My tree is bleeding

[Buff]

I have a birch tree in my front yard. I was told that you can only cut trees in months that have a letter 'r' in it (April, September, October, etc). So I thought, since it is April I'll do some pruning. I cut two small branches (less than 1" in diameter) and I quickly noticed the sap that was dripping like a sieve from the tree.

I went to the store to get some pruning paint and I applied it a few times, but the trees just "bleeds it off". Right now I've got a small bag taped up snugly around the wound in hopes that the pruning paint won't go too far and finally do the job.

Anybody else have any tips?

[ken0042]

Lots of water for it?

[Kybosh]

Haven't done this myself but have heard you can put tar where the sap is coming.

[redforever]

That "r" thing is a lot of rubbish.

I would go to a gardening center and buy some wax that you use when grafting trees. Greengate or Golden Acre used to carry the product. The stuff I have left here is in a greenish color cardboard box, rectangular in size, not as large as a pound of butter. The grafting wax is hard so have it at room temperature or warm a bit in the microwave so that it is malleable.

With a knife, take off small bits and apply liberally to the parts of the tree that you have cut and where the sap continues to flow. And I would apply it very liberally.

I live in the country and have had continuing problems with sapsuckers drilling holes in my fruit trees. And I have found that applying the grafting wax in a liberal fashion usually stops the flow of sap. Anyhow, I apply the wax liberally, let it dry and harden and leave it on the tree permanently. If that stops the sap from flowing, I doubt you have to do anything else, but you might want to spray with some more pruning paint at some time. That paint stuff is not that thick, some kind of tar would actually be better I think.

EDIT: By the way, I would not be pruning any tree right now. We have had a mild winter, and now we have had quite warm weather. That gets the sap flowing in most trees, not just birch trees (which tend not to be that hardy in the first place). Personally, I would not prune now until leaves are fully out.

[V]

Months with 'r' in it, huh? So every day between September 1 and April 30? I doubt that. I can't imagine it would be a great idea to prune my trees in the middle of January.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by V

Months with 'r' in it, huh? So every day between September 1 and April 30? I doubt that. I can't imagine it would be a great idea to prune my trees in the middle of January.

Actually, January is not bad at all, the reason being, it is usually very cold then and the tree is completely dormant. Better January than now. But it is better to prune later in fall when the tree is dormant and then the cut parts have a longer time to harden off before the severity of winter comes.

[CalgaryPride]

The common consensus among arborists (the profession of my brother in-law) is not to use tree sealer. Instead, make sure you made good flush cuts and allow the wounds to heal naturally. This will allow the tree to breath and subsequently allow the wounds to heal quicker. Only apply paint for cosmetic reasons. Furthermore, if you are worried about pests buy a tree wrap at a local garden centre (a breathable cloth like bandage for trees that can be removed after the wound has healed). Although, you generally do not get pests unless the plant is really sick or planted in a poor location.

As a side note, birch love water. Make sure it gets a good drink.

p.s.
Birch is a very cold hardy tree!!! They have been found growing in zone 2 regions and even zone 1 regions (Calgary is a zone 3). With that being said, they enjoy moisture and can have trouble growing in Calgary's semi-arid climate.

[Buff]

My son is obsessed with bandages (he's 2 and a half). So when he heard me telling my wife that the tree is bleeding he immediately wanted me to put a bandage on it. (We have The Wiggles bandage for him) "Put Wiggles band-aid on, Daddy?"

[redforever]

Originally Posted by CalgaryPride

Birch is a very cold hardy tree!!! They have been found growing in zone 2 regions and even zone 1 regions (Calgary is a zone 3). With that being said, they enjoy moisture and can have trouble growing in Calgary's semi-arid climate.

Well, they can be hardy. It depends on the variety of birch and location of course. In the foothills of Priddis where I grow, where our winds can howl more than inner city, I could never just plant a solitary birch tree in an unprotected location in my yard. As you said, they have trouble in a semi-arid climate. Hence, most birch trees in Calgary do better in an east location, with liberal doses of water too.

[Calgaryborn]

Leave it be. If it is healthy the tree should be fine. Tree paint and such does more harm then good. The reason why it is leaking so much is because the tree has just come out of dormancy. I have a friend who makes birch tree wine. He taps them just like you would tap a maple tree. He can harvest a few gallons a day when the sap is running. I've also felled birch trees this time of year and watched water bubbling out of the stump. It's really incredible the amount of energy which is awakened in the spring.

How you pruned your tree is more important than when. The best is in the dead of winter but, it shouldn't matter too much with a birch unless it was already unhealthy. I hope you made good flush cuts. There isn't much of a branch collar to cut to on a birch unless you were taking some major branches out . If you shortened any branches I hope you cut it to a lateral branch with at least half of the circumference of the main branch. If not fix it now. Dead stubs are entry points for diseases. Other than that make sure you removed all the dead wood.

Of all the deciduous trees I can think of birch trees are the hardest to prune. They're just so hard to prune without making them look like they've been cut up. Given the choice I would never reduce the crown by more than 1/5th or at the most 1/4th in any given year. Even then, if you've got the space it would be better to let the tree grow naturally and only prune out the dead wood every couple years.

[driveway]

Stop killing trees, you republican.