How do you clean sap off of bark?

Messages
141
Reaction score
107
Location
Coastal South Carolina
USDA Zone
8b
I've searched, but I can't find an answer. :( I worked on my dwarf spruce at the wrong time of the year and it oozed a bunch of sap. Now that it's done there's a bunch of ugly dried sap on the trunk. I've tried a toothbrush with water, but it's still there. What can I use that won't further harm the tree?
 

Dav4

Drop Branch Murphy
Messages
13,017
Reaction score
29,698
Location
SE MI- Bonsai'd for 12 years both MA and N GA
USDA Zone
6a
I'd try isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip first. If that doesn't work, do the same with wd-40. If that doen't work, i'd just wait, the sap will disappear eventually. Is your tree a dwarf Alberta spruce? I'm not sure how well they'll do long term in your climate.
 

Forsoothe!

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,878
Reaction score
9,248
Location
Michigan
USDA Zone
6b
The dried sap, such as it is, is a protective agent of the tree. If it wasn't water-proof it wouldn't have any value. any solvent that would dissolve it would immediately be absorbed into the bark, on its way to the interior where it would damage tissue just like it would attack your skin. The sap is tougher than the rest of the tree. Chew it off as best you can with a knob cutter, and learn to live with it. You might have some luck grinding or sanding some similar bark and sticking the dust to the surface if it's still sticky, or with clear glue, but that will be a poor disguise for the real thing.
 
Messages
141
Reaction score
107
Location
Coastal South Carolina
USDA Zone
8b
I'd try isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip first. If that doesn't work, do the same with wd-40. If that doen't work, i'd just wait, the sap will disappear eventually. Is your tree a dwarf Alberta spruce? I'm not sure how well they'll do long term in your climate.

Yeah, a dwarf alberta. It survived the summer, so that's good I guess. When I travel I like to visit nurseries for stuff I can't find locally. Got this one from Charlotte which is about 3 hours away.
 

Adair M

Pinus Envy
Messages
14,402
Reaction score
34,874
Location
NEGeorgia
USDA Zone
7a
Next time, when you cut a limb off, leave a stub an inch or two long. And then, take a paper towel, and wrap around the stub. Secure the paper towel (or portion of a towel) to the stub with wire. You can leave that on for a couple of months. The paper towel will absorb the sap and prevent it from dripping on the trunk. Yes, it looks pretty silly. But it works!

An example:

EBB1EA01-7670-4861-91A5-F5C4D33C421C.jpeg
 

Dustmonkey

Seed
Messages
1
Reaction score
1
Location
Uk
USDA Zone
8
Turpentine apparently....
 
Top Bottom