To seal or not to seal (pruning wounds)

[shibui]

Ever wondered whether those wound sealers actually speed up healing of wounds? I did, so decided to put it to the test. I covered half of a large wound on this Acer palmatum. This is the result. Can you guess which side was sealed?

AP large 2010 5 scar healing.JPG

This was treated with the 'Japanese plasticine' Has anyone else done a test on any of the other sealers and what if anything do others use successfully?

[amazonida]

Hi, you should seal with cut paste, at the moment of the prune. as we can see in this pic, it won't make diference!

[Jamie]

looks like a huge difference to me! i would presume to say the left side was sealed, i am amazed at the difference.

i have never sealed a cut before but i think that will definately be changing!

J

[Leigh Taafe]

Grant showed me a trident at the collection that had been sealed with paste first, allowed to dry, then sealed over that with putty - the wound healed completely in less than 8 months.

[Handy Mick]

I never used to, I was young and a bit of a rebel. I do now though, just scared at loosing a good tree to disease.

[Jamie]

obviously it helps a great deal, i always new that sealing would keep out any for of infections, and can help heal the cut some. i didnt realise it was to this extent, or with what leigh just stated with a double sealing i wonder why double sealing has made a difference in the overall healing of the wound?

J

[Bretts]

Not saying the stuff doesn't work but maybe you should have used the paste on the other side of the scar. I can't help but wonder if the branch on that side had something to do with the extra healing..... Duck and run

[Josh7]

I always seal for four reasons 1. to keep moisture in so there is no dead wood at the collar, 2. or rebudding if the branch/ trunk is cut away from a collar, 3. to keep nasties out, 4. when 1 & 2 are done properly, the wound will heal quickly and attractively.

[bodhidharma]

Leong says he does not seal his fig;s or worry about wire scarring. Me, i seal everything, if it is a large wound seal it first and wood putty over that.

[Jamie]

interesting you say leong does not worry about sealing cuts, but more so he doesnt worry bout wire scars on his figs, i think he should do as on a couple of pages through his book there is a willow leaf fig with a very straight horizontal trunk that has some very severe wire scars on it.

i am a little cautious with wire i would prefer to take it off a touch early and rewire the opposite direction and be assured that i dont scar the tree and the branching holds. i will definately be sealing stuff from now on!

J

[craigw60]

Hi Jamie, brrr the temperature has hit 4 degrees here this morning. I always seal scars on my good trees and then each year I scrape the cambium with a stanley knife and reseal them to encourage even healing. With my growing on stock I am a little less careful.
With regards to wire scars on some species I reckon a little gentle and deliberate wire scaring is not such a bad thing it means the branches have set. This practice should never be done on soft bark species but with rough bark trees such as pines I like to scar them just a little. I was amazed when I went to Kinashi (where the big commercial pine nurseries are) to see the trees in training covered with wire scars. There is no doubt this would be deliberate as the Japanese leave nothing to chance.
Craig

[MelaQuin]

I seal most wounds, especially if the cut is adjacent to an important branch and I don't want to risk drying and dying. I will be trying Grant Bowie's suggestion about first the soft sealer than the putty. I also make sure I make my larger cuts concave so when the callous forms it is level with the trunk and does not form a ridge.

[Mojo Moyogi]

I have had some nasty experiences with unsealed Japanese Maples, so I make a point of always sealing cuts on them, both above and below soil level. With other species, I tend to decide on a case by case basis.

Cheers,
Mojo

[GavinG]

Pruning large roots on a maple without sealing the wound can result in a dead channel running up the trunk - dramatic shari, but possibly not what you want. I can show you quite a number...

Gavin

[63pmp]

Some photos would be great, if any one has any. I'm curious about how deep people cut concaves in wounds? Its something I rarely see.

Paul