Any experienced gardener knows: in order for the garden to bring a big harvest, it is necessary to provide care for the trees. In spring, it is necessary to loosen the soil and water, take care of the bark. The latter experiences heavy loads during temperature fluctuations, in frost and in heat. You can protect the bark with whitewash. This process will prevent damage to the surface of the tree and extend the life of the garden plant.
Why are the trees whitened?
Whitewashing as tree care in the spring has two functions: preventive and aesthetic.
The bark has a dark color. As you know, the darker the color, the more it attracts the sun's rays. Therefore, untreated bark heats up quickly, and the likelihood of sunburn increases. To prevent this unpleasant damage, it is better to protect the tree with whitewash. It is important to remember that the stem is the most sensitive part of the tree. A plant may die if this area is injured and not cured. Whitewashing in this case is an excellent prophylactic.
In addition, the treated plant looks well-groomed. Pay attention to the trees in the parks: gardeners whiten the bottom of the trunk to give it a beautiful appearance. However, as a rule, the steps of stripping the cortex and its treatment are ignored.
Pros and cons of the procedure
Often garden owners ignore the process of caring for trees. Meanwhile, the crust under the bright sun overheats, wounds appear. And then the moment comes when it is simply necessary to whitewash the trees in spring. It is on the affected surface that various diseases stick, due to which the tree begins to die. To avoid this, treat the standard with a solution of whitewash. After this simple procedure, the tree will not be afraid of any pests and sun rays.
However, there is an opinion that whitewashing does not bring any benefit, but vice versa: the solution penetrates deep into the cortex, clogging the pores. The tree is poisoned and stops breathing. In addition, in addition to harmful creatures, the ladybug larvae die . They serve as protectors of the garden from aphids. In such a case, environmentalists say that the natural balance of nature is upset. But this is just one of the opinions. Obviously, there are more positive points in this procedure than negative ones.
When to whiten trees in spring?
So, it was decided to produce whitewashing. Then the question arises of when to whiten trees in spring. As a rule, the best time for the procedure is the May holidays, that is, the first days of the month. Nothing terrible will happen if you whitewash the mushrooms a little earlier, for example, in mid-April. You can start painting when the garden begins to wake up, the growing season begins. If the whitewash was applied already last year and still holds well, you can postpone the procedure until mid or even until the end of May.
Preparing a tool for processing yourself
Whitewash for trees is made by different methods. Consider the most popular:
- Requires 1 kg of manure, 0.2 kg of copper sulphate and 1 kg of lime pour 8 liters of water. Then you should thoroughly mix all the components and allow them to brew until such time as they are completely dissolved. This will take about 2-3 hours. Whitewashing will have a bluish tint, it is formed due to the addition of vitriol. This element is an excellent preventive tool for the development of fungal diseases.
- Take 2 kg of slaked lime, 1 kg of oily clay, manure (1 shovel), 0.25 kg of copper sulphate. Pour 10 liters of water. Mix all the ingredients, let them brew.
- Dissolve 0.4 kg of copper sulfate in hot water. Then add 2 kg of slaked lime, 100 g of casein glue and 10 l of water, mix thoroughly.
Whitewashing trees with lime will be the guarantor of the strength and durability of the mortar.
The first stage: cleaning the trunk and branches
The solution is ready. You can start the procedure. To begin with, the tree should be cleaned of old bark, lichens and mosses. It is recommended to wear garden gloves before work. Metal and plastic items for cleaning will not work, because they are traumatic for the bark. An ideal option would be a wooden knife. If it is not, you can use a regular sliver, only it needs to be sharpened.
Carrying out this stage of the work, it is important to remember that after the winter period there can be various pests in the bark to be cleaned. Therefore, all waste must be burned. To make it easier to collect peeled bark, before starting work, you can lay a strong film under the tree. It is important to prepare the surface for whitewashing in wet weather.
Stage Two: Bark Disinfection
The following procedure is best performed in dry weather. Otherwise, the whole procedure will be in vain. For disinfection, a solution should be made. To do this, take about half a kilogram of copper sulfate and fill it with a bucket of water. You can add the Bordeaux mixture. Then, in a finely dispersed way, it is required to spray the surface so that the drops do not flow down the tree, but settle on the bark, forming a fog.
There is another recipe for the solution, which is the most effective. To prepare it, you need to take 0.2 kg of ash, add 5 g of laundry soap to it and dissolve in one liter of hot water. The resulting composition does not need to be sprayed, just moisten a rag with it and wipe it with the desired area of the tree. Ash in this case serves as a good disinfectant and an excellent fertilizer.
There is another variation of the solution: 2 kg of ash is poured into a bucket of water (10 l), the components are mixed for 20 minutes, after which the mixture is put on fire and brought to a boil. The cooled solution is mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 1 and applied to the treated area by spraying. If you take the ratio 1: 2, then you can just wash the tree with the resulting mixture.
Stage Three: Wound and Whitening
For the treatment of wounds, a special tool is purchased. You can cook it yourself:
- Garden Var. For such a putty, you need to take 200 g of beeswax and rosin (about 100 g). Separately, melt the components on a fire and mix, adding to them 100 g of fat, always unsalted (it should soften). Then pour the solution into cold water and form a lump. In order for the mass to be plastic, it is necessary to heat it before applying it to a tree.
- Clay talker. Dilute 0.2 kg of clay, 0.1 kg of cow manure and a small amount of straw, previously finely chopped, in water. Consistency should resemble thick sour cream.
The final stage remains. When to whiten trees in spring? It is best to do this on a dry, clear day.
A positive result from the work done will be obvious: the plant will cease to hurt, and productivity will increase. And the greatest effect will be if fruit trees are processed annually in spring and autumn.