Deciduous dead wood

entrari

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Hi. I’ve had this Molave hardwood bonsai for a year and just noticed some black spots on the deadwood and a bit of flaking. Can I preserve this w like sulfur as well? I’m from the Philippines btw and I have this tree in full sunlight all year.

Thanks in advance!
 

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Wires_Guy_wires

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Lime sulphur can be used, but it will turn the wood white. I know that some people use a certain kind of ink to counter that problem, but I'm not sure what kind of ink or how to use it.
 

penumbra

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A drop or two of India ink is what is commonly used.
I would use a wood preserver instead of lime sulfur but I am not sure what is available to you.
 

entrari

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Thanks guys. Will try wood preserver first and see if it works. I would like to keep the current coloration for now.
 

ShadyStump

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I use linseed oil. That is absorbed in the woods and will slowly polymerize. It doesn't change the colour of the wood. It's a natural wood preserver.
I've been using straight uncut boiled linseed oil as a finish on some wood working projects recently, and have noticed that it will darken the wood. However it's often cut with mineral spirits or the like when used this way, and should change the shade of the wood less. It will still highlight the grain of the wood, though. Uncut it can take a good 30 days at least to fully set depending on weather conditions, but will still protect the wood better than nothing in that time.
I've recently used culinary grade flax seed oil (same stuff but unprocessed) to finish wooden cooking utensils, and noticed it doesn't darken as much, but it will take much longer to set.

Just something to keep in mind if you go this route. I would recommend testing it on an unseen spot of wood before doing the whole tree.
Tung oil may be a better choice, but I have less experience there.
 

Bnana

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Composition will likely differ from location to location. Natural deadwood in deciduous trees tends to darken a bit as well over time, so I wouldn't mind that.
The oil already protects the wood before it hardens because it is hydrophobic. I just rub it on with a Q-tip two times a year.
Tung oil is very comparable indeed.
 

entrari

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Decided to clean up the charred ends to see if it would look better from that side. The thing with the side 1 is you won’t be able to see the trunk since it would be on the other side. An option would be to carve out one corner of the deadwood to better show the trunk. Also the big back branch might have to be removed to make side 1 the front.
 

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Crawforde

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That is beautiful.
andbi think part of its beauty is in the nature of the edges. I would be nervous about carving into it if wasn’t sure I could maintain the flow.
 

entrari

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I think I’ve decided on this as the front. Pruned of a few structural branches and will repot with this as the front. Will do the rewiring after reporting.

On another note. Any thoughts on what these black spots areThey’re on the dead wood.
 

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Crawforde

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Painting the deadwood with a horticultural antifungal compound might not be a bad idea.
I would test/ practice on some separate pieces to find a mixture that will soak in without changing the appearance too much.
if all else fails dilute lime sulphur might do the trick and will fade in time.
 

Malix

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if you really want to preserve he deadwood you can use very thin cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) but it has to be as thin a water. Not the regular stuff. Woodwokers use it regularly. it hardens the wood soaking in due to its very thin consistency. Doesn't change the color much tho can get glossy for a bit if you overdo it.

I really like your tree. Its very beautiful and has so much character. I personally like Front #2 a bit more but they both are great. I look forward to its development hope you continue to update this thread over time. if it were mine I might try a different pot.. Perhaps a bit shallower and my preference would be for colored glazed pot?

Its kinda similar in some ways to a tree I just brought home about a month Ago. But yours is much further along and has more going for it overall I think... Mine is a Pomegranate and still needs some corrections for the main trunks and lots of branch development. I like how yours is completely molded to the deadwood mine is connected and is part of the original dead stump but doesn't look like it grew out of the deadwood like yours does.

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entrari

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Lovely tree. Those black spots look like fungus to me. Did you treat the deadwood to prevent rot?
Thanks.
No. It was there when I got the tree. How do you remove them? Grinding damages the deadwood.
if you really want to preserve he deadwood you can use very thin cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) but it has to be as thin a water. Not the regular stuff. Woodwokers use it regularly. it hardens the wood soaking in due to its very thin consistency. Doesn't change the color much tho can get glossy for a bit if you overdo it.

I really like your tree. Its very beautiful and has so much character. I personally like Front #2 a bit more but they both are great. I look forward to its development hope you continue to update this thread over time. if it were mine I might try a different pot.. Perhaps a bit shallower and my preference would be for colored glazed pot?

Its kinda similar in some ways to a tree I just brought home about a month Ago. But yours is much further along and has more going for it overall I think... Mine is a Pomegranate and still needs some corrections for the main trunks and lots of branch development. I like how yours is completely molded to the deadwood mine is connected and is part of the original dead stump but doesn't look like it grew out of the deadwood like yours does.

View attachment 415652

View attachment 415653
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Thanks! Beautiful tree you have there! I’ve really been torn about the two sides but decided to just go for it. I’ll be repotting this once I finish treating the wood. Will look into finding a glazed pot for it.
 
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