Old timer told me to skip the paint on pruning cuts

When I started out, a guy named Mike with 30 years in told me never to paint pruning cuts on oaks. Said it traps moisture and does more harm than good. I tried it on a big red oak in Austin last summer and the wound healed cleaner than any painted cut I've done. Anyone else stop painting cuts after hearing similar advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.jenny6d ago

Right? Mike was spot on. That goopy paint just creates a perfect little sauna for rot to take hold, especially on oaks during a humid Texas summer.

casey_wood26d ago

Respectfully, I have to disagree on this one. I've been dressing tree wounds for fifteen years now and the science has shifted a lot. Modern pruning paints with fungicides actually seal the cut better than leaving it open in our humid climate. The rot you're talking about usually comes from improper cuts or bad timing, not the paint itself. I've got a dozen oaks on my property that got treated right after trimming three years ago and they're healing clean with no decay. Leaving a fresh wound exposed to Texas humidity is a gamble I won't take anymore.