Cut Paste Questions

[Mike423]

I have some questiones about cut paste and figured i'd see if anyone could shed some light on these subjects for me. Hopefully this will be an interesting topic.

Is there any difference between the tube type and the small tub Japanese cut paste? Such as Karusmate, Shin-Kiyonal or Top Jin M-Paste (not sure if I got the names right since the writings always in Japanese)?

I also I have seen some sources say (concerning the tub type) that the green cap type should be used for Azaleas and Evergreens, but have then heard others say that the white cap variant can be used just the same? Does one serve the cause better than another or does it not make difference?

And finally has anyone found any studies done on how long cut past can last for and or if its shelf life can be extended after opening by storing it in any specific manner? I have heard how long its application use can last but never any mentions of its storage life.

-Mike

 

[jk_lewis]

I hesitate to get into another cut paste discussion, but . . .

1. Except in rare instances, cut paste is a waste of your time and money. Those rare instances include using it on thin-barked trees (beech, maple, hornbeam, etc) and only on large chops. There, you use it only on the edges to keep the thin bark from drying and pulling away from the wound site (and if you'd left a stub you might not need it).

2. Cut paste can create problems, too. It -- especially that heavy globby Japanese stuff -- can create pockets where moisture and resulting disease can be incubated right next to the wound site.

3. It is ungodlyl ugly.

4. Most/many professional arborists no longer use cut pastes (wound sealents) even on large trees they work on. Those that do use it, tend toward the sealents that contain bee's wax, which is a natural fungicide.

 

[Mike423]

I am aware of the never ending debate on cut paste and in most instances I never use it. However the topic of my inquiry is not to discuss whether or not it should be used.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Green lid tub is brown putty, for conifers...White lid tub is gray putty, for d-trees; other than color, I think they're the same. I've had a tub last for 6-7 years, and it gets stiff, but workable again if warmed slightly (sun, microwave).

I use the tube type for large cuts on d-trees to keep water out, but that's about it. Jim is right, it will trap water and form a blister, which I can't think is healthy for the tree, but it's pretty easy to fix. It's somewhat messy and UGLY until it ages, but most scars should be toward the back anyway...hopefully. I'm convinced scars roll over better if the wood isn't rotted, and this type seems to keep the wood preserved underneath.

Kiyonal is much messier and hard to work with than the Topsin or TopJin white or yellow plastic tubes; which I actually like using. Topsin/Topjinis more the consistency of toothpaste and is much more workable than the Kiyonal, which has the consistency of rubber cement. Both are MUCH harder to remove from trees than the putty.