Review of Tree Bandage product

[CTMIAMI]

For those who prune a lot or those like me that have ongoing canopy change. This product is a relief from the old tar based products and much better results on a long term basis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMKvUjLrNqk

[Tropicalgrower89]

Looks and sounds like a great product. Thanks for the video. 

[JF]

Hi Carlos

another great video...what I'm doing with my avocados is if I don't like the way they are growing I'll cut them down to 6" above the graft and let them re-grow. I've done this with my Sir Prize and Pinkerton and they have fruited the next year. I will top work one of my avocados this winter and I'll definitely try this product. Thanks for posting.

[fruitlovers]

I haven't seen or used this product Tree Bandage, but have in past used tar on cuts. I agree that tar does not work well, in fact may be injurious to the tree. I find a much better alternative to using tar for just a few cuts is to use plain old ordinary mud. I just mix some of existing soil in a bucket and mix with water and apply thoroughly to the cut. Clay or loam soils are especially good. If your soil is very sandy you may want to add some compost to it. Beneficial bacteria in the soil help seal the wound and keep out fungus from forming. I guess if you are doing hundreds of cuts it may be easier to apply a product you can rapidly spray on, but for most of us who are not continuously topworking trees it's probably not necessary to go that route.

[bsbullie]

On just cuts I thought it was best to do nothing (don't seal it at all)...on wounds, depending on the wound, that COULD be a different story.  I have seen cement used on massive/gaping wounds (don't know if it is good or bad and if it worked but I have seen it used on a large, old tree with a huge fork that had a large wound down the middle of the main fork area)..

[GwenninPR]

Another great video Carlos!  Thanks for posting it.

[zands]

I haven't seen or used this product Tree Bandage, but have in past used tar on cuts. I agree that tar does not work well, in fact may be injurious to the tree. I find a much better alternative to using tar for just a few cuts is to use plain old ordinary mud. I just mix some of existing soil in a bucket and mix with water and apply thoroughly to the cut. Clay or loam soils are especially good. If your soil is very sandy you may want to add some compost to it. Beneficial bacteria in the soil help seal the wound and keep out fungus from forming. I guess if you are doing hundreds of cuts it may be easier to apply a product you can rapidly spray on, but for most of us who are not continuously topworking trees it's probably not necessary to go that route.

https://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=goY&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=aluminum+silicate+tree+wound&oq=aluminum+silicate+tree+wound&gs_l=serp.3...94127.97263.0.97549.10.10.0.0.0.1.261.885.8j1j1.10.0.les%3Beqn%2Cfixedpos%3Dfalse%2Cboost_normal%3D40%2Cboost_high%3D40%2Ccconf%3D1-0%2Cmin_length%3D2%2Crate_low%3D0-035%2Crate_high%3D0-035%2Csecond_pass%3Dfalse%2Cignore_bad_origquery%3Dtrue..0.0...1c.fqaTMzj51tY

Best I can tell this "tree bandage" deploys aluminum silicates meaning clay. So healing clay same as your method

[fruitlovers]

On just cuts I thought it was best to do nothing (don't seal it at all)...on wounds, depending on the wound, that COULD be a different story.  I have seen cement used on massive/gaping wounds (don't know if it is good or bad and if it worked but I have seen it used on a large, old tree with a huge fork that had a large wound down the middle of the main fork area)..

What is the difference between very large cuts, as Carlos is making in top working trees, to a wound? To me they are the same thing. A large cut is a wound.

[CTMIAMI]

I agree with Oscar.
The problems is that I have noticed that some times the bark separates from the wood at the cut or would area. Water travels down the trunk causing a lot of dead tissue to the point that I see mushrooms growing on the bark of the trees I have top worked. You can see it in some of my videos. That can not be healthy for the tree. I subcontract this work because is too much for me, but I think if the cuts are made downwards the water would drain better.  Let's see with this new product what happens in a large number of trees cut all different ways.

[fruitlovers]

I agree with Oscar.
The problems is that I have noticed that some times the bark separates from the wood at the cut or would area. Water travels down the trunk causing a lot of dead tissue to the point that I see mushrooms growing on the bark of the trees I have top worked. You can see it in some of my videos. That can not be healthy for the tree. I subcontract this work because is too much for me, but I think if the cuts are made downwards the water would drain better.  Let's see with this new product what happens in a large number of trees cut all different ways.

If possible i try to make big trunk cuts at a diagonal, so that water drains off easily. That may not be possible if you are trying to top work the tree. Also when i put mud on the cut i mound it up sufficiently so that when the mud dries the water will run off the mound. I've never seen mushrooms growing on cuts i treat this way, or the type of splitting that Carlos shows in his video of cuts treated with tar.

[Cookie Monster]

There are lots of variables here. The type of cut (heading vs drop crotch), the level of vigor on the branch being cut, season, etc make big differences in how the cambium fills in to seal the wound.

bsbullie is correct that wound dressings are not needed (and in some cases may even promote decay). In addition to myriad other articles, here's one titled "The Myth of Wound Dressings" written by Dr Chalker-Scott.

Moreover, even if the tree successfully heals over a wound (judging by outside appearances), the interior of the tree will oftentimes seal off a giant portion of xylem, making it unusable to the tree. Chapter 4 in Dr Edward Gilman's "An Illustrated Guide to Pruning" gives expert insight into the healing process and is worth a read.

The best way to promote healthy healing is to use the drop crotch method of pruning.