To Seal or Not to Seal

[FourMileMarc]

It is beneficial and natural for the tree to dry out it's wound. This is part of the compartmentilization process the tree uses to seal itself off from harmfull pathogens and expedite wound healing. The heartwood is dead anyway and by sealing in the moisture you just promote rot. Wound sealant has been shown to cause more harm than good in the landscape.

This is more importaint in the landscape where the cuts are bigger. The best way to expedite healing of a wound is to not cut inside of the branch collar (that bulging ring of tissue at the base of every branch). Leave a small stub. This plant tissue is what is responsible for forming calous over the wound.
It just amazes me to see tree companies cut flush with the trunk (inside the collar) and then think they are protecting the tree with sealant. The black stuff especially gets those living cambium cells way too hot in the sun and they die.

In bonsai I don't think it really makes much difference because the wounds are small. I do like the idea of using it to stick bark to for show however. Then I would personally remove it afterwards.

 

[king kong]

"Below are some myths of Bonsai that have been shown, without a doubt, to have absolutely no good effect at all when used on plants."

This statement was and is a total falsehood.

Will, you can read all the articles and books you want but don't establish your 'take' of the information as the gospel. I for one believe it is not correct.

 

[king kong]

It is beneficial and natural for the tree to dry out it's wound.
.

Marc, I appreciate your understanding but you have gathered information from many sources and heeped it all together to make a conglomerate of activity. Now lets do this one step at a time. This statement I agree with but I water my trees daily. Exposed wood will quickly absorb this water. A pine tar seal will prohibit this and keep the wound dry. This wood, what's left of it, was sealed three times after cut.

 

[king kong]

It is beneficial and natural for the tree to dry out it's wound. This is part of the compartmentilization process the tree uses to seal itself off from harmfull pathogens and expedite wound healing. The heartwood is dead anyway and by sealing in the moisture you just promote rot. Wound sealant has been shown to cause more harm than good in the landscape.

.............................................

This statement started somewhere and has traveled to many articles and net sites like wild fire. If the heartwood is dead then its moisture content can't be very high. Sealing in moisture to promote rot is just out in left field. Here is an example the best I can possibly show of the harm done when sealant on a wound is NOT used .
This test started 12 years ago. My fingers are in a cavity left for Mother Nature to heal. The wood rotted creating a large cavity. The other wound was sealed. Wood is solid and callus is developing with a solid platform to grow over.

 

[Chris Johnston]

KK,
What species is the second example you gave? The first is obviously bald cypress or similar.

Chris

 

[king kong]

# 1 is a bc and #2 is a native tree to our area Simpson Stopper, a Eugenia with wood as hard as iron.

 

[BonsaiRic]

I'll throw in a few of my observations.

Last summer I experimented with using putty vs. not using putty on summer pruning cuts made on shimpaku. In my junipers (e.g. shimpaku) the putty allowed for amazing callous growth in a matter of a few weeks vs. little callous growth (within the month of my observation) or a drying-back of the cambium when no putty was used. These cuts were small, about 1/4 - 1/2" across and I left the putty on for the summer and removed it in the fall since I reasoned that the callous would harden off for the fall and the putty would not be effective the following year. Most of the 1/2" putty-covered wounds had healed over in a month. It is noteworthy that these are junipers in grow boxes/training pots and not in bonsai pots. This may affect the rate of callous growth. I read on a forum that Junipers typically don't callous well. I can only speculate that maybe the moisture and protection of the putty allowed for a good environment for the callous to grow.

On other species I use a "ring" of putty to temporarily cover the newly cut cambium layer to prevent drying until the cambium begins to produce callous and then I remove the putty.

I realize that what I described above does not address the issue of the exposed wood of a cut. I was taught in my college arboriculture class NOT to treat the wood of cuts. But, most ornamental landscape trees are not going to be scrutinized to the degree a bonsai tree will be. Kong's point is well taken in that if a cut (e.g. trunk chop) is large there is more time for wood to rot away and then there is no "platform" for callous to form onto. For this reason, wood may need to be protected on a bonsai vs. a landscape tree to provide that platform for callous unless a cavity is desired on the trunk at that point.

 

[Anonymous User]

Will, you can read all the articles and books you want but don't establish your 'take' of the information as the gospel. I for one believe it is not correct.

Let's not get off track here, this is not "my take" on the information, it is the information as presented after research by trained and experienced professionals using controled experiments.

Let's revisit some of the words by these highly qualified individuals.... (emphasis mine)

Dr Alex Shig who is widely considered the father of modern arboriculture debunked the myth of wound dressing decades ago, but the myth still persists and is still spread around, especially by retailers today.

Diane Relf, Extension Specialist, Consumer Horticulture, Virginia Tech states that "Wound Paints and Sealants - While most horticultural books recommend the use of paints or sealants on tree wounds, Dr. Shigo's research shows that such treatments have no long-term value. Provided pruning is done properly by cutting as closely as possible to the branch collar, there is no need to paint wounds regardless of their size."

Thomas H. R. Hall, when reviewing Dr. Shigo's book, "Tree Biology and Tree Care, A Photo Guide" sums up his thoughts nicely with the following words. "There will not be many arboriculturists or urban foresters in the temperate regions of the world who have not been influenced by the fundamental research carried out by Alex Shigo during his career in the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. His patient and methodical examination of decay patterns in the woody tissues of trees has revealed the mechanism of wound responses, indicating biochemical processes which isolate the invading organisms. No longer are trees treated like human beings to whom poultices, ointments and all sorts of medicines are applied to assist and encourage healing. Wound sealants are quite rightly relegated to nothing more than placebos whose only function is cosmetic. The concept of barrier zones isolating infection is epitomised in compartmentalization and walling off. Arboriculturists who have headed the findings of Shigo's research, require no further evidence to demonstrate the validity of his teaching."

Revisiting Linda Chalker-Scott, an Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center of Washington State University, said in her article, "The Myth of Wound Dressings" "that all plants, like all living organisms, have natural resistance mechanisms to fight insect attacks, disease, or damage. Covering wounds with sealants inhibits oxidative processes, which in turn will reduce callus formation and subsequent compartmentalization."

Sue McDavid, UCCE / El Dorado County Master Gardener, states that "First, tree wounds don't heal, they seal over. Painting them actually may harm a tree because some wood-rotting organisms may already be on the cut surface and if you paint over them, you're just sealing these harmful organisms into a warm, moist environment where they can grow and multiply. Prune at the proper time for a plant or tree and leave the pruning wounds alone."



I would be more than happy to hear counter arguments from people with at least the same level of expertize in the field, to date no one has offered anything near solid rebuttal, other than just because so and so does it or because it hasn't harmed my trees yet.

I'm sorry, the weight of experience and research that goes against using sealants is just too heavy when weighed against non-supported information given to date.

Actual research and published papers on this very subject can be found in the links below.



For more information see:

"101 Tree Myths" by Alex L. Shigo

"A New Tree Biology and Dictionary" by Alex L. Shigo

"Tree Anatomy" by Alex L. Shigo

"Modern Arboriculture - Touch Trees" by Alex L. Shigo

"The Growing Tree" by Brayton F. Wilson

"Effect of Chemical Applications to Peach Bark Wounds on Accumulation of Lignin and Suberin and Susceptibility to Leucostoma persoonii". A. R. Biggs, Associate professor, West Virginia University

Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University.

"Tree Biology and Tree Management," by D.W. Robinson in Chronica Horticulturae 31(1). Originally published as "Minimizing Pruning Wounds," by Diane Relf, Extension Specialist, Consumer Horticulture, Virginia Tech, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 1.

"Tree Biology and Tree Care, A Photo Guide" By A. L. Shigo, Klause Vollbrecht and Niels Hvass
Published by SITAS, Skovvej 56. 2750 Bellerup, Denmark, 1987 ISBN 87-982477-2-7

Plant Physiology Online by the American Society of Plant Biologists ( http://www.plantphysiol.org/ )

 

[king kong]

I wonder if Dr. Shigo cuts off 5 inch nerifolia without an inch to spare and keeps the wound as fresh as the day it was cut 8 months ago. Un-treated the wood would be a fungus pit emitting volatiles attracting every borer in the neighborhood with die-back along the cambium ring. But no, Will says this treatment is a bonsai myth and Dr. Shigo says it's a waste of time. Also I added a picture of the 'killer' tar used as a sealer as well as pine tar can for those who have an open mind.
I understand Dr. Shigo passed away in 2006. No harm intended.

 

[king kong]

Page 2. Now when I read material like this you can understand why my blood pressure goes up. It's not fair for people to digest this junk.

wound sealants do the following:
Prevent drying and encourage fungal growth.

Interfere with formation of wound wood (whatever that is) or callus tissue.

Inhibit comparti.........

Possibly serve as a food source for pathogens. This one almost killed me!

 

[FourMileMarc]

KK, That is one nice callus you have there!

Now back to the wood. Tree's seal they do not heal. Tree's are highly
compartmentalized creatures and heal very differently than animals. A very good
read on CODIT can be found here:

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/misc/treedecay/cover.htm

Even though the inner wood is mostly dead minus living Ray cells it is still
wet. It is wet because it was once wet and never dried out being sealed from
the outside environment. This is also why it does not decay, because it is
sealed from the outside environment. Now decay requires water, fungus/bacteria
and in many cases Oxygen.

When the tree is injured it immediately seals the wound via 4 walls of the
CODIT model. It is important for the inner wood (cut surface inside the first
or second ring) to dry out so as to slow the rate of microorganism
infiltration. The idea being that all 4 walls are complete before the rot
spreads. Wall 4 is the slowest and is the callous growing in KK's picture.

When you put that stuff across the <i>entire </i>wound you trap moisture. Just
by cutting the branch off you have introduced the fungus and bacteria. There is
nothing you can do about that unless you operate and grow in a clean room where
they make the satellites. You have just sealed in and created a perfect
(better) environment for fungus growth.

Now there is a difference between keeping the Cambium moist and keeping the
entire cut moist. On my Zelkova Broom style I started I felt that it was important
to smear Petroleum jelly only to the cambium so it would not dry out. I felt
that that was important in getting buds to grow from that area and not just the side
of the trunk. The PG kept the cambium moist for long enough to get the buds to form. For this application is really what products like PG or Preparation H
are accomplishing and I think more effective than paste or tar. I believe that that can also expedite healing (wound closure of the 4th wall). However it is not necessary
to put sealant over the entire cut and shown to be detrimental

 

[FourMileMarc]

One thing I might add about bonsai is that often cut's are made inside the branch collar to reduce the unsightly stub, as well as other naughty things like broken tops and Uro's. This is just part of the difference between Bonsai and tree trimming and just what needs to be done to make a believable Bonsai. That Maple in KK's pic looks like those branch collars were cut off completely and that is why you got the rot (wall 4 is very slow to form). Now maybe the cut paste being over the cambium helped with such a small wound but I believe problematic over the entire wound.

 

[king kong]

Never a dull moment

Did we have to get the sphincter constrictor in this mess? I can here it now....Prep H is yet another miracle product that is being used for many other reasons than the intended use. This is a myth of Bonsai and should stay in your toilet kit in safe keeping.

 

[JasonG]

Did we have to get the sphincter constrictor in this mess? I can here it now....Prep H is yet another miracle product that is being used for many other reasons than the intended use. This is a myth of Bonsai and should stay in your toilet kit in safe keeping.

About 6 years ago when I got into bonsai I was told that you could use Prep H for sealing wounds...... I never tried it, figured it would be happier in the bathroom.... But supposedly is has this healing property that will work on decidous trees.....I don't buy into it all that much

Jason

 

[FourMileMarc]

I never said anything about using it to seal wounds. It is used to keep the cambium moist so you don't get dieback. Heck, you could use anything for that, Canola oil, Olive oil, KY jelly.

 

[king kong]

Before and after the use of pine tar.

 

[Anonymous User]

Page 2. Now when I read material like this you can understand why my blood pressure goes up. It's not fair for people to digest this junk.

King Kong,

No reason to reach for the blood pressure medication, if you choose to ignore studies done by professionals who are far more knowledgeable on the subject than we are and call sound, documented research based on controlled experiments junk, so be it. You are also free to believe the world is flat or that waving old boots over a bonsai will increase the trunk diameter, just expect such voodoo mumbo jumbo to be challenged.

Until you can produce the same quality research and documentation that supports the use of a sealant, there are no facts at all to support the use of such placebos or that they have any beneficial effect what-so-ever. Until such facts are presented, this myth is debunked. Suggesting that sealants do any good at all is contradictory to published research and may cause this myth to continue being spread.

As far as your pictures go, where is your control? How can you be certain the results wouldn't be better without a sealant? Furthermore, one example does not make a case, not every person jumping from a 20 story building will die, but a vast percentage will. Should we base our thoughts on the very few who survive and say that a jump from a 20 story building will not kill a person? I think not.

This is why I put far more trust in studies that incorporate thousands of examples over a long period of time than I do a backyard experiment without controls.

Do you know that no serious arborist in the world today uses sealant? Logic dictates that if cut paste, or any other sealant actually helped a tree or prevented anything at all, every professional in the world, whose living and reputation depends on tree care, would be using it. Instead they use absolutely nothing. Now either they know their business or you are smarter than all of them combined as well as many universities and scientists around the world.

I think you know who I'll place my money on.



Fourmilemark,

Thanks for that additional piece of information.


Will

 

[king kong]

Ok Will, what part of this information do you not understand? I will be more than happy to help. You have denounced an important tool for the care of trees backing up your findings with tired old rederick. I feel the need to at least allow readers to continue to explore this important strategy for tree care. I have tried to show how it works. http://sickplants.tamu.edu/oak_wilt_pruning.asp?menuname=oakinfo

 

[Anonymous User]

I understand all of it, thank you for asking.

Tired old Rhetoric? If you call referencing actual solid documented fact rhetoric, than I am guilty, I hope you'll excuse me if I go with substantiated fact instead of wild conjecture.

I have posted the results of university studies and the words of vastly experienced horticulturists, I am sure others can make up their own minds based on the facts presented.

There is no more reason to state the obvious over and over again. The full article and supporting facts can be seen at http://knowledgeofbonsai.org/misc/debunking.php

Meanwhile, you won't find me under the full moon swinging an old boot over a bonsai to make the trunk thicker....




Will

 

[king kong]

Will, what you do with your collection is your business and I frankly could care less. When you broadcast misinformation it becomes my business to inform others of my experience. After reading Dr. Shigo's views and if he was alive I would challenge his information in a heart beat. Dr. Shigo has based his findings on a premise which is self serving to his mission. His words:

1. "All trees will be infected after wounding"

2. "While pathogens are invading the tree, the tree is growing new parts"

3."So long as new parts are formed exceed the amount of wood being invaded, the tree will live"



My response to Dr. Shigo is your assumption that all wounds will be infected is false from the start. There are prophylactic treatments that can be done immediately after injury the will prohibit pathogens
volatiles emited
drying of vascular tissue
fungi and other invaders