prunning sealer........

[budroe69moni]

i know what the university of florida has to
say about this, but what do y'all think.......
to seal or not to seal? that is the question.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

fungi want a moist dark environment to propigate. That is what sealer gives them. Also petrolium solvents can cause damage to the calus and cambium.

The only major study I've read is the old Shigo one where he wa testing different brands to see wich was better. The results were that they say statisticaly significant increase in decay under sealed wounds as uposed to unsealed for 5-7 years then it evened out. I believe much of the subjects had same tree woundings, painted/unpainted.

In other words over the long terem there is no differance.

There have been some studies that wound painting trees suseptible to insect born fungi will reduce infection. Once again this was refered to a s statisticaly significant, which means that the differance was not high enough to notice by looking at the trees but strong enough in the numbers not to me concidered a fluke.

Now there are some small studies that are said to hint that there may be other situations where wound paint is benificial. No one wants to hear that! I will wait till they can give definative answers as to situation and type.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Protecting Pruning Cuts

To begin, I will point out that the majority of my information comes from my notes taken from Harris' text entitled, "Arboriculture".

The purpose of asphalt emulsion or other materials is to protect the cut surface from wood-rotting organisms and to reduce surface checking due to drying of the sun. However, exposure to the sun, will result in the cracking of most coverings. So really, what have you sealed? For moisture from rain, sprinklers, or dew can then enter the cracks and accumulate in pockets between the wood and the wound covering. These circumstances are even more favorable for wood-rotting organisms than an uncovered wound.

Since decay does not appear to be a problem on thinning-type cuts on most species, little justification can be given to treat pruning wounds with a sealer.

Fresh pruning wounds attract female boring insects and are vulnerable to infection when canker-forming fungi are sporulating. Asphalt paints applied to pruning cuts reduce borer attacks, and fungicidal paint or sprays can protect pruning wounds from certain canker fungi.

The growth retardent, NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid), has been added to some asphalt emulsion and aerosol paints for application to pruning cuts. This will reduce the number of water sprouts, as well as the vigor of those that grow, by about 50%. For NAA to be effective, it must be applied to the bark around the pruning wound. It is ineffective if it is placed only on the cut xylem surface.

The pre-described text explains how the reduction of dieback and drying of pruning and bark wounds by application of a lanolin paste promoted wound closure. Some species respond to treatments such as Fongisil, LacBalsom, or Ortho Pruning Sealer by closing at least 50% more rapidly than on untreated wounds.

Confused yet? Why haven't I answered the question? Well, as the information given above illustrates, there are many different benefits and downfalls of using pruning protectors. I personally agree with John's opening statement of "...fungi want a moist dark environment to propigate. That is what sealer gives them. Also petrolium solvents can cause damage to the calus and cambium." Not to mention, I think that all protective additives are not aesthetically pleasing and unnatural. After all, are we not trying to mimic or model our urban landscapes in a natural form. If we simply like the appearance of paint, why not cement the front lawn and paint that green? Trees........who needs them...... that is what utility poles are for! I THINK NOT.

Shane Freeman

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Since you want opinions...
I think it's almost a none issue, unless it is dispensed at a high rate, then it could be a problem. I think its funny that they say petrolium products are bad for the tree, but never mention it's bad for fungi too. Even if it wasn't, aren't those areas of the tree going to compartmentalize anyway?

We use it to prevent spreading fungi that have insect vectors, such as oak wilt, so it does have it's applications.

Perhaps what we need is a spray that masks the smell that a tree wound puts out. I had an idea to carry a skunk on my belt, then after the cut, just grab it and lift it's tail, it didn't work out but that's another story...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Did ya haveta sleep in a pup tent for a few days after that?

 

[Treeman14]

Here's a trivia question just for the younger climbers out there. Why is there an extra snap on the large hand saw scabbards? Oh, wait. Most of you have probably never seen a large hand saw scabbard. OK, then. What is the purpose of the spring-loaded hole on most pole saw heads? I know us old-timers know the answer. Let's see if the youngsters know.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Answer to Treeman14's question

The clip on the larger handsaw scabbord's is/was to hang the 'paint can' from. Whether this was actual hardware paint or asphalt emulsion, the clip allowed for a hanging point.

As for the spring-loaded hole in most-pole saws, I am not 100% sure...........therefore, I will let someone else take that one!

Shane Freeman

PS: Just in case you are wondering if I fall under the 'younger' age category...........I'm 22 and just finishing my four year degree. Therefore, I think I qualify!

 

[Toddppm]

I don't think I qualify for young but I just figured that pole saw spring thing out maybe last year? I will say I'm glad I never had to use it !

Oh yeah Shane , Thanks for the new word of the day....
Sporulating Now I have to work that into a sales pitch somehow

 

[underwor]

The little hole and spring when in use did help to hide the gray in my hair a time or two.

Bob

 

[Treeman14]

I had more than a few pairs of blue jeans with the blackened right leg. A few well-placed spills from the paint pot would convince most ground boogies to keep their hard hat on. I remember thinking how we were on the cutting edge(no pun) of technology when we switched to spray cans. Shigo became my personal hero when he denounced pruning paint.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I cannot inmagine cliping a paint brush onto a pole saw. Glad I did not go into pruning right out of highschool. I think peopel were still using Manila back then.

 

[Oxman]

Pruning paint does one thing for sure. It makes it black. Any research been done on the heat buildup from the dark color? Seems like the heat could 'cook' the callus ring. Of course when we were painting moons, the collar was usually cut off at the bottom, anyway. What's the problem with manila, anyhow?

 

[budroe69moni]

alright, not to change the subject but here goes...........
does anyone know why people paint the bottom 3 feet
of a palm tree trunk white?????? i've asked many people
why and have come up with some unusual answers.......
what do you think??????

 

[tshanefreeman]

White painted tree trunks........

I will begin by stating that I have never worked with palm trees, therefore, your question is also interesting to me.

However, this is what I do know...........sometimes, arborists and tree care workers alike will paint the trunks of trees white in an attempt to reflect the sun's damaging Ultra Violet rays. For example if a tree were in the open and exposed to the sun's damaging effects from sun up to sun down, the vigor of the tree could be at risk. This preventative technique can be utilized to prevent sunscald, along with other excessive heat abiotic disorders. As we all know, white reflects light, not absorbing it. Perhaps the paint isn't aesthetically pleasing, but in the long run, it may look nicer than a stump where the tree used to be!

Shane Freeman

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

paint? How about clogging lenticles?

Manila,
it rots
it wears fast
it has those ????ed pickers in it
it somekes worse n' nylon

smells nice when it's new!

 

[budroe69moni]

hey guys,
check this out. when i was in the bahamas last year i asked a couple of locals "why do y'all paint the bottom of your palms" and 4 out of 4 said that they "paint da trees mon so dat du bugs don't know they're trees!" they said that as far back as they could remember, their families have always painted da trunks mon! that's what grannie always used to do so i do it!!!

 

[budroe69moni]

check this out, i was in the bahamas last year and asked a few locals why they painted the bottom of thier palm trees white? they all told me it so that the bugs crawling on the ground wouldn't recognize that it's a tree and then they wouldn't climb up it. yup, that's what they said.
p.s. nice buzz mon!!!!!