Trident calluses

[WNC Bonsai]

I have noticed from photos on the internet that trident maples tend to form a pretty thick callus when a large branch or top is cut off. So since I will be chopping one next spring I want to be prepared as the callus develops. So my question is what is the procedure for getting a trident to heal over a large cut? When is the best time for a major cut and when is the best time to work on a callus? Do you just let the callus develop on its own or do you trim the callus back around the edges each year? I have seen mention of rewounding a callus but how much do you slice away? Do you slice at the edge of the wound or the top where there is the thickest callus? What is the process to give the best closure with the smoothest bark?

 

[just.wing.it]

I've had success with crape myrtle re-cutting the inner edge, only enough that the camnium is exposed.

 

[Wilson]

Read @Smoke threads about tridents, he lays out every step. @Brian Van Fleet also has good info on growing out tridents.

 

[Shibui]

I don't find any need to recut the edges of the callus as it grows.
I have done some trials and found that wound sealer makes a big difference to how fast cuts heal. If the wound is covered the callus grows faster and cleaner. Cuts heal over at least 2X faster when covered. I've used several Japanese sealers and a couple of general would sealing paints which all seem to work. I've also seen others use foil or plastic wrap to cover cuts. I suspect the point is to stop them getting too dry.
If you want a flat surface pruning cuts should be made a little concave to allow for the thickness of callus as it heals. Where pruning will make a bend in the trunk it doesn't matter as much because any slight bulge won't be noticeable.

Best time for large pruning is when you are ready. Trees respond quicker when they are actively growing so spring/ summer is good. Maples tend to 'bleed' a but when cut early spring around bud burst so I generally avoid that period. We don't have severe winters so I can also prune in winter. Then healing starts as soon as the trees wake up.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Read @Smoke threads about tridents, he lays out every step. @Brian Van Fleet also has good info on growing out tridents.

Do you know how many posts there are on tridents and how few there are on actually dealing with calluses? That is like sifting through a haystack looking for a needle!

 

[Smoke]

A person becomes good at something by doing the work and sometimes learning from the mistakes. There is nothing at this Bonsai forum that will help you with your task nor turn you into a pro. Every scar requires work, dedication and resolve to get where you want to go. I suggest whether you post it here or not, keep a photo record of your progress. Healing scars takes years, so seeing the progress over say two years is gratifying. If progress is not happening then one will need to study the tree and deduce why. I can tell you from experience that healing scars, especially on a trident is accomplished with branches in close proximity of the scar, best on top and bottom of the scar. If only top or bottom then top is always best. Why? Cause it maintains everything below it. Nothing above the scar then you risk no healing. Too many people buy these tridents that are semi ugly, make a big trunk chop and then expect the tree to somehow heal all the shit they just inflicted on it.

There is a picture of a trident (not your tree) on here that BVF was giving advice to. I can see two very distinct live veins in the trunk that are the only part alive on a about two inch trunk. Unless the scar is on one of those veins, the tree will never heal them. I’ll try to post some pictures of that tree when I get home from work and explain it in more detail.

 

[BobbyLane]

they heal pretty quickly if grown in the ground. going to upload some images shortly of one that ive had growing in a bed for a while.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

@Smoke thanks for your reply. Here is an example of the kind of large callus I am talking about. Not smooth at all but it does seem to be closing well. Also the callus is pretty thick and will likely leave a large lump even after closing over. Is there a way to reduce this to get a smoother and thinner healed surface or does it just have to grow out of this?

 

[Smoke]

@Smoke thanks for your reply. Here is an example of the kind of large callus I am talking about. Not smooth at all but it does seem to be closing well. Also the callus is pretty thick and will likely leave a large lump even after closing over. Is there a way to reduce this to get a smoother and thinner healed surface or does it just have to grow out of this?

View attachment 220737

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Patience will prove fruitful.

 

[Shibui]

Callus is always thicker than nearby bark growth. That's why we hollow the wood a bit on larger cuts. Wound sealer seems to help the tree heal quicker and I think the callus does seem to be a bit thinner and smoother. The roughness in your photo is also normal but will gradually smooth out. As Smoke just said, patience.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Several posts in this thread discuss closing a big chop. It takes time, but yours is well on the way, and closing from all sides, which is positive. You can gently scrape the rough callus with the back of a knife to just expose the cambium and smooth it out. You’ll need to repeat this every spring and fall for a few years, but you can see from the thread above, it will smooth out the bark over time.

Keep using the sealer, covering the wood and the edges of the callus. This is a contested topic, but I don’t argue with anyone about it, I just do it. It works.

 

[Smoke]

but I don’t argue with anyone about it, I just do it. It works.

If I could only just do that....

 

[RobertB]

I've heard but not actually tried that you can wrap them with something, I would assume fairly tightly to help keep the callus down. Ryan Neil talks about this some in his videos. Dont remember where but i do remember it being mentioned several times.

 

[Dav4]

I've heard but not actually tried that you can wrap them with something, I would assume fairly tightly to help keep the callus down. Ryan Neil talks about this some in his videos. Dont remember where but i do remember it being mentioned several times.

I'm giving this a try with a trident and palmatum. The wounds were sealed w/ duct paste and wrapped with vet wrap. Unfortunately, BOTH trees were dug out of the ground by my pointer in October... still alive but set back a bit, for sure. I won't know how effective this will be for at least another year.

 

[coh]

Keep using the sealer, covering the wood and the edges of the callus. This is a contested topic, but I don’t argue with anyone about it, I just do it. It works.

That's a good policy. Why waste the time arguing? I'm trying to get away from that myself. Sort of succeeding...

I'm a wound sealer (isn't that the first step to admitting a problem? ) I haven't done any carefully controlled studies or comparisons of wound healing with and without, but it works well for me and I haven't encountered any problems. On the other hand, if I get distracted and forget to seal a wound, I don't lose any sleep over it!

Haven't tried wrapping the sealed wounds with plastic or covering with foil as I've seen some suggest but probably will try that next year.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Wrapping the wounds accelerate healing, but also increase the size of the callus. Check out this experiment:
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/cleaning-up-a-wound/

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

If I could only just do that....

What fun would this place be if you could...? Keep it real Al!

 

[atlarsenal]

@Brian Van Fleet cool stuff! Was sphagnum and raffia the only thing used?