AusBonsai

Hi guys .

I have a couple of big bougainvillea cuttings and was wondering what the best way to seal the base of them to prevent rotting ?

Is there any tried and tested methods out there ?

Hi Paul, I remember reading on AB that some people don't bother coating the bottom
They strike so well its not needed. Others coat bottom with Vaseline. I guess any off
the shelf cutting paste will be adequate until roots start.
I'm interested as I have never tried a thick cutting from a bougie. Mainly because I assumed
the heartwood must rot. All the methods I have tried so far to preserve the wood under a
big cut have eventually failed. Sometimes the end is hard but later I find it rotted under the
surface I painted [cutpaste/earls wood hardener/etc]. So am curious do people have success in
preserving the wood for a long time or is it all temporary, like it is with wisteria.

Hi robb,

I'm taking a very large cutting I'm pretty much cutting a tree down at soil level and it is about 6 inch in diameter.

I'm thinking if I treat it from the beginning I can prevent or at least slow the rotting, one thing I will do is make sure the base of the tree isn't sitting directly in contact with sopping wet soil, I will use 100 % diatomite and I will put a layer of corse stones and set the tree on top of that.

I'm just looking for the best thing to use to treat the base and slow the rotting process from the start.

I wonder if there is something that permeates/ penetrates into the wood and prevents rot ?

I think earls wood Hardner would be good once it has rotted a bit so it can be injected into the wood.

I have never bothered myself.
Taken a couple of large Airlaysers and digs and never had a problem yet.

Interested to hear other views though

Ken

Ken, do u not worry about it eventually killing the tree? Or do you not reckon it would not go that far ?
I just don't want 10 years down the track for the tree to cave in because it's hollow inside.

Get some steriprune spray on wound healer at Bunnings, good stuff, I use it on my orchids as well.

Paulneill wrote:Ken, do u not worry about it eventually killing the tree? Or do you not reckon it would not go that far ?
I just don't want 10 years down the track for the tree to cave in because it's hollow inside.

I figured that tree wil cope and roll over eventually.
INHO nothing you can add or treat with will survive for the life of the tree so why worry about it in the first instance.

Ken

Interesting article from the pommy legend himself,

Interesting and makes sense not to try and seal the wound but rather use something that will kill fungus and allow the wood to breath.

Also interesting that trees protect there own live tissue from rotting and there is a line which can be seen seperating the dead and live tissue , does this mean a soft wood tree airlayer or large cutting will rot up inside but not go so far as to eventually kill the tree or compromise the strength of the trees structure/ trunk ?

http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/bonsai-tree ... i-deadwood

Nothing kills a bougainvillea