Whitening of trees: is it worth it and with what to whiten it

Let's say right away - it's worth it! Because the bark is the first to experience temperature fluctuations, freezes, gets sunburned, cracks, is affected by pests, becomes rough, peels off for natural reasons, and therefore requires constant attention from us. After all, if the bark is damaged, the wood also begins to be damaged, which leads to a strong weakening and premature death of trees and shrubs.

As a rule, whitewashing trees not only makes our garden neat, but also solves such problems as sunburn, partial protection from pests, since most recipes contain fungicides with an insecto-acaricidal effect.

But before whitewashing, you need to carry out a number of preparatory operations that are often forgotten.

Cleaning the trunk and branches

Cleaning the trunk and the bases of the lower skeletal branches from mosses and lichens, the old exfoliated bark.

It is often recommended to do this with your hands in garden cloth gloves. And do not use scrapers, brushes, washcloths, as they injure the bark very much, instead of doing good, you will harm the plant. And it really is. To clean cracks and depressions, it is recommended to use a wooden knife or just tweezers.

But let's be honest, there is not always time for this. Therefore, we carry out the operation with the improvised means that we have and arrange with their "speed". But without fanaticism, so as not to harm.

By cleaning the bark, we also remove some of the wintering pests and pathogens. And although it is not entirely ecological, all these remains should be burned.

Disinfection of the bark

It is best to carry out the disinfection treatment in dry weather without the threat of rain, otherwise all the work will go to waste.

If we carry out early spring treatment of our garden with appropriate preparations (this is discussed in the article ""), and this should be done after pruning and should be done after cleaning the bark, then in fact we have preparation completed

But if for some reason we have released it, then let's at least prepare the bark.

For this, you can use a 3-5% (300-500 g per 10 l of water) solution of copper sulfate and other copper-containing preparations - Bordeaux mixture, HOM, oxyhom, etc. Fine-disperse spraying of the bark of the trunk and branches is carried out so that the solution does not flow along the bark in streams.

You can use iron sulfate in the same concentration as copper, or prepare a 6-8% (600-800 g per 10 l of water) solution. It helps very well against mosses and lichens. However, it has a herbicidal effect in such concentrations, and it must be applied before budding under the appropriate temperature regime.

However, these drugs should not be used annually. Copper and iron accumulate in the bark and in the soil, are not washed away and do not decompose, and in large concentrations they become toxic, that is, poisonous to plants. Plants weaken and become more prone to pests and diseases. And don't forget personal protective equipment.

We heal wounds

For this there are many recipes for various putties. We will list those that can be easily bought or made with your own hands.

Garden var. It is used either purchased (an example of packaging in the photo) or made by yourself. It is not difficult to prepare garden var yourself, it all depends on the recipe (details about garden var and its recipes inarticle).

Clay putty. This putty has been known since ancient times and is successfully used. Clay is used in its pure form or mixed with lime, manure, copper sulfate. Dilute it to the consistency of thick sour cream. For example: 100 g of cow or horse manure is added to 200 clay. All this is diluted in water to the consistency of sour cream. Such a mixture performs its protective functions well, does not crack or crumble for a long time. With a thicker consistency, you can heal hollows (it is necessary to clean as much dead wood as possible) and damage to branches (it is worth wrapping the putty with a strip of cotton fabric or a bandage).

Garden paste "RanNet". It is used not only to putty cracks, but also to treat cuts after pruning. The paste contains copper sulfate, humate. Thus, when using it, there is no need to additionally treat the tree with copper-based drugs. The paste should be used in dry weather, it is not waterproof and is easily washed off with water.

Buy means for protective treatment of trees at Agro-Ukraine

Well, whitewashing directly...

Whitening the trunks and lower skeletal branches (by 1/3 or even half the length) is desirable 2-3 times a year. The main whitewash is autumn, in October-November. But the spring one is repeated, renewing (although for most it is the only one). It is held at the end of February - at the beginning of March, the third can be held in the middle of summer, but it is not so mandatory.

It is necessary to bleach both adult plants and young seedlings, but with a lower concentration of lime. Water-based paint is also used.

Щодо побілки саджанців: вони вирощуються в розсаднику в досить великій кількості, загущено, тим самим вони не отримують світлового загартування. А коли саджанець висаджується в сад, він потрапляє на відкритий простір, де легко отримує сонячний опік кори. Тому побілка молодим саджанцям необхідна, особливо при осінній посадці.

If you whiten the trees from autumn, you can achieve the maximum protective effect. However, the bleach you used may not be stable. Therefore, a spring renewal of the whitewash is provided (preferably with the same mixture). The layer of whitewash applied to the trunk should not be thick - it is harmful to the health of the tree and expensive for the wallet. The thickness of the applied whitewash layer should be no more than 2-3 mm. To achieve such results, the mixture must be homogeneous, without lumps.

What to whiten with?

For whitewashing, you can use various purchased whitewashes, acrylic paints, or you can prepare it yourself. It is important that the whitewash contains adhesive components, otherwise it will not last long, it will be washed away by rain. The whitewash should not be gray, otherwise it does not protect against changes in air temperature and sunburn. Its color should be snow-white.

You can often find garden paint and garden whitewash among the ready-made mixtures on the markets and in specialized stores. Such garden mixtures based on lime and clay allow the tree to "breathe".

Garden paint

It is offered already ready for use and often with such a consistency that it can also be diluted, for example, for rougher bark. Such high-quality paint can easily withstand a whole year until the next whitewash (although the above recommendations regarding the frequency should still be followed)

The sample presented in the photo contains synthetic polymer, water, chalk, koalin, antiseptic and antifungal additives. This provides comprehensive protection. And follow the composition of the paint when buying, focusing on the above. This is a guarantee of a relatively high-quality product.

And here is the result of work using paint:

Garden whitewash

It has a powdery consistency, and as a rule, it is now supplied in a film package to prevent it from getting wet.

Depending on the volume of the packaging, it is diluted with the indicated volume of water, followed by thorough mixing (it is possible with the nozzle of a construction mixer on slow revolutions).

We make whitewash ourselves

But it is not necessary to spend money on ready-made whitewashes. If we have the necessary ingredients on hand, we can make them ourselves. Here are some "recipes":

1. The simplest and cheapest option is a solution of slaked lime in the simplest whitewash. The ratio of the components of this solution is: 2 kg of freshly slaked lime, 300 g of copper or 500 g of iron sulfate per 10 liters of water. Adding to the solution 1 tbsp. a spoonful of carbolic acid can additionally protect trees from the attacks of hares and mice during autumn processing. The lime whitewash solution is stirred in a bucket until it has the consistency of thick sour cream.

2 recipe, based on 10 liters of water:

• 2.0-2.5 kg of slaked lime;
• 250-300 g of copper sulfate;
• 1 kg of fat clay (preferably white); mixer at low speed). Ready whitewash should have the consistency of cream or sour cream. When applied to the trunk, whitewash should not flow down it in streams. If it flows, then it is not thick enough.
• 1-2 лопати коров'ячого гною (за бажанням).

Всі компоненти суміші перемішують до отримання однорідної маси (ліпше насадкою будівельного міксера на повільних обертах). Готова побілка повинна мати консистенцію вершків або сметани. При нанесенні на стовбур побілка не повинна стікати по ньому струмками. Якщо вона тече, значить, вона недостатньо густа.

In general, with home-made recipes, it is worth experimenting with mixtures and consistency to the effect that satisfies you.

And for the rest - take care of the protection of clothes and shoes when bleaching. No matter how hard you try, whitewash will still get on them when you work.

Have a nice looking and healthy, productive garden all year round!