Cutting paste keep on or remove

[Shibui]

Why would I no longer care? It is great to see that you managed to find a couple of trees to put into trials for us.
I've been busy digging the trident maples from the grow beds. When all that's done I intend to select a number of them for several treatments to see what happens over the coming year. I'll start posting when I get them all ready.

 

[leatherback]

Oso, did you on any off these wounds do a little cutting into the wounds' edge, as per usual treatment of larger older cuts?

 

[sorce]

For many years I also followed that advice. Then I decided to do a trial to show this to be true. I half covered a large cut (about 2"diam) on a Japanese Maple with the Japanese putty type cut paste.
Far from proving that the sealer was detrimental, The covered side was almost completely healed over by the end of summer. The uncovered side had barely started to roll over the wound.
View attachment 246231
I'll leave it to you to guess which half was sealed.

Now I'm a convert. I have not seen any detrimental effects from using it.
Smaller cuts can heal themselves without aid. Large cuts on trees that are growing rapidly to increase trunk size can heal without aid in the time the trunk is growing. Cuts which are large in relation to the trunk size on trees which have reduced growth as they transition to being bonsai are sealed to speed up callus growth to cover the wounds quicker.

IMO...
There was just more flowing on that side of the tree. More traffic. More resources.
You can see it.

But ..IMOtherO.....
Japanese trees. Sealed. Wound free. Old AF.

But....they grow more balanced, healthier trees. So....

Sorce

 

[Stan Kengai]

The correlation I am seeing is that practically all of the opponents of sealing are from colder/short growing season areas. So perhaps there is a climatic component affecting wound healing. No use arguing about it. Do what works for you.

 

[LanceMac10]

The correlation I am seeing is that practically all of the opponents of sealing are from colder/short growing season areas. So perhaps there is a climatic component affecting wound healing. No use arguing about it. Do what works for you.

Big supporter of sealing here, @Stan Kengai …...plain & simple, it works. And I ain't wasting $$$$ on something if it doesn't work. (myc inoculant, non-withstanding)...

 

[Dav4]

Big supporter of sealing here, @Stan Kengai …...plain & simple, it works. And I ain't wasting $$$$ on something if it doesn't work. (myc inoculant, non-withstanding)...

Yeah, I was a pro-sealant fool back when I worked little trees in the Great White North... it even works up there.

If anything, folks working in a climate with a shorter growing season should be hedging their bets that their horticultural techniques are locked down solidly.

 

[0soyoung]

Oso, did you on any off these wounds do a little cutting into the wounds' edge, as per usual treatment of larger older cuts?

No, I did not. I've gone over my reasons and my experimental evidence before - ref. "Regarding Wound Healing" .

 

[Shibui]

The last month here has been digging, puning and replanting time for trident maples so I now have some wound seal trials under way.
These ground grown tridents were destined to go back into the grow beds for another year so i thought they would be good candidates.
Trees are different ages. Some have had one year in the ground, others have already had several and have been pruned several times. I divided them as evenly as possible between the 2 groups - 'sealed' and 'untreated'.
All cuts were hollowed with the arbortech mini.



Indication of trunk size and wound size

4 from 'sealed' group were selected for Japanese wound sealer and identified by blue bands.

The rest of the treated group painted with the cheaper sealer I use more often and identified by orange bands.
Could not find any Japanese wound putty for a comparison so that will have to wait for another time.
'Untreated' trees left as is and have no bands.

 

[Shibui]

These were replanted in the grow bed as usual.
Here are a few more images showing the range of sizes and development in this trial.

 

[MrWunderful]

I thought the standard japanese “cut” paste (green and white lid) had hormones in it, but I may be wrong.

My experience is that it heals much faster protected, but I also havent done any scientific tests.

Its cool to see someone running through the paces.

 

[Cable]

Interesting to see that a topic I thought was such a basic one seems to be a very controversial topic still. Thank u for all the replies.

Everything in bonsai is controversial.

 

[Uncle Robo]

I accidentally cracked a branch while wiring.
After a few days, I noticed the foliage starting to droop and lose color. I wrapped the branch with a twist tie.
The next day, it perked up and looked normal again.

I don't think cutting paste is always necessary, most important is to keep the wound covered for faster healing.
I have heard of people using glue and paint on wounds.

 

[penumbra]

Everything in bonsai is controversial.

c'est la vie

 

[penumbra]

I accidentally cracked a branch while wiring.
After a few days, I noticed the foliage starting to droop and lose color. I wrapped the branch with a twist tie.
The next day, it perked up and looked normal again.

I don't think cutting paste is always necessary, most important is to keep the wound covered for faster healing.
I have heard of people using glue and paint on wounds.

Using paint on plant cuts and wounds goes back at least to mid 19th c. I have heard petroleum jelly works quite well. This has got me thinking about plant based gels. I know they would not stay on as long, but perhaps they don't need to. It's a minor thing perhaps but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[0soyoung]

This has got me thinking about plant based gels.

Like pine resin?

 

[penumbra]

Like pine resin?

That's one.

 

[Shibui]

A year on and I am digging these tridents again. Time to see how the cuts are healing.

These are the ones that had sealer applied to the cuts:
Blue bands had Japanese sealing goo from the tube.








Orange bands on the ones I used a commercial acrylic? tree sealer:

 

[Shibui]

Compare to the ones that were not sealed at all:

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Great discussion! One thing that has not been mentioned - I use the waterproof sealer on deciduous scars when I want to protect the deadwood from fungus/rot. I particularly use it on the bottom of airlayers that I have just separated; the scar that is surrounded by my new roots. It seems to help the wound callous over and protects it from rotting. I use the Japanese sealing goo from the tube, which is a pain in the neck to remove, but which really provides a waterproof seal.

 

[penumbra]

Gnarly. Must have been some big cuts.