Grafting / Healing Sealant

Hi All, Mr Majik here again awaiting expert advice from the expert advisers. does anybody have or know of a recipy or home made alterative for a good grafting / healing Sealant. i'd prefer to do as much as i can self sufficiantly as opposed to shop bought.

Thanks All

In this day and age, unless you're stuck in Burkina Faso, there are some things it doesn't pay to make at home. I use plain ordinary Japanese cut paste that comes in a jar.
Iris

Majik,

I use parafilm tape with 90% success rate. This type of film is used to cover laboratory flasks and it's available online or wherever lab supplies are sold.

Kind regards,
Jose Luis

Bee's wax.

.....aluminia insolation tape.

thanks for all the input so far, i've done some searching / reading talking to various students and "Old wives" (most of latter being men) and here are some of the "find at home" alternatives to cut paste i've stumbled upon. what are your thoughts on these, and do any make you scream Arrgh for the love of fertilizer, DONT PUT THAT NEAR YOUR TREE!

Vaseline - Shoe Polish - babybel wax (although being bright red, puts me off) - bees wax (thanks Jim) - modelling clay mixed with oil (but not playdoh, too salty! Thanks gardenweb) - Chewing Gum - PVA Glue or Wood Glue even with a little paint mixed in to match the Bark!

And i came across this recipe that sound viable... (Thanks organic_michael)

I made home made cut paste with this recipe:
Mix equal amounts of candle wax and vegetable oil together.
Melt it in an old saucepan inside a container sitting on boiling water. Take the container out of the saucepan when it is melted and leave it to cool until its like slippery gloop when you stir it. Add some ground cinnamon as a fungicide and colouring. Then get a whisk and whisk it for a few minutes until it is fluffy like chocolate mousse and not warm when you touch it. You can put it in a jar and use it when you need to. Dip your fingers in water before you use it because it is a bit sticky.

it's nothing about saving money, i've seen many reasonably prices cut pastes out there and 2 in shops within 10 minutes walk of my house (One for Bonsai one just for Trees). im just one of those that, if i can, i like to do it myself.

Mr Majik

There is, of course, stuff made for this purpose -- grafting wax.

It is, I think, actually bee's wax.

i used modeling clay that i purchased from hobby lobby. I used it with no problems and didnt add any veggie oil. Now in the heat of the summer, its leaking an oil like substance from the clay...not the tree... it seems to be plastic-ing up the soil its leaking into. so is this safe?? or how can i make the modeling clay safer... i got a lot more of that stuff to use and dont want to throw it away.Thanks

Hello Cedarbog. Modelling clay doesn't have oil in it. What was on the packet and what type of tree was it on?

its a rock elm. the color of the clay is dark brown. it has gotten so liquidy at the heat of the day where it actually sags a bit.

If it is only clay, then it will go hard in the sun and only go soft when wet. The problem here is you dont know what chemicals or oils are leaching out and into your tree and roots. I would remove it and find something else.

I use Vaseline petrolium jelly for yamadori collecting and japanese cut paste for established trees. I use vaseline for yamadori because its very quick to apply on location, it stays on, if doesn't matter if dirt gets on it and if i leave it in a field its no big deal. What I have found also is that Vaseline works better on large areas. A big would sealed with vaseline seems to suffer less die back and you can see what's going on because although it hardens off it stays clear. I avoid the green sticky japanese would sealant these days, it just looks bad and doesn't do any better than vaseline.

i think CedarBog is talking about plasticine as opposed to clay, as our friends across the pond refer to it as modelling clay. still, cant help with the question as to whether its good bad or N/A for trees. an old motto thats stuck with me is "if in doubt, leave it out" mid you whats the age of the tree? how much time have you put in to it? is it worth risking an experiment and letting the rest of the bonsaiers know the results in a few years to come?

Mr Majik

Simon Temblett produced an article on the progression of a weeping willow in Bonsai Focus a few years back. At one point he tried plasticine balls on the end of the twigs to make them weep. After a short time the twigs died off below the Plasticine.

A good recipe that alows you to pick or mix the best color is Playdough with olive oil added to keep it from drying out. Best of luck.

Mr Majik wrote:i think CedarBog is talking about plasticine as opposed to clay, as our friends across the pond refer to it as modelling clay. still, cant help with the question as to whether its good bad or N/A for trees. an old motto thats stuck with me is "if in doubt, leave it out" mid you whats the age of the tree? how much time have you put in to it? is it worth risking an experiment and letting the rest of the bonsaiers know the results in a few years to come?

Mr Majik

I have since used a tube of cutpaste. I just simply gave up the homemade aspect of wound sealing and bought a couple tubes at abs/bci in louisville. No complaints so far.