Do I need to treat damaged bark of garden trees? Summer residents often argue on this subject. At the same time, agronomists answer in the affirmative, claiming that it is necessary. But the neighbor in the country can say the opposite. In the forest, no one glosses over trees; they themselves survive. This is true, but the forest and the garden are very different from each other, their permanent inhabitants are also different.
We need to treat not only cracks, but also areas of bark burnt by the sun, hollows and various injuries that we inflict on trees by grafting. Places beaten by frost also need to be covered with garden varnish. You can buy it in a specialty store or make it yourself.
Every summer resident needs
Indeed, one cannot do without it throughout the season, from April to October. Garden var is also called putty. It will be needed in the following cases:
- when performing vaccinations;
- if in the winter the trees were bitten by mice;
- if there are injuries on the cortex;
- after trimming.
But what if it didn’t work out to buy it in the store? It doesn’t matter, let's learn how to do it yourself.
Emergency option
Perfect for the situation if you went to the cottage, forgetting to buy a garden putty for fruit trees in the store. In the spring of time is short, and you do not want to lose a weekend at all. Quietly trim, having prepared an emergency var. Take in equal proportions resin and liquid mullein. If the resin is solidified, it must be melted. As a binder component, dry leaves and blades of grass, as well as pet hair, are suitable. Not all summer residents like this option, but it is quite capable of replacing a garden var.
Universal composition
Some gardeners simply decide to cook the var on their own without spending money on their purchase. The next recipe will require beeswax, rosin, linseed oil and charcoal. The components are all pretty simple and not hard to find.
A garden var, made according to this recipe, has medicinal properties, all its components have a positive effect on the plant. To make it you will need an unnecessary cup or a small saucepan. Melt four parts of wax in it and add one part of rosin. In this case, the mixture must continue to be heated. Next, mix one part of flaxseed oil. It remains to mix the mixture well so that it becomes completely homogeneous.
Remove from heat and add two tablespoons of crushed charcoal. Such a garden var for trees is done immediately after pruning and is applied in a warm state. After that, it freezes and requires reheating.
Var on the solid
Every motorist has it on the farm, but is quite inexpensive. You will need to take it 250 g. In addition to it, you will need the same amount of wax and about 50 g of natural pine resin. It can be easily found in the forest. Since it will not be possible to make a garden varnish based on solid components, you will have to first melt them.
This is the main secret. All components must be warmed separately, and then mixed together. To do this, prepare a glass jar in which it will be stored later. According to this recipe, a rather viscous composition is obtained. To make it more ductile, you need to add a few drops of vegetable oil. For this, it is suitable to pour from a pan after frying pasties, even with sediment.
But what if the var turns out to be very liquid? In this case, add some sifted ash to it. Now you can apply it to the wound.
Cooking rosin based var
The composition of the garden var can be very different. The main thing is that the result is a sticky mass that will not drain from the treated surfaces. Another option is a garden var with rosin, which is used by radio amateurs. This is an ordinary resin, only well cured. To prepare, you need a good piece, weighing about 200 g. Rosin allows you to make the composition sticky. It is best to use beeswax to hold all the ingredients together. It will need twice as much. This is the basis of the var, to which additional components can be mixed.
In addition to vegetable oil, you can use any animal fat. If you have a household, then this will not be a problem. Pork or mutton fat provides the plasticity of the mass. Usually they take the same amount as rosin. How to make a garden var at home? You just need to melt the rosin, warm the wax and combine the components, mix thoroughly and put it in a jar, where it will be stored.
Reshetnikov ointment
To prepare it, you need 10 parts of fir resin. In addition, 1 part of wax and the same amount of wine alcohol are very important ingredients. In a metal bowl, mix the wax with the resin and heat them until the ingredients melt. After the composition has cooled, wine alcohol is introduced into it.
Using the ointment is very simple. It is applied to damaged areas with a brush. This composition has quite a lot of advantages. It remains ductile in all weather conditions. The substance densely covers the surface of the cut and does not solidify completely. Var does not form cracks and does not pass moisture. This is not the only cold-resistant composition, there are several more analogues:
- Var Gauga - for it you will need 400 g of pine pine, a teaspoon of baking soda, 60 ml of medical alcohol and 4 g of gum. Heat the resin and add alcohol to it. Dissolve gum and soda in water and pour into the basic composition. Lastly, alcohol and linseed oil are added. It is recommended to store in a can so that if necessary it was possible to easily warm up the composition.
- Almost the same composition is prepared on the basis of wood resin.
Alternative option
If you have no time to prepare the mixture, but you don’t want to leave the slice without treatment, then you can process it with simple and affordable means. If the sections are very small, then you can use brilliant green or potassium permanganate. A pharmacy in the form of a pencil is also suitable.
For major damage, you need to come up with something else. Treat the crack with a stiff brush, then a potassium permanganate solution and prepare a mixture of mullein and clay. With its help, you need to carefully heal the wound. Can be tied with a cloth.
How to do without putty
Not all gardeners spend their time preparing complex compounds, learn how to make a garden var at home, and look for the necessary ingredients. Some of them prefer to gloss over cuts and damage with ordinary oil paint. Others for this purpose take drying oil and apply it on several layers. Someone may even decide that the tree has enough strength to cope with damage on its own.
Some tips
There are certain rules with which you can achieve better results:
- Only healthy wood can be treated with var, all damaged, dead and infected parts must be removed.
- Before processing, the slice must be cleaned, all bulges should be removed.
- Treatment should be carried out in the spring or in the first days of summer. If damage is formed later, it is recommended to simply apply a protective layer, and with the onset of autumn, conduct a final cleaning and apply an already thicker layer.
Slices and lesions are similar to wounds on the human body. They are susceptible to attack by fungus and various pests. To protect your garden, you can buy a garden var or prepare it according to one of the recipes.