Author Topic: tanglefoot direct application experiment  (Read 4210 times)

brian

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tanglefoot direct application experiment
« on: February 25, 2021, 01:43:38 PM »
I finally got around to doing this.  I just applied tanglefoot directly to the bark of a healthy 6ft-tall tree.  I applied it to a major limb (>1in diameter) and a small twig nearby.  I will see if there is any deterioration over time.   

If there is none... tanglefoot becomes much more useful to me.  It is a pain to put tape or some other backing for it to prevent it from touching the bark.  If it is harmless I can slap it all over.


Tlaloc

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2021, 02:22:05 PM »
I finally got around to doing this.  I just applied tanglefoot directly to the bark of a healthy 6ft-tall tree.  I applied it to a major limb (>1in diameter) and a small twig nearby.  I will see if there is any deterioration over time.   

If there is none... tanglefoot becomes much more useful to me.  It is a pain to put tape or some other backing for it to prevent it from touching the bark.  If it is harmless I can slap it all over.



It will take longer to grow from the area you applied than to apply a wrapping of simple duct tape. But thats just me. I value my trees too much to do this to them, especially the productive ones.
I have to reapply to my Inga this spring. It shouldnt take more than 5 minutes. BTW, good luck with your trees.

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2021, 02:38:22 PM »
duct tape would almost certainly constrict the trees growth if not removed after some time, it is very strong.  Even when I used painters tape I had this issue. 

poncirsguy

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2021, 06:02:19 PM »
Tanglefoot against citrus bark will likely cause bark rot.  Keep us informed.

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2021, 07:26:28 PM »
Yup, this tree is expendable - I am going to dig it up soon anyway.  I wanted to see for myself just how it worked out. 

Oncorhynchus

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2021, 07:44:03 PM »
I think the biggest benefit of having a backing is that you can remove the fouled tanglefoot and replace it. In my yard it gets gunked up with dirt, grass clippings, and dead bugs after a month or so. Sometimes I’ll put new tanglefoot over the old but I can’t do that more than once without making a huge mess.

kumin

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2021, 07:59:33 PM »
Brian, have you considered the "one side sticky" tape we use to trap the Spotted Lanternfly? The inside has no adhesive, so it shouldn't harm the bark. The outer adhesive is very tacky and should trap most crawling pests.  https://www.idealtruevalue.com/store/p/158164-Catchmaster-30-Giant-Fly-Glue-Trap-1-Sided-Adhesive-Features-Pre-Bait.aspx?feed=Froogle&gclid=Cj0KCQiAst2BBhDJARIsAGo2ldVdGo3Y9zADH44bb95yrDoIKp3te7l4aRgB3VHeugsIc6x4AaYGsKAaAgkNEALw_wcB

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2021, 08:04:56 PM »

The cost and effort matters a lot to me when I'm potentially applying tanglefoot to a hundred plants.  Even applying tape around trunk is a bit fiddley when I have to crawl under the tree and get poked with thorns and such.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2021, 06:28:52 AM by brian »

John B

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2021, 10:55:09 PM »
If you have the same results as me, it will rot. That section will stay moist and rot.

I just triple roll the orange flagging tape and tie it in a knot. Takes 15 seconds and then I slather the stuff on. It's good for about 4 months until another fresh batch is needed.

Good luck!

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2021, 06:29:31 AM »
stretchy flagging tape is a good idea.   I actually have some already, might try that next time if this fails (as seems to be expected)

poncirsguy

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2021, 09:20:38 AM »
I am going to use newspaper plastic bag strips and tat flypaper wrapped around the tree trunk
..

orangedays

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2021, 07:19:58 PM »
Is the purpose of using tangle foot to keep ants from crawling up the trees?  Are there other insects that crawl up citrus to worry about? The few times I  used tangle foot directly on hardwoods trees, it didn't hurt the tree but it made a nasty gummy dirt band that was impossible to remove even a year later when it was no longer effective. 

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2021, 09:28:26 PM »
Ants yes, but also any other climbing scale.  I have issues with mealybugs and sometimes armored scale that I can't seem to eradicate by spraying

Millet

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2021, 12:55:49 PM »
Mealybug is my biggest insect problem. Scale is second.  With constant inspection, and horticultural oil, they can be kept at a minimum.  Almost never at 0 percent.

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2021, 01:22:23 PM »
I have been so hopeful since I eradicated my long-running cottony-cusion-scale problem that I might be able to get rid of the mealybugs also.  So far they have been very resilient, the neurotoxic pesticides don't seem to work well on them, and coverage with smothering agents is always tough.

The armored scale have been pretty isolated, not sure why.  I haven't seen them on my citrus trees yet, only a few other tropical fruit trees.

citrange

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2021, 06:19:42 AM »
I had to check up what tanglefoot is in the US.
Here in England it is a very nice beer!

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2021, 07:27:00 PM »
two months later it still looks exactly the same with zero harm to the tree (nor the plumeria I also put it on)

Still, really need to see how it performs after a year or two, and I might cut this tree down before then.

John B

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #17 on: May 02, 2021, 09:40:01 PM »
That's good news. Has this tree been outside for a while? I recall, the hot San Diego summer took it's toll and eventually degraded that cambium layer.

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2021, 10:23:13 PM »
My in-ground trees are in a greenhouse and the area with tanglefoot applied is generally shaded by the tree canopy.  You might get different results in hot direct sun!

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2021, 05:17:35 PM »
EDIT - DO NOT DO THIS - see update below

so even though the "raw tanglefoot" experiment is going well so far I am playing it safe and using trunk protection when applying tanglefoot for the rest of my trees for now, as I found a really good wrap that is stretchy and self-sticky.  Actually, another forum member discovered it and is using it to wrap seedlings.  It is sold as a type of gauze.



« Last Edit: May 21, 2021, 10:47:34 AM by brian »

Epicatt2

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #20 on: May 20, 2021, 11:37:02 PM »
[snip] I found a really good wrap that is stretchy and self-sticky.  Actually, another forum member discovered it and is using it to wrap seedlings.  It is sold as a type of gauze.

That sounds like CoFlex, a stretchy sort of rubberized gauze bandaging wrap that is used in compression wraps on human extremities and also on horses' ankles (which is what it was invented for: for racehorses' ankle support).  It does stick to itself.

Sounds like it will serve well as a substrate for putting Tanglefoot on top of.

CoFlex should be available at medical supply houses, Amazon, or some local pharmacies.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==
« Last Edit: May 20, 2021, 11:43:44 PM by Epicatt2 »

arc310

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #21 on: May 21, 2021, 03:22:09 AM »
i have ants harvesting mealybugs and what not on a persimmon tree. always wanted to try this but persimmon trunk and branches don't have smooth surfaces like citrus. anyone use this on non-smooth bark?

Triloba Tracker

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #22 on: May 21, 2021, 08:56:32 AM »
I was considering using Tanglefoot to seal the stump after bark inlay grafting.

Based on this thread that sounds like a recipe for rotting out the rootstock?

brian

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #23 on: May 21, 2021, 10:46:32 AM »
Update - do not use "coflex" / rubber-stretch-gauze for this!   after a few days the tanglefoot was absorbed into the gauze material, causing it to lose stickiness and unwind, and the tanglefoot soaked through to the bark.  So now I have direct tanglefoot on all my tree trunks.  I guess I am now "all in" on this experiment.

Triloba Tracker

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Re: tanglefoot direct application experiment
« Reply #24 on: May 21, 2021, 11:58:42 AM »
:( sorry to hear