Mature Larch beyond help??

[D.e.hill]

Hi, new here so thanks in advance for any help. 
 

My neighbours had a tree surgeon over today to look at some unrelated stuff in their garden, but he happened to notice our European Larch tree and comment that it should have far more growth by this time of the year and that it was probably beyond help. 
 

I don’t know the surgeon, and I’m getting this second hand so I’m hopeful someone here might be able to advise?

 

Pictures attached. The tree is the most redeeming feature of the house so I hope it’s not dying! It is normally bushier in the summer. 

 

Anything I can do? All help gratefully received. 

[D.e.hill]

So I’ve just had the tree surgeon over. The good-ish news is that there’s no sign of infection. He thinks it’s drought damaged from a couple of years of poor rain and not helped by the ground compression for adjacent shed and garden. 
 

He recommends felling. 
 

I am reluctant to get rid of it without trying to help. So we’ve agreed he’s going to cut the dead wood out, trim the top, air spade the immediate area around the trunk, put the mulch around the base to retain water and I’ll keep watering her. He’s also going to pop some super-tree-compost around the base. No idea if it’ll work but I don’t fancy getting rid just yet. 

[monkeybusiness]

5 hours ago, D.e.hill said:

So I’ve just had the tree surgeon over. The good-ish news is that there’s no sign of infection. He thinks it’s drought damaged from a couple of years of poor rain and not helped by the ground compression for adjacent shed and garden. 
 

He recommends felling. 
 

I am reluctant to get rid of it without trying to help. So we’ve agreed he’s going to cut the dead wood out, trim the top, air spade the immediate area around the trunk, put the mulch around the base to retain water and I’ll keep watering her. He’s also going to pop some super-tree-compost around the base. No idea if it’ll work but I don’t fancy getting rid just yet. 

Hope you’ve got deep pockets!!!

[D.e.hill]

Ha ha, I guess we’ll find out!

 

If anyone is interested I was quoted £500 + VAT for the work we’re doing now to try to save her. Versus removal at £750 + VAT. I’m comfortable with that as I wouldn’t have instructed removal this year anyhow if I could avoid it! 

[monkeybusiness]

23 minutes ago, D.e.hill said:

Ha ha, I guess we’ll find out!

 

If anyone is interested I was quoted £500 + VAT for the work we’re doing now to try to save her. Versus removal at £750 + VAT. I’m comfortable with that as I wouldn’t have instructed removal this year anyhow if I could avoid it! 

Sounds good value if they are going to airspade etc too. 

[Bolt]

1 minute ago, monkeybusiness said:

Sounds good value if they are going to airspade etc too. 

I thought it seemed good value to.

 

I also thought it interesting that your guy is competent and and equipped to do all the dead wooding, top trimming, air spading, mulching and super-tree-composting, yet his initial thought was towards felling.  I guess either his order book is pretty full, or the tree is a lot more dead looking in real life than it is in the photos.

 

Anyway, the tree’s got two chances…  Good luck!

[D.e.hill]

I think it probably is a bit worse in life to a trained eye than I’m putting across. 
 

He suggested it was 40/50% de-foliated. 
 

He was also reluctant to recommend removing it. His background was at Westonbirt Arboretum and I think he really likes trees(!) but just thinks mine will die whatever we do and seemed not that keen to take my money now and then again next year to chop it down! Comes across as experienced and competent. 

 

He reckons a team of 2 for half a day to do all the stuff described. He’s not fully airspading it as that will wreck the garden for the kids, but an area of about 6ft radius out from the trunk. Let’s wait and see!

[D.e.hill]

Thanks for all your advice last year on this - just following up. 
 

As Spring is springing one side is filling out nicely while the problematic side is looking much more bare. I’m guessing my man was right about it being beyond help? I thought I might do some climbing and get rid of any dead wood. Anything else I can do to help it? 
 

I don’t fancy throwing good money after bad with any more professional work really if I can avoid it. 
 

All thoughts welcome!

[Dan Maynard]

I'd just wait another year. Larch is a durable wood so the dead won't fall to bits quickly like birch, if we have another hot dry summer will possibly finish it off but maybe it will be kinder.

 

The areas which are dead will stay dead, but if the living parts come back stronger then you would eventually be able to just remove all deadwood and keep the tree. Otherwise it's back to plan a.

[Mick Dempsey]

It’s toast. Get it out and replant.

[D.e.hill]

Thank you both. Forgive my lack of technical terminology, but I note it’s got 2 trunks and only one of them is buggered. If I chop that one down can the other one flourish, or do they depend on each other?

 

Likely a daft question, but I am an amateur…