Lysol on cuts in elms...

A

Arborialis

I'm new to the site, but have read it off the radar for a while. I just thought I'd run this by y'all, sorry if it's a little long...

Does anyone have any research on the effectiveness of spraying lysol (or anything else) on fresh cuts in an elm in order to deter DED? A new employer of mine insists I carry a can with me in the tree and spray every cut. I'm new to the area, but i guess this is fairly standard in the Northeast. While I commend his dedication to tree preservation, my own thoughts are that the practice is pointless, and may even prove to be detrimental.
Here's why:

1. If a tree is pruned and sprayed in the winter, I would think most of the lysol would be gone by the time the beetles fly.
2. It's my understanding that the beetles spread the fungus either by feeding on small twigs (2nd year growth maybe) in healthy trees or by tunnelling into the bark to lay eggs in an unhealthy tree, and will never really be on the cut. The cut only attracts the females to the tree.
3. The lysol is a fungicide, not an insecticide, and unless the scent will deter the beetles from landing, or unless it is systemic, what's the point?
4. The tree may suck down some of the hundreds of chemicals in lysol untested on trees, not to mention the added moisture... but maybe the antibacterials will slow rot, I don't know.

I'm not debating the use of Arbortect or some other systemic fungicide, nor am I debating the sterilization of saws (handsaws) between trees with a bleach solution or something. I realize my thoughts are basically just opinions and i have no facts to back them up. I'm just a lowly climber-grade arborist and was hoping for some answers.
 
Welcome to the Treebuzz Cafe! Don't be a stranger.

I agree with all of your points. Over the years I've talked with plant physiologists about ideas like this and all of them feel that it has very limited success. Also, you are wondering about possible tissue damage. That's an unknown.

The Minneapolis Park Board did a small study that compared the incidence of DED in elms that were pruned in the dormant and growing season. There was a tiny bit higher number of DED infections in dormant pruning, but statistically insignificant.

From what I understand, most beetles enter the tree in the end twigs. Any odor that might be produced at the cut isn't going to be around next season.
 
In Texas, we paint cuts on oaks for supression of oak wilt (the fagacaerum version of DED). We're told that insects (mostly nitidulid beetles) may carry spores from a fungal mat to a fresh pruning cut. Though the tar-like goo is used a lot, most companies I've seen use basic spray paint (I use a water-based spray paint when I can get ahold of it, but sometimes must resort to $.99/can stuff from home despot).

We've been told the idea is to change the scent of the wound, which will make it less attractive to the insects. It is not meant to seal the wound or to kill any spores or insects. I do not believe there is any real evidence to support this practice, but we continue to do it "just in case." Nobody stands to gain from research to answer the basic questions, so nobody is paying for it. We do know, though, what formulation of the commercial product used to treat oak wilt works best, thanks to research paid for by the company that produces it./forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif

It sounds like the bugs in the DED equation work differently, so this is just me talking I guess. I will say, IMO, spraying cuts with lysol sounds pretty pointless. The best it might do is give clients the impression something useful is being done.

good luck getting better answers.

keith
 
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