Duct Tape Treework

MasterBlaster

MasterBlaster

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I was wondering if duct tape wrapped around a shiner/fresh cut would eventually wear off and be harmless to the tree while at the same time curtailing any sucker growth? I have a limb that I'm training to curve away from a roof that I'd like to try that out on. The customer told me every time they trim it, the suckers are encroaching the roof within a few years. He wants it removed and I don't.

I'm thinking if I tape it, by the time it wears off the branch collar will have healed and water sprout suckers will be at a minimum. It might look kinda funky as it wears off but eventually the goal will be achieved.

Thoughts?
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Tape seems weak for exterior, likely dry out quickly in the sun. My dad use to raise fruit trees and he would always use roofing cement tar to seal the cuts. There is some controversy about it currently, that the practice attracts bugs. I have heard about using a torch to burn and seal cuts. A little propane canister that they sell at the hardware store would be easy to use....assuming the method works.
 
Wax is one end grain sealer, just dripping a candle over the end. A thick waterproof glue is sometimes used as well. For a different application, though.
 
It might be a catch 22. I believe that the liability of using tar is that it completely traps in moisture which draws borers, etc.. Paul might have some good ideas, it occurs.
 
I don't know if it's a good practice but a few years ago I daubed on a bunch of "anchor seal " on a red maple . As it was like a dummy I had lopped off some pretty good sized lower limbs because they about knocked me off my lawnmower and pretty much annoyed me .

Early spring like that the damned thing flowed sap like a water well .The anchor seal stopped the sap and the tree healed over nicely after a few years .
 
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No one's addressing the duct tape idea.

I'm familiar with all the other stuff.
 
I suggested that the tape would likely dry out too quick. It gets weak when it gets old, so uv would probably accelerate that.
 
They do make some wicked strong tapes. I bought some once that had a very high temperature resistance, for sealing joints on furnace ducting.
 
Well ,metal duct tape has the highest cohesiveness of any of them ,it's also the most expensive ,like 22 bucks a roll .It's qustionable if it would work on a tree though .
 
Aha,brainstorm ,maybe .3M made some heavy duty stuff out of aluminum for auto body repairs .Cheap way to fix rusty cars .They taped the hole then "green stuffed over it .The greenstuff would fall off eventually but the tape never moved an inch .
 
I would just step up the interval of sprout reduction. What your seeing is just the trees response to having too big a piece removed. Its all about survival ya know.
 
Backup up a sec I'm not picturing this, what kind of tree and where are you gonna cut it and tape it?

Sean has a good question. The best way to keep a limb cut from suckering is to make the cut at a vigorous branch that's capable of assuming dominance. That way you don't get that hormonal thunderstorm and competing shoots when no dominant apex exists.
 
What exactly do you expect the tape to stick to? The tree bark? How would you expect it to have any kind of seal whatsoever? What is your thinking on how exactly the tape is supposed to stop suckering?
 
It would be my guess that the tree would not attempt to grow any type of limb sprout whatever in an area it could not get sunlight .Perhaps something like tar paper would prevent growth ???.

The problem as I see it however is that it eventually would, even if the growth were stunted or prevented for a few years .
 
I'm wondering with Sean, what mechanism it is that duct tape would stop? Does sunlight encourage the suckers? Is that what the tape would be blocking?

I just googled "sprout inhibitor" and got a bunch of chemicals you could probably use instead. But i know, you are wondering about duct tape.

I don't think it will do a thing. Just look funny, then fall off.
 
Well,let's face it unless you deactivated the mechanism that causes growth there isn't much that could stop it from growing .

Most of us by now I'm sure have seen limbs or whole trees growing out of rocks,sidewalks or junk cars even .If solid rock or sheetmetal won't stop them duct tape doesn't stand a chance .
 
What I imagined was Butch wrapping duct tape round and round over a length of tree to elimnate sunlight to a portion of tree. The tape sticking to itsself. I think it would work as the advetitious buds will need sunlight to grow. Yes it will look like crap and tar paper would be less likely to cause girdling damage and be less obvious, especially with black tape or caulking, and would not stay on the tree as long
 
I'm with Willie. I was going to type that until I saw his post at the end.

From what I know, which isn't much, if there is no light, then why would it re sprout!
 
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