For a long time, it was common practice to use a pruning sealer when balancing trees — a apparently common-sense practice recommended by learnt arborists and nursery proletarians alike. Contemporaries of homeowners grew up believing that painting on an application of pruning sealer on trees appendages/ divisions was an integral part of “safe” tree pruning.
No longer.” Current best practices no longer recommend requesting sealants to tree winds ,” says Karl Flocke, a woodland ecologist who works for the Texas A& M Forest Service.
So let’s talk about why it’s now considered a gardening myth and how yesterday’s tree bandage became today’s bad practice.
What is tree pruning sealer?
A tree pruning sealer is a specially designed waterproof make that is applicable, or “painted,” onto the uncovered cut on a leg or field after snipping. For many, many years — and still to this day in some cases — people were told by an arborist that tree wind had to be covered with a sealant.
A tree pruning sealer is a bandage of kinds meant to cover the curve. Their packaging claims to aid in the healing of pruning trims, reduce exhaust loss, and protect trees from crumble, insects, and fungi.
It was an easy DIY project, the concoction was( and still is) in stock at all garden-variety and big casket collects, so it became ingrained as a attire for homeowners.
While good in theory, scientific research conducted by Alex Shigo of the U.S. Forest Service in the late 1970 s have been told that snipping gashes shall not be required to be drew. Instead, the tree should be left to heal through its own maneuvers after you snip it. He emphasized the importance of following proper pruning patterns. Let a fresh piece salve naturally instead of covering it with a wind dressing, he urged.
Why tree sealant fell from grace
Later studies substantiated Shigo’s work. Today’s arborists are trained to consider sealers a bad tradition because they make it harder for trees to recover after pruning.
It’s important understood that trees don’t truly heal after they have been damaged. According to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, they instead isolate shattering through a process called compartmentalization. Callus tissue develops at the edge of the weave and gradually flourishes in toward the center. When trees are pruned precisely this new growth eventually deals the pruning weaves, protecting the damaged trees.
These sealant produces are typically petroleum-based, although some may contain asphalt — and actually capture sweat inside the tree meander, which may encourage more troubles instead of preventing them. Some products exist touting natural parts such as collagen, pectin, or aloe vera. Regrettably, there isn’t any technical has proved that they benefit the tree, either.
The petroleum and asphalt-based wind primps are known to 😛 TAGEND
seal in sweat and disintegrate;
sometimes serve as a food informant for pathogens;
foreclose wound lumber from forming;
restraint compartmentalization;
eventually crack, exposing the tree to pathogens.
Liked by neither tree nor human
They’re no enjoyable for humen, either.
Thanks to their volatile combining of asphalt and solvent, according to the safety data sheet for one favourite product, they 😛 TAGEND
Contain gas under pressure and may explode if heated. Cause serious see irritation. Induce skin aggravation. May movement genetic defects. May case cancer.
Wear skin and eye care, the label cautions, and collect it in a cool, well-ventilated place.
So after learning those goodies, it’s a bit easier to see why you should stop using pruning sealer on your trees.
Should you seal pruned wings at all?
The short answer to this is no! You should not use snipping decorate to close pruned limbs at all. They are better left to undergo natural healing through their own flora defense mechanisms.
Plus, why would you want to set a product on your tree that can also be used to seal and waterproof rain gutters, roof twinkles, wooden planters, the underside of a lawn mower deck, or even small sections of asphalt driveways? If something claims to be effective for these other outdoor utilizations, don’t articulated it on a living tree. In my opinion, it’s better to leave the tree be so it can “fix” itself.
Instead of sealing pruning weaves it’s better to implement prevention. You can decrease problems that may stem from pruning by following these tips-off 😛 TAGEND
Properly fumigate all pruning tools with a 70% isopropyl booze mixture before and after using them. That applies regardless of the time of year you are pruning, or the type of tree you are working on. Govern the spread of cancer by properly setting of all questionable appendages/ diverges after snipping. Use merely use disease-free mulches or compost. Make clean, smooth slashes offsetting sure to not leave receipts but keep the branch collar intact. Prune trees at the proper age, preferably in the spring when they are still dormant and haven’t started wording buds. This attains them less suggestible to infestations or illness.
The Exception: Oak Trees
Oak trees in about 24 territories, from the midriff Eastern states south through Texas, can suffer from oak wilt. The mar done can be both devastating and irreparable. The fungus that causes the disease spreads from tree to tree, carried by Nitidulid beetles attracted to the smell of the tree’s sap. The bugs will then move to another tree, laden with oak wilting fungus spores, and spread the disease. So rapidly treating any pruned disciplines will comprise that fresh-sap smell before the beetles come a-running.
” Most different forms of decorate job equally well, and there is no need for specialized rubberized or petroleum sealants ,” says Texas A& M’s Flocke. He’s stationed in Austin, Texas, where oak tree wilt is such a concern that pruning oaks is inhibited from February through June.” The meander draw is only necessary for the first two to four days after the gash has been seen ,” Flocke says,” so there is no need to reapply paint or got to go and cover age-old meanders .”
How to remove pruning sealer
I’m sure you’re now asking yourself if employing a pruning sealer has caused irreparable damage caused to your trees. You may also wonder if you should consider removing it. This isn’t so easy to answer and surprisingly there isn’t much discussion about it online.
I recommend if your trees’ pruning gashes had sealer applied to them, remove it if possible. Due to the chemical form of the sealer, you can’t simply peel it off and throw it away, unfortunately.
The best path to remove pruning sealer would be to make a new pruning slouse on the chapter. Remove the depict, and create a brand-new, open curve. A brand-new pruning trim wouldn’t need to be made much below the old-fashioned one. Perhaps a one-fourth to a half of an inch is good if there’s fairly wood to do that. Make sure it’s a clean, straight section and your implements are sterilized.
This new wound will provoke the tree to begin the process of compartmentalization, constituting a brand-new callus to protect the wind naturally.
Story originally published Nov. 12, 2019
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