Thoughts on maintaining redwood burls?

[Emanon]

Have you heard of anyone using a borate powder product (sold as a wood preservative) as a fungicide instead of lime sulfur though? I know borax, added to laundry, helps whiten whites (but not bleach colors?)...

I just googled "borate powder wood preservative" and the first link I came across was the following: http://www.americanborate.com/all-about-borates/borate-applications/borate-wood-preservation/ . I have no idea who or what this American Borate Company is but the link explains in further detail how borate compounds work to prevent decay in wood... But how does it end up looking?

 

[rockm]

I just googled "borate powder wood preservative" and the first link I came across was the following: http://www.americanborate.com/all-about-borates/borate-applications/borate-wood-preservation/ . I have no idea who or what this American Borate Company is but the link explains in further detail how borate compounds work to prevent decay in wood... But how does it end up looking?

You're mixing up wood working and bonsai. The two are not interchangeable. You are unlikely to find a really decent alternative in the wood working world for Lime Sulphur in the gardening world. The borax can be toxic in the right concentration (and who knows what that is for a Redwood.) It also accumulates in the soil. No more comfort in the fact that Boron is also used as an herbicide....

LS, on the other hand, has been used for gardening applications for a century as a fungal treatment. It has a longer track record and its dilutions and applications in bonsai are pretty well known.

 

[nuttiest]

Yes, no borax! If you absolutely feel you must experiment with oils then a drying oil (Linseed, flax) mixed with stain ingredients (acorn tannins, henna) can be used to experiment at the top where you are going to cut off or carve later. I sometimes just use banana peel to perk up weathered deadwood to right sheen, if the look is uncomfortably dry.
lime sulfur is a caustic way to oxidize your deadwood if you are not careful with the live tissue or can't clearly discern it, use something else. I like simply lime paint or bordeaux mix. In either case you will need hydrated lime.
But deadwood at ground contact - it's totally different animal, right? All that water for extended periods of time... Listen to the experts here if rockm says we need it then I am getting my old stash out. I got mine on that pet site that's always offering $10 off to new customers... check out their decorative aquarium stones

 

[Emanon]

You're mixing up wood working and bonsai. The two are not interchangeable. You are unlikely to find a really decent alternative in the wood working world for Lime Sulphur in the gardening world. The borax can be toxic in the right concentration (and who knows what that is for a Redwood.) It also accumulates in the soil. No more comfort in the fact that Boron is also used as an herbicide....

LS, on the other hand, has been used for gardening applications for a century as a fungal treatment. It has a longer track record and its dilutions and applications in bonsai are pretty well known.

Thanks for stopping me from making a big mistake. Good thing I asked! In all honesty I wouldn't have just tried it unless I heard back that it is often used as an LS alternative. I was already suspicious when a search on this site for borate powder returned no results.

I was completely unaware that Boron (in certain concentrations) is used as a herbicide -- I had only heard of it being used as a fertilizer i.e. as a useful aid in the nitrogen fixation process. So I either have to find the right concentration of dye to add to lime sulfur or find the right concentration of borate powder...the wrong concentration of the latter will result in death of the tree. Not only that but one has been done for centuries, the other not even considered as a product to be applied to living trees. Pretty easy choice.

 

[Emanon]

I got mine on that pet site that's always offering $10 off to new customers... check out their decorative aquarium stones

I just looked at my order details and the bottle that I'm still using I got for $7 in 2014! Smells of course but still works great! It's called Vetoquinol Lime Sulfur Dip for Dogs and Cats. I'll also definitely look into a Bordeaux mix. Thanks!

 

[nuttiest]

I have been reading on boric acid and change my mind, I think this is a good idea as fungicide. I am going to try something like 1 gram per cup painted on some trees that have not responded well to other crown rot treatments, see what it does for deadwood and post photos if anything interesting.
Thanks for the tip, can't afford to pass up things potentially useful in the war on rot. In fall we get monsoons that drench and break branches and every disease in the neighborhood from old trees circulates everywhere.