Cutting paste keep on or remove

maroun.c

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Reg post #20 and post #51:
After a subsequent year without any putty.

This instance can be seen to indicate that leaving putty in place long-term is detrimental.
View attachment 406423
And, this instance may, as well, though both instances just make clear that long-term coverage suppresses bark formation.
View attachment 406424


In this case, the wood that was under the putty went punky. I removed the punky wood this past spring and replaced it with epoxy. It seems reasonable that an unstable/rotting wood substrate would interfere with 'healing' growth, but ... 🤔
View attachment 406422
Thanks for the update, next question qould be how to tell when to remove the cut paste.
 

Pixar

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I have got a Curry leaf tree which requires possibly some paste or should I leave it ?curry.jpg
 
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Ive always used the black wound sealant paint "Steriprune".
I put it on fairly liberally (without running) and it totally seals and waterproofs the entire wound.
It keeps the wound clean and sterile which also stops the old wood in the wound from rotting or becoming diseased whilst the wound rolls over, which can take time (Very important in my opinion).
Ive never had any die back around the circumference of the wound and the healing has always been pretty even and clean.
Its good stuff and works very well...for me anyway.

Deadwood-Gins and Sharis...Lime Sulphur.
 

Bonsai Nut

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I am a cut-paste believer, so I have been sitting on the sidelines, LOL. Just a couple of comments:

The putty cut paste that is frequently used for bonsai is called "Cut Paster" (made by a company called "Hanagen") and comes in two versions - white cap (grey product) and green cap (brown product). The white cap is intended for general use and for deciduous, and does not include growth hormone. The green cap is intended for use with conifers, and includes growth hormone. On the product web site, I could find no specific mentions as to the benefit of growth hormones in one product versus the absence in the other. In general the product is designed:
(1) To protect from rain and rot.
(2) Prevents cracks and burns (cracks in bark / bark die-back due to wound drying out before it heals)
(3) Lets trunks heal properly.
(4) Does not discolor the tree bark.
(5) Grey and brown colors will not stand out on tree.
(This is not my commentary, rather, what is on their web site) It is also important to note that there is no specific mention of what growth hormone(s) are used, or their strength. Additionally, there is no mention of whether "rot prevention" is simply a physical barrier (blocking water) or whether there is some anti-fungal product in the paste.

Aside from that, I will just say that in this thread we appear to be comparing apples to oranges. Some people are using the Hanagen product, while others are using some other pruning product, and @0soyoung is using plumber's putty. I don't think you can compare plumber's putty to pruning paste, personally, nor should we be looking at Elmer's glue, etc, since the products perform differently. People should all agree to use one product (I think it is reasonable to start with Hanagen) and share results from the one product used in a variety of conditions and on a variety of trees.

And finally... if you go to their web site you will see they have the paste... and a liquid product that I would normally refer to as a "sealant". On the site, they suggest using BOTH products at the same time on large cuts - ie the paste first to fill in the pruning wound, and then apply the liquid sealant over the paste - covering the margins of the wound "as rainwater might seep into it otherwise". There are a couple of photos showing this application. Interesting. I have no experience trying this "double" approach.

 
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0soyoung

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Aside from that, I will just say that in this thread we appear to be comparing apples to oranges. Some people are using the Hanagen product, while others are using some other pruning product, and @0soyoung is using plumber's putty. I don't think you can compare plumber's putty to pruning paste, personally, nor should we be looking at Elmer's glue, etc, since the products perform differently. People should all agree to use one product (I think it is reasonable to start with Hanagen) and share results from the one product used in a variety of conditions and on a variety of trees.
While BNuts are always free to drive threads off topic, I am simply adding 'data' regarding whether it is better to keep cut paste on for the long term or to remove it after a few weeks/months.

Ref the instance of the last photo in post #60

PXL_20221211_215400324.MP.jpg

This particular instance certainly suggests that it is a bad thing to cover wood that has been exposed for some time. Possibly a wood hardener (such as PC-Petrifier) should be applied to the exposed wood instead.
 

Shibui

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I'm happy to add plenty of photos showing that sealant improves callus growth over scars.
I'll have to search through 185 posts to find the thread with photos of trials but happy to do so in the interests of real results rather than one off examples.
 
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