Treating Cut Tree Limbs with Wound Paint

Great article on tree wound paint. I get that question all the time.

CHRIS FRANCIS
* ISA Certified Arborist
* Alabama State Licensed:
– Tree Surgeon
– Landscape Designer
– Landscape Contractor
– Pest Control Supervisor

Chris Francis Landscapes

IF YOU CAN REPLY THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THIS ARTICLE LEAVES ME NOWHERE. I CUT A BRANCH THAT WAS NEARLY TOUCHING THE GROUND AFTER LAST YEARS OCTOBER WET SNOW SURPRISE. I WAITED TILL NOW HOPING THE SAP MIGHT STRAIGHTEN IT BUT IT DIDN’T, SO I CUT IT. I USED TO USE SPRAY TAR, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM BUT I REMEMBER SOMETHING I READ SIMILIAR TO YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT LEAVING IT ALONE. YOUR ARTICLE WAS NOT A DEFINITE APPROACH BUT RATHER DAMED IF I DO, DAMED IF I DON’T.

Is the limb on an oak tree? Do you have oak wilt in your area? Chances are you do not have oak wilt in your area. Even if you did, the wound paint is only effective if it is sprayed immediately. You waited too long. Do not use tar or paint. Your tree is better off without it. Do, however, make a good final cut OUTSIDE of the branch collar.

CHRIS FRANCIS
* ISA Certified Arborist
* Alabama State Licensed:
– Tree Surgeon
– Landscape Designer
– Landscape Contractor
– Pest Control Supervisor
* Certified Landscape Professional

Chris Francis Landscapes

Tree Service & Landscaping

I have had deer chew most of the bark off a young black walnut tree. the tre is about 2 inches in diameter. I sprayed tree wound paint over the debarked area. What is the best way to save a tree like this. It did leaf out the next year but I’m not sure how long it will survive.

The wound paint will not help your young tree. At this point, take a soil sample so you can provide the nutrients your tree needs and possibly adjust the pH. If the damage was minor, it may make a decent recovery. The alternative is removal, so it is worth a shot to see if it will make it; but remember that those injuries will stay with your tree forever: keep an eye on it. The best plan is prevention: put fencing around small trees to protect them from wildlife.

CHRIS FRANCIS

* ISA Certified Arborist
* Alabama State Licensed:
– Tree Surgeon
– Landscape Designer
– Landscape Contractor
– Pest Control Supervisor
* Certified Landscape Professional

CHRIS FRANCIS LANDSCAPES
Tree Service & Landscaping

What about bark damage due to branches being torn off by high winds, vs. nice clean saw cuts? The bark damage is very irregular, maybe a foot across and two feet top to bottom. I could send you a photo, but this form doesn’t allow that.

We had a large branch (~12″) removed from our maple. After several years the wound has only healed about an inch and the center is rotting. I think the collar was cut into. It’s great to know what went wrong, but that doesn’t fix what’s already done. A tree person said I should scarify the doughnut to accelerate the wound sealing. I haven’t yet found a picture of what that should look like. I also don’t know if wound paint would stop the rot until the collar can close over the opening. Can you put up pictures or provide a web address that might help with how to remediate an improperly pruned limb?
Thanks for your visuals for proper cutting.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to correct a pruning cut made too close. That is why it is uber important to make sure the pruning cuts are made professionally. Don’t kill the messenger.

CHRIS FRANCIS

* ISA Certified Arborist
* Alabama State Licensed:
– Tree Surgeon
– Landscape Designer
– Landscape Contractor
– Pest Control Supervisor
* Certified Landscape Professional

CHRIS FRANCIS LANDSCAPES
Tree Service & Landscaping

hi , i’ve been an arborist for over 15 years and there has been a lot of talk about wound dressing trimmed limbs.
in my experience i have seen insect entry through large wounds on trees.. i know that trees have evolved over millions of years but chainsaws are recent and trees havn’t adapted to large limbs removed by this method,
i feel there is a place for large limbs to be coated with a water based paint to keep out air born fungi spores and other oportunist insects. trust me i’ve cut down many trees that have fallen victum to large limb removal. in my opinion people are followers of others opinions. when you work in the industry over many years you actually see the results of large wounds on trees and the effect of opportunist pathogens,, which have also evolved over millions of years to enter trees in this way. we are artificially interfearing with the natural process by cuttingt etc, why not use a wound paint under sertain cercunstances, in my opion allways keep an open mind,

My neighbor has a very large black walnut tree that spreads over a large section on my yard. I am getting little light and wish to cut at least one limb out. My question is; can I put something on the cut limb near the trunk to keep it from re-growing back? My side neighbor did a big job on this tree and everything grew back and then some! Also, when is the best time to cut a black walnut? Black walnut 1- Neighbor 0

I came home to find 3 teenagers throwing an axe at my maple tree! The damage is pretty bad about 6 feet high of cuts and 1 foot wide area. The center of which has no bark at all where the axe kept hitting the target. I’m devastated! Friends suggested pruning paint but I am so upset I am afraid I’ll make the wrong decision and hurt it further.

I have a 10 year old ash tree that was damaged when a semi hit a large branch and tore it off leaving a gaping wound. Ash borer is a big problem here. Should I put wound paint on this. Most unhappy for my healthy tree.

I just had a VERY large Norway Spruce cut down and have left about 15ft of trunk still standing. I was hoping to build a deck around it but wanted to know if or how long before it would start to rot and if I can somehow prevent it

Every time I cut off limbs or branches, I get a lot of new branches springing up in the cut off area. Any trick to keep this from happening? I even cut down a tree leaving the truck about a foot high hoping it would die and it is now a tall tree once again.

I have an old dogwood (60 years) in my yard that has lost several limbs to storms over the years. I had to cut some dead branches off a week ago and now it is dripping a clear liquid from those sites. Is it too late to use pruning paint? Please help!! I don’t want to lose the tree – it is one of the reasons I bought the house!!

So much for my tree painting business. I will go back to house numbers on the curb. Do not want to be left out on a limb. Nipped in the bud!

Our large old Magnolia tree was just trimmed way back and a rotted limb removed near the top. The trimmer recommends tar treatment on that cut and a couple of others that show rot in the center, but otherwise he said the tree is healthy and just needs some good vitamins at the base. What would you recommend, regarding the tar and the vitamins?

More than anything, wound sealants and tar paint are aesthetics. I’m from Florida originally where its common to paint over pruning cuts in say a pine or magnolia. If only because a customer doesn’t want to see the cuts.
Currently I’m working in the Pacific Northwest and in 7 years of both commercial and residential work I have never seen anyone but landscapers use the stuff.

Jason D. Cecil
ISA Certified Arborist
http://www.regimentaltree.com

How about using canola oil.

Or would tea tree oil be good to put on a cut branch

So that’s what the paint around the trees is for. I am from the northwest and have never seen a tree with paint around the bottom of it. A few years ago, when I went to Russia, I saw that nearly all of their trees had paint around the bottom trunks. I couldn’t figure out what it was for, but after reading your article, it must be to protect the tree from bacteria, fungi, and decay!

I have a very young red bud tree in my back yard (about 3-4 years old). In the spring I tried to prune one of the bottom branches. Unfortunately I did not use any pruning tools but rather tried to break it off with my hands. As the branch came off it pulled a small layer of bark on one side. That side seem to have healed but a crack had formed in that spot and I don’t like the way it looks. What is the best way to fix that?

Have recently had several large holly trees reduced in height by a profesionaly
Qualified tree surgeon.Do I paint the trees where they have been cut or not?

I live in north Texas and on May 15th, 2017, I just cut part of a lower branch on a red oak tree. The remaining branch is so thick that I have to someone help me complete the cut to the collar. Should I use wound paint?

I just had a large branch ripped from my Japanese maple. The tree has an ugly wound and I need to know how to treat this. The tree is about forty years old, almost lost it once. I’d like to save this tree. V Cox

I agree with not painting ordinary trees. However, what about Bonsai Trees.. Often when cutting a large branch off , the wound takes a long time to heal and is ugly , I have had success with wound paint.
What would you suggest ?

Cutting a branched off palm from the main plant, would I need to seal the cut?

Thanks

I have a magnolia tree that doesn’t look really good it’s blooming but the leaves just don’t look real good and last night we had a bad storm and one of the big branches broke off how should I fix this tray is about 28 years old

My Oak Tree on the river is old and has an old limb that was about 20 inches across cut off at head high a long time ago it healed over but now the bark on the bottom side from the rotted stump part is oozing and the bark is peeling off on that side. What can I do

After pecan season we need to cut back huge limbs on neighbors pecan tree that is hanging over not only our carport but our vehicles and even one corner bedroom. We have the right of “owning the air above our house and everything in the air”. We have cut them back about 5 years ago, and now they have grown back even bigger and longer. Is there anything we can “paint” on the cut ends to keep them from growing back?

Have what I think has been a copper beech and a normal beech been planted close,next to each other,I believe a couple of hundred years ago,they have grown and fused together at stump ,I want to cut the green part of tree down,as it is leaning dangerously,I am especially interested in post treatment of branch stub,diameter of branch approx400 cm,also angle of cut?

My 40 year old Willow tree has lost two huge branches due to too much water getting into the trunk on one side. We have had to top out on the remaining side to keep the tree from falling. There are now some very nasty wounds in the trunk at the bottom. How should I handle this as this Willow tree means a great deal to me as my hubby planted it from a two foot twig and he has passed away. I live in South Africa.

If you make a burn around all the tree branches up next to the tree trunk will it kill the tree?

love my trees , love my shade brought in 26 trees back of pick-up to semi spade trucks 30 years ago what I ran into planted a pin oak (10in base) ,bowl was to shallow ,clay to slippery, wind and rain blew it over,
upright in hours ,stake it ,it died had a hugh ball on it( stake every tree) brought in Sugar maple (someone fieid)spade truck (80″)cut a main root ,kill quarter of the tree ,heal nice on top ,hole in trunk. carpenter ants were in,got rid of them dug out decay wood spray foam the cavity , then sealer .Tornado top my Silver Maples (30″base) grubs set in saw off

I have large oak trees that were trimmed three years ago. At every cut, new sprouts have come out which continue to grow and soon they will become small limbs and later large friends, which in effect is defeating my purpose. I also have Crape Myrtle trees that I had trimmed a few months ago. New growth shot out like wildfire and quickly those are going to become thicker branches as well. Again, defeating my purpose. So although you claim the wound paint isn’t a great idea, you tell me which product is the best to prevent new growth from coming out the moment that limbs are cut! I feel like I have no choice in this matter. I do appreciate any comments you make. Thank you!

Re: Previous Comments
You list possible effects to the tree from applying wound paint. But your article does NOT show that this application WILL cause those effects. So now what? Seems like there’s no proven facts that those list of effects ARE probable. Just sayin…
Please clarify. Thanks!

Hi can anyone help I have cut a branch of my walnut tree and made a second cut what is not that deep but now it’s dripping water , do I seal it or let nature take its course ?.

The city did some construction beside our blazing maple tree and the backhoe that they used broke off a branch from the tree, as well as breaking some of the roots.. It is now seeping sap. Is there a possibility of the tree dying, and if so is there something I can do to prevent this or do something to stop the sap from seeping.