Copper nails

[s.varty]

Heres one for you all - copper nails - do they kill trees? Old wives tail or fact?

 

I put about 10 copper nails into the trunk of a conifer 12 years ago, the tree is still there as fit as cheryl cole, sorry tweedy. So in my experience it is an old wives tale.

[jonnyboy]

I have always thought it was an old wives tail. Today I was asked to look at dead willow tree, the owner is convinced that the adjacent neighbour had killed it to improve his view. Hammered in at the base of the tree were two copper nails, so I thought I'd do some research on the web. About 50% said it did and 50% said it did'nt, so I thought I'd ask the experts but I could'nt find any so I asked you lot!

[Bolt]

If only it was as easy as two copper nails

[jonnyboy]

you should have seen the size of them!

[renewablejohn]

Copper nails do work but they need to be pure copper buried in the ground to allow the copper to dissolve into the tree. You can also do the same effect with copper pipe. Obviously the bigger the tree the more it takes to kill it.

[scotspine1]

Copper nails are used to install lighting protection in trees, they keep the copper cable in place, I was involved in one of these projects, we must've hammered over 150 copper nails into this giant Oak, that was 10 years ago, the tree is fine.

[Amelanchier]

Why would copper kill a tree? Does it somehow magically overcome CODIT? Or catalyse some systemic cambial shut down? Nonsense. The nail punctures the xylem/phloem and allows air into the vascular system, shutting transport off. The embolism area is compartmentalised and the tree shrugs off another minor wound. Next...

 

I wonder, given that it is an offence to attempt to commit a offence under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 - hammering in copper nails to a TPO tree should attract a more significant penalty than unauthorised works even though the effort is futile?

Edited May 26, 2010 by Amelanchier
Spelling

[Mesterh]

I wonder, given that it is an offence to attempt to commit a offence under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 - hammering in copper nails to a TPO tree should attract a more significant penalty than unauthorised works even though the effort is futile?

 

It should as the intention is to kill the tree.Even if it does nothing.

 

 

 

Ive seen the old copper nail story tried out but as far as I know it never works.

 

Another one was putting grit ie salt around the base, someone did it to a syc which did look a bit poor but was still alive.

[Stephen Blair]

i have seen a small rowan dead from a bird box up, it was held with a copper nail, they took the bird box and nail out and the tree recovered. answers please hammy:biggrin:

[ad15]

i have seen a small rowan dead from a bird box up, it was held with a copper nail, they took the bird box and nail out and the tree recovered. answers please hammy:biggrin:

 

the tree was in scotland... the top of the tree was poorly from all the weegies trying to get the penny...