How do you clean sap off of bark?

[Bonsai_Bentley]

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]

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!]

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.

 

[Bonsai_Bentley]

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.

 

[PABonsai]

Acetone will dissolve it. I wouldn't worry about absorption by the tree. You'd be adding such a tiny amount as it would mostly be on the sap and it evaporates nearly instantly.

 

[Adair M]

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:

 

[Dustmonkey]

Turpentine apparently....

Bleedin' Pines - Graham Potter | Kaizen Bonsai Blog

I was asked this question recently and thought it might help a few folk….. “Hi Graham, J H. has a problem with a Scot,s Pine and we wondered if you could help ? When purchased the tree had a shari created the entire length of the trunk approx 24 inches. Had the tree one year and […]

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