The garden needs constant care, which consists not only in watering, pruning and top dressing of trees, but also in protecting them from the adverse effects of the environment and parasites, namely, whitewashing of trees with lime.
Why bleach tree trunks?
If you started to practice the garden relatively recently, then the question of why trees are bleached, arises quite naturally. There are a number of reasons why this procedure can be considered necessary:
- As a result of seasonal temperature changes, winds and precipitation, the bark of trees can be damaged, and pathogenic bacteria, fungi and insect pests will settle in the fissures. Whitewashing prevents these negative consequences, since it has disinfecting properties;
- the white color reflects the sun's rays well, so the paint for the whitewash protects them from sunburns at a time when they have not had time to cover the leaves, and the sun is already quite burning;
- If the whitewash for trees includes special aromatic substances in its composition, it will help save the trees from the spring attack of rodents.
When to whiten the garden trees?
It is recommended to whitewash trees at least twice a year: in the autumn, after the trees have discarded all the leaves, and also in the spring, after the buds are dissolved. To avoid sunburn, it will not hurt to update the whitewash of trees and lower branches from the south and winter, during strong thaws.
When to whitewash the trees in the fall?
Optimal time for whitewashing trees in autumn is the end of October - November, when the leaves have already fallen, and the snow has not yet fallen. For the procedure it is better to choose an overcast day with an air temperature of 2-3 ° C. whitewashing of trees during this period will protect trunks and branches from mechanical damages, and also prevents icing, which is especially dangerous for heat-loving crops.
What are the trunks of trees bleating?
If the means and possibilities allow, it is better to whitewash the trees with a special water-based paint, which has bactericidal properties, and also does not interfere with the respiration of trees. But if there are a lot of trees in the garden, it can turn out to be very costly financially, since the consumption of the composition is quite large, given that it is more often necessary to whitewash trunks with a 3-4 cm deep into the ground, as well as skeletal branches. In addition, this paint is quite thick, which makes its application quite costly in terms of time and effort.
You can make a whitewash solution yourself, for which you need to mix the following components:
- lime - 2.5 kg - pigment component;
- joinery glue - in order to keep the composition better;
- Copper vitriol - 0.5 kg as a disinfectant;
- water - 10 liters.
All components must be mixed and left to stand for several hours in order for them to dissolve. This is one example, there are many more recipes for whitewash solutions, the composition of which varies. Every gardener eventually chooses the one that suits him, however, do not include mullein or clay in it - they easily dissolve in water and wash off at the first rains.
Before you proceed directly to the whitewash, you should clear the bark from the necrotic areas, lichen and moss. This can be done with a wire brush or a special scraper. The next stage should be the disinfection of the cortex - for this purpose a solution of copper sulfate or special preparations containing copper should be used. Then it is necessary to repair the wounds on the surface of the trunk, which were obtained as a result of cleaning or formed earlier. To do this, you can take clay chatterbox, garden var or a special paste. Only after the completion of all the above procedures you can proceed to the whitewashing of the trees.