If you are keen to make your own nourishing tree paste for pruning cuts, for painting on stock damage on trunks, or even as a tonic or pick me up for a tree that needs some helping along in the winter, we recommend this recipe.
- 3 parts potters clay or soil containing clay
- 4 parts fresh organic cow manure
- 2 parts either silica sand or diatomaceous earth
Mix well with water until it is a runny paste. Scrub the tree bark with a scrubbing brush to remove algae, lichen, overwintering insects etc, then apply the nourishing paste with a paint brush.
Clay effectively adheres the paste to the bark when given a 24-hour drying period before rain. A convenient source for clay is a local potter. The addition of diatomaceous earth not only deters pests but also contributes to the tree’s overall strength. I prepare a mixture in a bucket, applying it with a brush during pruning on larger tree branches and cuts.
– Michael Phillips“The underlying purpose of tree paste is twofold. Clay as a tissue rejuvenator. Manure as a rich source of microbes.
Nutrition is always good”