Wood hardener

[boguz]

Hey guys.
My tree's bark is drying out. I think i should apply lime sulfur to the dry part. What about living part? I want to keep it, does wood hardener work there?

 

[Dav4]

Hey guys.
My tree's bark is drying out. I think i should apply lime sulfur to the dry part. What about living part? I want to keep it, does wood hardener work there?

No, applying wood hardener to living wood would not help. Providing good growing conditions is the best way to keep a plant happy and healthy.

 

[Cadillactaste]

An Olive? The bark will die if it doesn't have foliage up high to sustain it.

A happy olive should backbud for you. So I will defer to what was said above. Horticultural needs ... need met.

I might look to carving the dead at some point. But not until it's a strong happy tree.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Would consider putting this tree in a larger pot, or better still, a box for a 2-3 years to regain strength …and let it run the first year.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Hey guys.
My tree's bark is drying out. I think i should apply lime sulfur to the dry part. What about living part? I want to keep it, does wood hardener work there?

Wood hardener on living wood cracks and flakes off as the tree grows. On dead wood, wood hardener seems to preserve for a while, but it seals in moisture, eventually the dead wood behind the wood hardener continues to rot, the hardener gets cloudy, becoming obvious and then flakes off.

Lime sulfur preserves wood by killing wood rotting fungi, but it is water soluble, needs to be re-applied regularly and does bleach out the lignins (color) from the wood. It is the "proven technique" long used by Japanese and others.

Painting deadwood with linseed oil will restore natural oils to the dead wood. Paint deadwood with linseed oil (purchase boiled linseed oil from house paint department of box store). Let wood absorb oil, reapply if wood looks dry next day. When wood looks moist next day, enough oil has been applied. A few weeks the appearance will look quite natural. Can even treat with lime sulfur after surface of wood has appeared to dry out. Linseed oil restores the natural oils to wood to some degree. Helps with long term deadwood preservation without using wood hardeners which create a plastic shell.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Wood hardener on living wood cracks and flakes off as the tree grows. On dead wood, wood hardener seems to preserve for a while, but it seals in moisture, eventually the dead wood behind the wood hardener continues to rot, the hardener gets cloudy, becoming obvious and then flakes off.

Lime sulfur preserves wood by killing wood rotting fungi, but it is water soluble, needs to be re-applied regularly and does bleach out the lignins (color) from the wood. It is the "proven technique" long used by Japanese and others.

Painting deadwood with linseed oil will restore natural oils to the dead wood. Paint deadwood with linseed oil (purchase boiled linseed oil from house paint department of box store). Let wood absorb oil, reapply if wood looks dry next day. When wood looks moist next day, enough oil has been applied. A few weeks the appearance will look quite natural. Can even treat with lime sulfur after surface of wood has appeared to dry out. Linseed oil restores the natural oils to wood to some degree. Helps with long term deadwood preservation without using wood hardeners which create a plastic shell.

I know one who has deadwood on a Japanese maple...he's had going on 20 years. His go to...is wood hardener for the deadwood. 20 years... is proof in the pudding.

I'm not trying to discredit what you say. But for deciduous trees...at least mine and their deadwood/scars. I'll continue to use it. Only over my UK based friends who see a lot of decay on deciduous...use it. That is their go to...so it will be mine. Because...years in and seeing the trees still doing so amazingly well. Is where my brain rests easy.