# Preserving deadwood on Hawthorn

**URL:** <https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710>\
**Category:** Beginners\
**Created:** [April 20, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710 "2020-04-20T16:51:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zlessley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zlessley](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/zlessley)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710/1 "2020-04-20T16:51:27Z")

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![IMG_20200419_155341](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/2X/0/024757bbde7c8ce125a93f1021987258659c53ce.jpeg) ![IMG_20200419_155330](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/2X/9/93cd27c904508dcb1530a4b41c4098a827a86dc2.jpeg)

How would you go about preserving the deadwood on this? I’m assuming clearing of the moss and gently removing any seriously rotted wood and then maybe using a torch and or oil?

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**Author:** ![Silva\_Naturalis](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/silva_naturalis/32/11556_2.png) [@Silva\_Naturalis](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Silva_Naturalis)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710/2 "2020-04-20T17:55:20Z")

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Depends what you are trying to achieve aesthetically, i, would have thought just letting it rot would be a reasonable route with this material.

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**Author:** ![zlessley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zlessley](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/zlessley)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710/3 "2020-04-20T21:59:36Z")

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I think that’s my short term plan to help reduce the mass of the deadwood, but I want to plan long term. How am I going to handle preserving it when I need to slow the decay process?

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**Author:** ![AndyK](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/andyk/32/2330_2.png) [@AndyK](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/AndyK)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 6:55am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710/4 "2021-04-07T06:55:13Z")

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I would clean out the soft rot then go to a hardware store and ask for wood hardener, if I wanted to maintain the dead wood. However, I don’t think I would want to maintain it- I would just let it go.

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**Author:** ![zlessley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zlessley](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/zlessley)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/preserving-deadwood-on-hawthorn/5710/5 "2021-04-08T16:34:43Z")

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Yep! I decided to let it continue to rot, especially because what remains is so bulky.