Allotments 4 All

I got a book on pruning fruit trees from the library and it says that arbrex is not needed to cover the cuts and it is better to leave it open.

What do people think ?

(Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on pruning in the past).

I have never used it & don't know anyone who does. I do know several arborists & none of them would even consider using that type of product.

I would suggest that only cuts larger than 3 inches might be worth painting. Commercially no painting is done on any cuts in orchards nowadays.
Regards
Jon

I used to but haven't for over a decade...
:-\

I thought that it used to be used (my fruit book says use it).
Do trees not get infected then ?

10 years ago it was all the rage.

Today (professionally) its frowned upon.

A prune wound will heal itself naturally - just as if you had a cut .

If its a very large cut and is weeping, or the sap is rising, then yes use it.

BUT you shouldn't be pruning when the sap is rising anyway - cause that WILL cause cuts to weep.

Trees have immune systems and are only likely to pick up a major infection if they are already in a bad way.
Sealants such as Arbrex can encourage callus growth but are not so effective on very mature trees & there are a lot of people who question whether it actually traps moisture and disease (from cutting equipment) between the coating and the cut effectively increasing the risk of disease.

No not nowadays. Keeping your cutting tools clean after cutting anything diseased is more important.