How to whitewash for trees in autumn
Cold weather is coming and there may be a light frost at night, but the sun is not only shining during the day, it is scorching hot, peeking out from behind the clouds. It is as if these are remnants of summer, fragments of summer’s warmth as if nature has given us a debt.
It seems that nature is paying our debt, but it is all deceptive: snowflakes will begin to fall, frost will cover the rowan fruit, puddles will begin to freeze, and the ground will begin to freeze little by little.
In this period it is not worth waiting for rain. From time to time, the first snowflakes break through the veil of silence and gray. Late autumn is a harbinger of winter, and this article describes how and why to whitewash for trees.
What is a gardener to do during this difficult transition period for trees when warm days are followed by frosty nights? There are many ways to prevent frost — this includes winter shade, soaking, and hiding branches and trunks in the ground. But this is better suited to malleable, bushy crops.
Today we will talk about trees, their protection in the form of Whitewash for tree trunks until the first branches, about the need for such protection, terminology, the best components of Whitewash for trees, and the correct preparation, and of course the techniques of Whitewash for trees.
WHY DO WE NEED WHITEWASH FOR TREES?
In fact, not everyone understands the meaning of Whitewash for tree activity, more than half of the people think that Whitewash for trees tree base is just for aesthetic purposes. For example, in early May, when the alley looks really festive and beautiful.
But beauty is actually only good for many things: yes, it’s nice to look at a whitened, clean garden, but on the other hand, Whitewash for trees also protects the garden from many harmful effects.
1. Prevents sunburn
Sunlight is necessary and useful, but sometimes it can also be harmful, for example in the garden, during thawing, the sun’s rays can cause severe burns on the bark, which further turns into delamination of the bark, its decay, and deep wounds. The latter can even lead to the death of the tree if a serious infection gets inside. Particularly severe burns occur when the snow becomes melted and turns into a mirror, and then the beam of light focused on the tree can even burn a small hole in the bark (but this is not common).
If the trunk up to the first branch is covered with a white component in time for the sunlight to reflect off the trunk like a mirror, then it can be said with confidence that your garden will avoid intense overheating during the provocative thaw of winter and early spring, and of course, intense burns that cause the bark to crack.
2. Balancing temperature fluctuations
Their hazards in everyday life are well known, probably starting from the schoolroom. Fruit trees are no exception. Under the cover of the white Whitewash for tree stuff, the bark sometimes heats up quite severely during the day and cools down vigorously at night. If you touch the bark at noon and midnight on the same day, you can see a big difference in its temperature (if we are talking about late fall, of course).
The whitewash acts as a kind of coat, literally protecting the white trunk from being heated, and at night there is nothing at all to cool it down, and the temperature difference will be minimal. What is the resulting benefit — of course, no frosty tree holes — actually opens the door to all sorts of infections, including pathogenic spores, and the pathogens of hundreds of other diseases.
3. Fighting disease
With a simple Whitewash for trees, which usually takes only a shortfall, you can protect your plants from pathogens and spores that lurk in the corners of the bark and become warm winter dwellings. Usually among the ingredients of whitewash, in addition to all the very familiar lime, are elements such as fungicides, i.e. drugs designed precisely to eliminate undesirable fungal infections that survive and make their home in hibernation. Fungicides show activity not only on the surface of the bark but also penetrate deep into the bark and even show their activity there.
SELECTING INGREDIENTS FOR WHITEWASH FOR TREES LACQUERS FOR FRUIT TREES
Preparation at home. Let’s start with the composition, which is prepared with our own hands, wearing, of course, protective rubber gloves beforehand, and if it’s a girl, then a short bunch of hair tied and a respirator. The first thing to consider is just one basic ingredient, namely quicklime, or more precisely, its solution in the basic stucco.
1. Slaked lime
In order to make the solution we have just made perfect, it is necessary to strictly observe the proportions of all its components, i.e. take 2.5 kg of fresh slaked lime, 300 g of copper alum, or 500 g of iron alum, all this in a standard bucket of 10 liters of water, add 100 g of white wine.
The secret from the master! If you add only one tablespoon of carbolic acid to this solution, you will otherwise protect your favorite trees from mice. I can’t say that this method is 100% reliable, but at one of the sites of our Institute, it worked perfectly.
About the solution: This is not a novelty, but a classic, a solution used by gardeners, probably since the first complete garden was planted. I can not say that the level of protection of trees is high, and there are drawbacks, but the most important trump card is the insignificant price and the primary, so to speak, production of this ingredient (and of course the popularity).
When whitewashing young trees, it is necessary to halve the concentration of lime in the solution in order not to harm them.
1a. How to prepare slaked lime?
As a rule, the gardener has large pieces of limestone at his disposal. Such lime is considered burnt lime and should be quenched. For this reason, water should be added to the lime very carefully; this reaction causes the water to boil. On one part of the lime, there should be about one and a half parts of water. Further, dilute 2.5 kg of already extinguished lime with water and add 500 grams of copper sulfate, by this composition the trees can be treated accurately, from below to above, protecting the eyes, of course.
2. Option 2: Grandfather’s recipe
If you can not make a stucco composition, you can use a mixture of clay and cowpeas to coat the trunk of the tree. To prepare such an interesting mixture, you should take 2 kg of quicklime (we already know how to quench), 1 kg of clay, 1 kg of cowpeas, and 300 grams of copper alum. This composition and the need to cover the trees, but usually they are used when there are few plants on the site, simply 2-
3. Option 3: pre-made mixes
On the counter, you can see and ready-made mixture, they are also made on the basis of lime and clay, which is written on the package — “breathable”. Everything will be fine, but this composition will remain on the tree for several months, and if it suddenly rains, it will wash away at once. In view of this, if you want to use such a mixture, then be prepared to double-wash at least your favorites.
Usually, on the shelves, we see special garden water emulsions or acrylic paints that say “garden” on them. How are they different from the usual? The fact that they contain ingredients that protect trees, for example, acrylic coatings contain antifungal and fungicidal ingredients and they quite reliably keep tree trunks safe from 90% of pathogens. However, I’ll give you a hint right away: acrylic paint is not breathable at all, so it is not advisable to use it at least on young plants.
It is proudly written on the cans of garden water emulsion paint that it protects against any winter frosts. However, while it may have a warming effect on the wood, it definitely does not provide protection against insect pests. Therefore, do not forget to add any copper-containing preparations (250–300 g) per liter and mix everything thoroughly before use.
RULES FOR WHITEWASH FOR TREES
Well, I think that so much has been said about composing, it’s time to start Whitewash for trees rules. It is usually done at the junction of autumn and winter when the rain is removed to the maximum, otherwise, you will have to do everything earlier or eliminate the consequences of rain.
Usually, during this period, the temperature is set at the mark of 23 °F (-5 ° C), the trend is exactly lower. Of course, it is important to choose a dry day for whitewashing, preferably with a dry trunk and a weather forecast of at least a few days without rain.
1. Preparing the trees for Whitewash for trees
The time has been chosen and now it is time to prepare the trees. Before using any of the above combinations, you need to carefully inspect the trunk from the bottom to the very first crease, which will also have to be Whitewash for trees.
Take a very thin metal scraper, preferably with a sturdy plastic handle, and clean the trunks and lower bases of the skeletal branches of all the trees in your garden as thoroughly as possible, but be careful to clean diseased and already dry bark, as well as all old trees and, of course, moss.
Lichen is your choice, they seem harmless, but for me the general appearance of the tree is spoiled and the composition of the trunk treated in the presence of Lichen is unknowingly not very pleasant.
2. Tips for getting rid of Lichen
By the way, it is not easy to get rid of Lichen. There should be something like cleaning the trunk with a solution that should consist of a kilogram of common salt, a few kilograms of wood ash, and a few bars of soap. All this should be diluted in a bucket of water heated to room temperature.
By the way, before carrying out this treatment, in order not to salinize the soil, the bottom of the trunk should be lined with polyethylene film and its edges bent so that the solution can be collected and subsequently removed from the site. It can be washed off with a metal brush, wetting it more in this solution.
When treating the trunk, the main thing is not to damage the bark of the plant itself. Immediately after cleaning the entire trunk and wounds, it should be treated with garden varnish, applied well in the cracks. If you don’t have a brew, you can make your own caulk: mix two parts clay and one part manure, add one gram of copper sulfate and a pinch of straw powder. Then mix everything thoroughly to make something like a windowpane, which is best for trees.
3. Finally, take a brush
So, everything is ready, the compound is ready, the stems are waiting to be protected and renewed, and it’s time to take a brush. It is possible not to choose wisely about the brush, you can take any brush, from the cheapest to the most expensive, and you are not likely to use it next season anyway. The only thing I can suggest is to take a brush according to the size of the trunk.
As for the Whitewash for trees tip, never be in a hurry, try to brush every area of the surface, starting with the lower part of the trunk. If you start at the top, the whitewash or other components will run down the trunk and you’ll end up with what seems like you’ve painted it completely, but in reality, there are still thick patches that will simply come off over time.
Usually, get up and do the chalking with the skeleton branch at 12inch (30cm) height (that is, with a stool to help you).
In conclusion about rainfall, as soon as the rainfall passes, run to the garden and check everything. If you care about your garden, you may have to redo some or all of it.
About the film: I met an interesting friend who wrapped his trunk in food film — it was cheap, fast, and saturated The film retained moisture perfectly and actually promoted the development of various molds and fungi that live and multiply there, just like in a greenhouse. So, don’t do this stupid thing.
Good luck, as always I am ready and will try to answer your questions in the comments.
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Author: Ms.Geneva
Link: https://www.thumbgarden.com/whitewash-for-trees/
Source: ThumbGarden
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