Whats your cut paste recipe?

[Dav4]

@Dav4 @markyscott (and @ anyone else who uses it) - how easily does this stuff clean off further down the line? I've got a block but haven't tried it yet. I have found some of the Japanese products leave a mess that's difficult to get off the bark, even after callusing has taken place, was looking at this as a better alternative.

I only use this with deciduous trees, so the bark is usually flatter compared to conifers and unlikely to get messy. This stuff adheres and dries just like the imported paste, and tends to flake off by itself in a year or two. It would probably not be much of an issue with conifer bark, either, in my opinion.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I use the duct seal too, works perfect.

For a liquid sealer, I use latex caulk. I comes in many colors so you can match the bark if you like. I just put a little in a jar and thin with water to make it easier to apply. 4 bucks a tube vs. 12 bucks for 100 grams. It peels off easily too.

 

[M. Frary]

Boogers.

 

[parhamr]

+1 for duct seal

I'm liking the idea of mixing it with been oil. I find the brand I have to not be adequately pliable out of the package.

 

[Wilson]

+1 for duct seal

I'm liking the idea of mixing it with been oil. I find the brand I have to not be adequately pliable out of the package.

Warm it up, just like putty when you are cutting old windows.

 

[markyscott]

@Dav4 @markyscott (and @ anyone else who uses it) - how easily does this stuff clean off further down the line? I've got a block but haven't tried it yet. I have found some of the Japanese products leave a mess that's difficult to get off the bark, even after callusing has taken place, was looking at this as a better alternative.

It comes off easily. I think it is close to exactly the same as this product:


I prefer it to any of the liquid cut past products for exactly the reasons you describe - as the wound heals, they tend to get caught up in the callous and become difficult to remove. This flakes off on its own over time and may be removed entirely. I use it with both deciduous and conifer trees.

+1 for duct seal

I'm liking the idea of mixing it with been oil. I find the brand I have to not be adequately pliable out of the package.

Mixing it with a bit of neem oil makes it a lot easier to work with. Just store it in a plastic bag or sealed container to keep it from drying out.

 

[rockm]

After trying the expensive Japanese putty, kiyonal and other crap, I gave duct seal a try in the last couple of years. Nothing better than that stuff...even from Japan. about 1/5 the price too and you don't have to pay for shipping...Just a trip to Home Despot.

 

[music~maker]

But that grey shit, ends up cracking, or slipping, or not applying at all, then it just traps water better than keeps it out.

I was at a workshop with Guy Guidry years ago and he taught us "the trick" to using the grey stuff.

One word: saliva.

Completely changed the product for me. The product tends to stick to your finger better than the tree. However, if you lick your finger, your finger no longer sticks to the paste, and the paste applies perfectly to the tree. You can them work it into the cut area and make sure it's sealed all the way. I've been using it that way ever since, and it's my favorite paste for large cuts.

What I really like about that particular product is that you can adjust it along the way as the tree heals. It also comes off pretty easily when you finally want to remove it. And if it gets cracked and water gets in, you just work it back into the cut with your finger and smooth it out. The water comes out, and it's usually good for another 2-3 months at least. I've had maples that completely healed fairly significant cuts in just a season or two using that stuff. Now that I'm hearing that duct seal is basically the same thing, I think I'll need to give that a try.

I haven't tried glue yet, but I have to image that the results are probably similar to the latex stuff in the green tube. I really like that product for smaller cuts, and one tube lasts forever. But I don't like the way large cuts heal with it, so I've stopped using it for those. With the clay type, by the end of the season, the edges of the wound are rolling inward at least, and sometime largely healed over (depends on the wound).

 

[sorce]

saliva

I tend to forget...
And/or think about human mouthal bacteria...
Water....
I think that is what the sponge is for...
To wet your finger like a secretary!

And I can't discount how well it works when it works!

One thing for sure....
HD before more $ all day...

Cuz I will continue to use it.

But I do find the remnants, even though time will remove them, to be a little ....
Stupidly unhappymaking?

Sorce

 

[music~maker]

I tend to forget...
And/or think about human mouthal bacteria...
Water....

It hasn't made me or the tree sick yet. =)

I tend to forget...
I think that is what the sponge is for...
To wet your finger like a secretary!
Sorce

Much faster to just stick my finger in my mouth, and doesn't require anything else. lol

I tend to forget...
One thing for sure....
HD before more $ all day...
Sorce

HD?

But I do find the remnants, even though time will remove them, to be a little ....
Stupidly unhappymaking?

All my trees are life-time projects. It all comes off eventually. =) The only time I could see it being a concern is if you were going to show the tree, and even then, it's not that hard to get off.

The spatula end of the bonsai tweezers is a nice way to get off what comes off, and then I just wait until more dries up and becomes flaky. Within a few years, it's generally all gone no matter what. A wire brush could speed up the process considerably if you were in a rush.

But yeah, the remnants are definitely a side-effect. For me, the way cuts heal when using it more than makes up for any inconvenience removing it later. I'm all about being able to get a consistent, repeatable response from my trees, and so far, this one wins by a large margin. It's WAY easier to get off than the latex stuff in the green tube, which is at least part of the reason I don't typically use it for big cuts anymore.

 

[sorce]

HD?

Home depot stuff...

Same same!

I'm with you!

Good info!

Sorce

 

[GailC]

Is the duct sealer fairly sticky? I couldn't find it last year so I ended up getting plummer putty and it doesn't work that great. Its quite dry and doesn't want to stick to wounds well at all. I've ordered the stuff in a tube but would still like a good putty product.

 

[my nellie]

This duct seal is interesting.
I was making a search on the internet to find corresponding stuff here in Greece and I've read some labels like these :

Asbestos free - Good - Are there other products containing asbestos?
Solvent based - Bad
Fiber reinforced - What kind of fibers?
Primary component(s) inert inorganic minerals, water surfactants and polyisobutylene - Is/are any of them harmful?​

which make me skeptical. How safe is this (and analogs) for the living tissue of trees?

 

[GrimLore]

Is the duct sealer fairly sticky?

This stuff sticks to the plant as does the duct seal, does not harden so it can be adjusted or removed easily -



If you want to step it up a notch and get the antibacterial, insecticidal, etc... benefits the expensive imports "claim" dab some of this on the putty where it contacts the wound. It seems to simple but it is a common multi-functional item -



I use the waterproof wood glue more often as I am just growing now so most cuts are smaller. That also works, just differently.

Grimmy

 

[GailC]

Thanks Grimmy, I'll have to see what I can find next trip to the depot. I actually use regular elmers school last year with good results, never though to try a waterproof version

I want some paste for bigger wounds and trunk chops, seems like it would be easier then trying to apply multiple layers or glue or latex.

 

[M. Frary]

Boogers.

You have to lick your fingers or they stick to them too.

 

[rockm]

This duct seal is interesting.
I was making a search on the internet to find corresponding stuff here in Greece and I've read some labels like these :

Asbestos free - Good - Are there other products containing asbestos?
Solvent based - Bad
Fiber reinforced - What kind of fibers?
Primary component(s) inert inorganic minerals, water surfactants and polyisobutylene - Is/are any of them harmful?​

which make me skeptical. How safe is this (and analogs) for the living tissue of trees?

Of for crying out loud...No, it doesn't hurt living tissue. Duct sealant is harmless--IT'S USED IN AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING and other HVAC applications in the home. If it were toxic, it wouldn't be used there. Duct sealant is made to be inert (chemically inactive).
In my experience using it with bonsai, I can say I've been impressed. I use this stuff
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-5-lb-Block-Duct-Seal-Standard-Package-2-Blocks-of-5-lbs-31-605/300496867?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-VF-PLA-D27E-Electrical|&gclid=CK66z7Sl1tICFQeBaQodQUwA8g&gclsrc=aw.ds
The ingredients--calcium carbonate, magnesium aluminum silicate, crystalline quartz silica, butane polymer, synthetic polymer, carbon black, antioxidant, cellulose fiber, aluminum silicate, tall oil rosin and naphthenic wax composition. "It offers 1.65 specific gravity and is non-toxic."

I've had a ton of callus tissue develop underneath it, more than with Japanese putty (which is mostly useless), as well as the pricey tubed cut paste.

If you do a search on polyisobutylene, you will find that it is a rubber polymer that is also used in food packaging...It's mostly harmful if you chew up and swallow a handful, but then you know not to do that, right? ;-)
https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+1260

 

[my nellie]

I appreciate your clarification / information. Thank you.

 

[rockm]

I appreciate your clarification / information. Thank you.

I apologize for being so overbearing. I get cranky when "unnatural" alternatives are offered. Same way with fertilizers ;-) "Natural" or "bonsai specific" often mean more money for less result.

 

[my nellie]

No problem at all!