11
Wasted $150 on pruning sealant - never again
I used to paint pruning sealant on every big cut I made on oak trees. Spent about $150 last year on that stuff. Then I took a workshop with a guy from the city arborist office in Denver, and he showed me research that trees actually heal faster without it. The sealant traps moisture and can cause rot behind the wound. I tried leaving a few cuts bare on a red oak in my backyard and six months later they looked way better than the sealed ones. Has anyone else stopped using sealant after trying it both ways?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
michaelcoleman5d ago
Denver arborists have been saying that for years and I still think they're missing something important. I've been pruning oaks in this area for over a decade and I've seen sealed cuts hold up way better against oak wilt and insect damage. Those bare cuts on your red oak might look fine after six months but wait until a wet spring comes through and you get fungal spores landing right on that open wound. The sealant isn't about making the tree heal faster, it's about keeping pathogens out while the tree does its thing. I've got oaks with sealed cuts from 2018 that are completely callused over and healthy, and I've had to recut and reseal bare cuts that started rotting from the inside out.
8