How to Seal a Cut Limb on a Tree

by Tara Shore
Tree limbs usually seal themselves, but sometimes they need help.

Tree limbs usually seal themselves, but sometimes they need help.

In most cases, it is actually better to leave a cut tree limb alone and let the tree seal itself, which it will do over the course of one or two years. In certain circumstances, however, a tree might need a little help in order to ensure its health. If, for example, a limb is cut during spring or summer, when the tree may be more susceptible to insects and disease than during fall or winter, then sealing the stub left from the removed limb will protect it from harm. Also, a tree cannot heal itself if weather conditions are increasingly dry, such as a drought, and sealing the cut area will help the tree retain moisture.


Remove all jagged edges where the tree limb was cut. Saw a thin section of 1/2 inch from the limb stub in order to make the surface smooth and flat. The remaining area where the limb once was should be about 1 to 2 inches outward from the trunk. Wear safety glasses and gloves to protect them from the pruning saw's blade and from debris.


Dust debris from the limb stub. Doing so cleans the stub and will allow liquid pruning sealer to coat it properly. If the dust were left on, then the sealer might brush off when the dust is loosened.


Dip a paintbrush in the container of liquid pruning sealer, and use the paintbrush to coat the limb stub with the sealer. Brush the sealer back and forth over the stub and around its edges to ensure it covers the wood fully.


Allow the sealer to dry for one hour, and then check the stub to ensure it is completely covered with the sealer. If you find a spot that isn't coated, repaint the section to cover it with sealer.

Things You Will Need

  • Safety glasses
  • Gloves
  • Pruning saw
  • Liquid pruning sealer
  • Paintbrush


  • Another time to seal a tree where a limb once was is when the limb broke off flush with the tree trunk. If the break is along the trunk's surface, the tree will have a hard time sealing itself.

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