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A couple of my trees have water near the base where the tree forks upward.

One guy suggests using chainsaw to cut small drain hole at bottom of bole, and then fill bole up with cement?

Is this what I should do?

I don't want to do anything that will seriously harm the tree.

Doug Null
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    Please add a photo. What you've described could be a bacterial disease called Slime Flux - or not; this is why photos (one for about 10 feet away, another one or two close-ups) are essential. And do NOT do what that guy suggested. It makes absolutely no sense. – Jurp Nov 26 '21 at 23:00
  • Do you mean the tree trunk is hollow ( rotted)and holding water ? – blacksmith37 Nov 27 '21 at 16:50
  • jurp: I will get picts. Cement would prevent more water, I suppose. Even with drain hole cut in, moisture from No. Cal. night and morning dew may build up moisture. Humidity here at 1100' elevation has been > 50%. blacksmith: yes. – Doug Null Nov 28 '21 at 15:58
  • Warning: concrete is unlikely to be the right solution. Water will get between bark and the plug, and stay wet. – Bryce Nov 29 '21 at 05:34
  • My grandfather once put concrete into a hollowed-out trunk of an apricot. Thirty years later, my uncle got a huge surprise when the chainsaw he was using to cut the tree down hit the concrete. A visit to the hospital ensued. It is never a good idea to put concrete into a tree. – Jurp Nov 30 '21 at 22:04

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Build a small roof over the wet area. This reduces risk of introducing infection by cutting a drain. And it lets things dry out, unlike the concrete plug approach (water will always get through between the bark and plug, and then it sits there wet).

For more advice: post photos.

Bryce
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