Mild damage to tree - do I need to treat it?
Question:We had someone come over and dig up some mondo grass from a raised bed, and the freaking idiot decided to clean the mud off of her shovel by banging it against the trunk of my cedar elm tree. There are about a dozen gashes in the bark, each about 4 inches long, and a couple of places where the bark has come off altogether (in about a 1" x 4" square). Do I need to treat the gashes and bare spots, and if so with what? What should I watch for on the tree to see if there is any deeper damage or infection?
Answers:
The prevailing wisdom on this was to put a tar like compound in the wounds to seal it. I was taking a Master Gardener course this winter and a couple of instructors mentioned that in most cases, it's better for the tree to heal by itself. Though some of the landscapers I know still carry the stuff around in case the client demands sealant. Hope this helps!
use tar can be bought at hardware store
all u can really do is just wait it out...dont try and cover it,,u just be makeing a home for bugs too live,,,,,,,,just clean it..let it heal it self..over time the bark will cover its gashes.dont try and band-aid the bark back on,,it too will just make a cover for bugs...i work on the old oak trees in savannah ga..u didnt say how old the tree is...but the younger the better...,,,,dont put tar on it..as it grows the tar gets old and cracks open letting bugs too move behind tar and make a good home there.we at the city never tar any of our trees.just for that reason..
if any of the bark is loose, use a hook bill knife.it's called bark tracing. cut off the loose bark in a shape like this () do not put or spray anything on it, ley it heal naturaly. if there is no loose bark just leave it alone the tree will it self. and slap the person with the shovel !
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