in many colors,including silver,brown,clear,and shades of white.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

This would probably work.  Or, take a paint brush and paint the entire inside surface to the edge with a thin vaneer of Elmer's wood glue, let it dry completely and maybe do this a couple more times to make sure the entire concave surface is coated with a sufficiently thick water proof layer.  Then you could fill the hole with expanding foam or silicone rtv, as mentioned above.

[Kukana]

I'd hire a certified arborist to take care of this situation and hopefully save the tree.  You want to do it right the first time so you don't compromise the tree's health.  

[Alan_Tampa]

Stick a bromeliad or orchid in it and call it a day

[Silas_Sancona]

On 7/10/2020 at 12:49 PM, Darold Petty said:

I would hesitate to fill the hole because the seal will likely not be complete, causing moisture to remain within.  How large is the cavity?  Perhaps you could modify the bottom of the hole so that moisture would drain out and the air contact could evaporate moisture more easily ?   There are examples of palm trunks here with large cavities, but no apparent harm.

disclaimer, I have no experience with this problem , I just have heard anecdotes that filling cavities will exacerbate decay rather than help this situation.    

 

1 hour ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Stick a bromeliad or orchid in it and call it a day

^ Best advise of all.. 

All that tree / pruning sealer stuff..  Just a sales gimmick.   Will not stop moisture from getting in, and what bacteria / fungi are already present from continuing to grow and break down the woody tissue..  Don't waste your $$.

[Jimhardy]

Add some eyes and a nose to keep the little folks amused.

[iDesign]

19 hours ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Stick a bromeliad or orchid in it and call it a day

Awesome suggestion... though the more bromeliads the better 



* This tree (from quick internet search) is dead, but people do similar with live trees all the time.