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Azores, Portugal

I planted last weekend an Acer Palmatum Atropurpureum. It came from mainland, which have a diferente climate. I live in an island with very cloudy and rainy winters. I can see that my maple needs pruning due to several crossing branches. There is also a big branch coming out of the base that should have been cut off a long time ago. Since I've just planted the tree a few days ago, should I prune it now? Regarding that big branch coming from the base (photo attached), can I cut it right above the branch collar, or by doing it, I'm compromising the good health of the tree? And if I do so, should I use a sealant to give extra protection against all the humidity? Thanks




Answers

 

Welcome to GoY.
This is what I'd do but it may not be the best solution so see what others suggest.

I would take that lower branch off now and any obviously dead twigs. then I would wait until leaf break when you will then see and other day twigs that can be removed.

If you can get flowers of Sulphur/Sulphur powder then put that on the cut where you removed the branch. This will prevent fungal infections at the cut surface.

27 Jan, 2021

 

For the sulphur try a good pharmacy or a supplier of items for horse care. (Failing that you might get a very small amount by smiling at a chemistry teacher at your local high school, hush hush nod wink)

27 Jan, 2021

 

Thanks a lot. There is also some lichens growing on. Some say it's bad, others say they're harmless. Should I rip them off?

27 Jan, 2021

 

I'd leave the lichen as it is a sign of clean air and doesn't feed on the tree.

27 Jan, 2021

 

You can prune the wayward branch just above the collar like you stated, but don't add any sealant or dressing of any kind. Just let it heal itself naturally. The cold weather is enough to keep it sterile until it naturally forms a callous over the wound.

27 Jan, 2021

 

Wayward branch removed!
Now I'll try to explain why I'm still wondering if I should apply some kind of sealant or not. The problem is that on this climate with high levels of humidity, temperatures never go below 6° Celsious (42.8° F). And that's on rare days. For instance, todays temperature is around 16° C (60.8° F)...
Thanks again for all your feedback. I'm learning a lot. ;)

28 Jan, 2021

 

All I could tell you is that in Britain we are no longer advised to seal cuts at all.. So I checked on Google

https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/tree-care/tree-pruning-sealer-bad-idea/

Seems this advice applies everywhere.

28 Jan, 2021

 

Same here in the US Sue. The tree will naturally callous over and heal naturally. The sealants are no longer advised.

'in most cases, the answer is no. Wound dressings such as tar, asphalt, paint, or any other petroleum solvents should not be used on trees. If you want to apply a wound dressing for aesthetic purposes, spray on a very thin coating of an aerosol wound dressing. Keep in mind that this is only for appearances. It doesn’t help the tree.

Read more at Gardening Know How: What Is Tree Wound Dressing: Is It Ok To Put Wound Dressing On Trees https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/wound-dressing-on-trees.htm'

29 Jan, 2021

How do I say thanks?

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