Called BS on my neighbor's 'tree talk' method until I tried it on a dying maple

My neighbor Frank from down the street kept telling me I was overwatering my big silver maple (the one near the shed). He said to just tap the bark with a rubber mallet and listen for a hollow sound. I laughed at him for 3 months until the tree started dropping leaves in June. Finally got out my mallet (a $12 one from Home Depot) and sure enough the trunk sounded hollow on one side. Had a root rot issue that saved the tree because I caught it early. Anyone else had success with weird old-school tricks like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.jana9d ago

Frank's mallet trick sounds bonkers but you just proved it works. Had a similar thing with my aunt's old oak, she swore by tapping it with a wooden spoon to check for hollow spots near the base.

linda6269d ago

My grandpa had a similar thing with his old apple trees, he'd tap the trunk with a hammer handle and could tell you exactly where the wood was solid or going soft. Tried it myself on a few trees around my yard and it's surprisingly accurate for picking up those subtle changes in sound. Always thought it was just old-timer superstition until I started hearing those different tones myself.