That old timer who told me to stop using wound dressing on tree cuts was right

Guy named Jerry at the supply house said it just traps moisture and rots the tree from inside, but I kept slathering it on for 3 years. Finally stopped last spring and every cut I made healed way cleaner - has anyone else ditched this stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_davis9022d ago

The insects love that goop too, they tunnel right into the soft bits underneath and make a home out of it. Maybe the old timers knew something about keeping pests out along with the rot.

xena_brown5022d ago

RIGHT? I had the same problem with my deck planters last year. I switched to using a THICK layer of coarse gravel at the bottom before the soil, like an inch or two deep. That way the water drains out fast and the bugs can't really tunnel in from underneath. I also started adding a little bit of diatomaceous earth mixed into the top inch of soil and it stopped the ants and those little gnats cold.

phoenix2921d ago

Four years ago I tried the gravel thing with my tomatoes and honestly I didn't notice a difference. The water still pooled up on top no matter how much gravel I dumped in there. I stopped bothering with it after that season. Is the bug problem really that bad for you guys, or is it more of an annoyance thing? I get ants in my planters too but they never killed anything, just crawled around being ants.