Country Lore: Curing Dutch Elm Disease With Turpentine

Twenty-seven years ago, I had a Dutch elm tree on our farm in Orange County, Ind. It was about 15 inches in diameter and stood about 100 feet from our house where we had a swing in its shade.

One morning, a redheaded woodpecker took some dead bark off a limb, and I realized the tree was dying from Dutch elm disease. But I had an idea to save it. My father kept a can of pure gum turpentine and said it was good to put on an animal’s cuts and scratches to keep flies away.

I thought it might work on the elm tree.

I drilled a 1-inch-diameter hole into the tree about a half inch deep and screwed an 18-inch, L-shaped pipe into the hole. (To make the L, use a 1-inch-diameter pipe 2 inches long, threaded at both ends, an elbow and an 18-inch, 1-inch-diameter pipe.) I poured about a cup of turpentine into the pipe and put a cork into the end. A week later, I checked the pipe and all the turpentine had drained into the tree. I unscrewed the pipe and put a cork into the hole and covered that with turpentine.

We moved a few years later, but recently I returned with my son-in-law to visit the farm. And there was the tree, 3 feet in diameter and about 75 feet tall, healthy as can be! I guess my dad was right about turpentine keeping insects away.

  • Published on Mar 16, 2011
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