Calcified Apple Tree

[Backpain]

Had a bizarre experience yesterday. Went to view a job and one of the trees was a big old apple tree covered in wisteria. She claimed the tree had been calcified. Some one had drilled into it a poured in calcium carbonate. It was overhanging a very new and expensive looking conservatory. Well I looked puzzled and said there's a good chance the wisteria is holding it up. There were various other monoliths covered in climbers.

Please tell me I'm not imagining all this!!!

[Goaty]

Sounds a bit nutty. Any evidence of drilling? A lot of holes needed to achieve that?

[peatff]

Calcium carbonate (chalk) is insoluble so I don't see how they could have achieved this.

[Beardie]

Calcium carbonate is soluble, otherwise we wouldn't have hard water, or stalactites in caves.

 

However, I think what is going on with the tree is that the owner is using incorect terminology, which doesn't tell you what is actually there. Things are 'calcified' if they are saturated with calcium carbonate, which cannot be the case here. More likely, someone found a hollow in the tree and filled it with concrete. Add a bit of fuzzy thinking typical of those who ask you to work on their garden trees, and you have your 'calcified tree'!

[peatff]

Calcium carbonate is soluble, otherwise we wouldn't have hard water, or stalactites in caves.

 

It's carried in suspension, that's why it is deposited and not carried away as a liquid with the water. Here's a safety and health guideline document, read item 7 under chemical and physical properties.