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Showerthought: Always thought pruning sealers were garbage, now I'm not so sure
For years I figured pruning sealers were just a scam to sell goop to homeowners, you know? Then I had a client in Akron with a massive oak that got a 10 inch limb torn off in a storm. I slapped some paint on it back in March just to see if it would rot less than the untreated cuts from his last trim job. Fast forward 7 months and that painted cut looks way cleaner with no cracking or fungal staining compared to the others. Am I wrong for considering using it on high-value trees now or was this a fluke?
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briancarter13d ago
Yeah that UV thing is probably part of it. But honestly I think the bigger deal is keeping moisture out. I've seen cuts rot from the inside out when water sits in them for months. The sealer basically buys you a couple years for the tree to wall off the wound on its own. For a high value tree I'd say go for it, just don't glob it on thick. A thin coat is all you need, too much can trap moisture.
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