Reading an old textbook and found out they used to cut cavities in trees to 'drain' them

Found this in a 1970s arboriculture guide from my grandpa's shed. They'd actually drill a hole and insert a pipe, thinking it helped with decay, which we now know just makes it worse. Anyone else come across these old practices that make you cringe?

3 comments

3 Comments

palmer.zara4mo ago

Oh man, that's a classic. My uncle swore by painting tree wounds with tar, which is basically just sealing in the rot.

hannaht294mo ago

Remember reading about that, it's wild. I had a similar shock with an old gardening book that said to use motor oil on fence posts. Totally agree with @palmer.zara about the tar thing too, just traps all the moisture.

the_miles2mo ago

Alright, 1972 USDA bulletin number 415 actually recommended drilling those drain tubes, so let's not act like some hillbilly in a shed came up with it. Tbh, the whole "we know better now" attitude is a bit arrogant, these guys were trying to save trees in a world without modern fungicides or cavity fillers. Ngl, I've personally seen a hundred year old oak with a rusty pipe in it that's still standing perfectly fine after 40 years, while a "properly" pruned tree next to it rotted out from a tiny stub cut. The real problem wasn't the drainage, it was people not keeping the pipe clean and the hole sealed after the fact. Honestly, the modern approach of just leaving a cavity open can trap water and bugs way worse than a well-placed galvanized pipe ever did. I'd rather have a tree with a metal straw in it than a tree with a gaping wound full of rainwater and bird crap any day.