North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[lee reich <lreich@hvc.rr.com>]

Quoting from my book, THE PRUNING BOOK (Taunton Press, 1997, available from a number of sources), 

"Marketing or, perhaps, an innate desire for nurturing has induced humans for centuries to cover wounds with dressings ranging from clay to manure to tar. Such dressings, for the most part, keep the wound moist, maintaining a hospitable environment for disease-causing microorganisms. (Exceptions exist: a particular dressing might be useful because it contains hormones to prevent resprouting, or insecticides to fend off borer attack on susceptible plants such as elm and pecan.) . . . A good pruning cut -- not a poultice -- allows a woody plant to seal off the wound and prevent spread of infection. Take care in how you cut, and appreciate the plant's natural ability to heal itself."

That said, Tree Kote is an excellent material for use in grafting.

Lee Reich
www.leereich.com




On Sep 21, 2004, at 11:06 AM, Katherine Russell wrote:

> This is a question about Tree Kote, which appears to be somehting like a tar and water emulsion. It's marketed for painting over tree wounds. Is it good stuff? Recommended / not recommended?  Can it be used for grafting?
>
> I remember the question about a tractor-damaged apple tree a while ago resulted in a bunch of recommendations to cut the branch off cleanly, but not paint it with anything. Is the whole concept of a tree wound dressing a bunch of hooey?
>
> Best - Katherine Russell
> Zone 5b - 6a
>
> _______________________________________________
> nafex mailing list nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> All other messages are discarded.
> No exceptions.  ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used to change other email options):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list
> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
> Please do not send binary files.
> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
>
> Message archives are here:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
>
> NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/