I am often asked about the need to whitewash the trunks of fruit trees. It would seem that this is a very old and traditional manipulation that allows you to avoid many problems with gnawing pests. And in the horticultural departments of stores, special “industrial-made” whitewash is sold. Bought, spread, painted — and no problems. However, when I saw with my own eyes what is sold under the guise of garden whitewash, I was quite surprised: why is it and how can it work?
But first, let’s look at why to whitewash and paint the trunks. Is it the same thing? It turns out not.
Whitewash
In agriculture, whitewash based on chalk, slaked or quicklime is used. The active ingredient of garden whitewash is lye — it burns ants that carry aphids, caterpillars, mites, bedbugs, as well as beetles and their larvae.
- Chalk is calcium carbonate. In an aqueous solution, this substance gives off carbon dioxide and acquires a certain alkaline reaction.
- Slaked lime-calcium hydroxide (100% alkali).
- Quicklime is calcium oxide. In an aqueous solution, this substance gives a sharp alkaline reaction, turning into hydroxide.
In chalk whitewash to increase stickiness and density, usually add up to 10% of red clay or horse manure. In slaked lime, add up to 1/3 of both clay and manure. Pre-try whether this mixture will burn young stems.
Astringent components are added not only to reduce the alkaline properties of whitewash, but also to close up cracks and cracks in the bark, as well as frost — bins-not always at hand is the garden var, and thick whitewash reliably replaces it.
Slaked lime in combination with chalk can be successfully used to make mixtures of traditional garden whitewashes.
The alkaline environment has a depressing effect on fungi and many bacteria, so it is unnecessary to add any fungicidal preparations, such as copper or iron vitriol, to a real whitewash.
Whitewash is unstable, washed away by rain. Therefore, garden trees are regularly whitewashed.
An ant loaded with aphids can jump to a height of up to 60 cm on high grass, so whitewash the trunks should be about 1 m from the ground or up to the level of the lower branches. In gardens do not allow high herbage and constantly destroy the nests of ground ants.
Whitewash is applied as protection against pests crawling along the trunk.
Begin to whitewash in the spring, when the ground dries up (so that the dirt is not worn). Whitewash trees constantly as the whitewash is washed away by precipitation. Finish bleaching after harvest.
The main idea of whitewashing is to protect the trunks from the beginning of flowering to Mature fruits. If the owner comes to the garden infrequently, then looks to see if there are aphids on young shoots. If there is, then the trunks are thickly whitened (even the alkalinity can be raised), and aphids are removed with insecticides (if the fruit is immature). For Mature fruits, use an infusion of oven ash, onion, garlic, green or household soap.
Garden paint
Garden paint is not whitewash. It would seem that its main task is to prevent burns and frost damage on the trunks. However, the essence of this procedure is still unclear, since the part of the tree that the paint supposedly protects is covered with snow in winter, and skeletal branches, often subject to frost, are usually not painted.
Garden paint in the vast majority of cases is produced on an acrylic basis.
With some stretch, you can agree that garden paint covers fresh wounds and cracks on the trunks, but rather, it performs a decorative function.
Our gardeners, when preparing fruit trees for wintering, carry out measures to increase the outflow of juices from the trunks, which reduces the possibility of frost; to prevent burns and freezing of the trunks, snow retention is carried out; to prevent the trunks from being gnawed by mice, protective wrapping is used — acrylic paint is not used anywhere in these procedures.
Leave a Reply