When and what is the best way to whitewash apple trees - in spring, summer or autumn, we use chalk and lime
In order for fruit trees to bear a good harvest, they need care. Whitewashing is an important step in maintaining the health of the garden dwellers. It makes it more elegant and beautiful and protects it from diseases, pests and adverse climatic factors. Next, we will consider how to properly whitewash apple trees and is it needed at all?
Do I need to whitewash apple trees?
Fruit trees, including apple trees, need whitewashing. Applying a light composition to the bark in the spring will protect against injury from the bright sun. The tree trunks are dark in color, so they heat up significantly during the day. At night, in spring, the air temperature drops noticeably. Because of this difference, the crust cracks. Infection and insects will quickly enter these cracks, which lead to diseases and death of the plant. Bleached trunks will reflect light, heat up less, and will not crack. Such protection is needed for both young and old plants.
Important! Whitewashing the trunks in autumn is a pest control measure. Various insects settle in the bark for wintering. With the help of whitewashing, trees are disinfected from adult insects, larvae, eggs, pupae.
Age of whitewash tree
Not all apple trees are whitened. Very young people do not undergo such a procedure. They are only wrapped up for wintering, but without plastic wrap. Sometimes whitewashing is still carried out, but with a weak, gentle chalk solution. Lime will burn the tender bark, it cannot be used for young animals. Better to use woven materials, burlap. When the tree begins to bear fruit, it should be whitened. After that, whitewashing is carried out annually.
When is it better to whitewash apple trees?
The most common option is the spring whitewashing of trees, but experienced gardeners carry out this procedure at least twice: in spring and autumn. The weather for work should be dry so that the composition does not wash away with rain immediately, so that it is firmly fixed on the bark.
Autumn whitewashing is carried out in October or early November. If the trees were not painted for the winter, then the spring painting period should be postponed to February. If the apple trees have wintered under protection, then they are whitened in March or April. It is too late to whitewash apple trees in May.
If the solution, after the spring whitewashing, managed to wash off the tree, then the protective procedure can be additionally carried out in the summer.
How to prepare a tree for whitewashing?
To apple processing had an effect, it is important to properly prepare them for such a procedure. It includes three mandatory steps.
- Cleaning. Apple tree trunks get rid of old bark, especially generously covered with lichens.Large segments are removed with a spatula or wooden spatula. Final cleaning is carried out with a wire brush. This procedure is best done after rain or high humidity. Then the crust will be easier to remove. The removed parts must be burned to prevent the spread of infections and garden pests. For convenience, you can spread an oilcloth around the tree before cleaning.
- Disinfection. This stage of preparation for whitewashing is best done in dry weather so that the rain does not wash away the disinfection solution. It is allowed to carry it out in several ways. You can spray the apple tree with a spray bottle with a solution of copper sulfate, paying particular attention to the damaged areas. You can also wash the barrel with a solution of ash or ash and laundry soap. The main thing is to work with gloves. To do this, 2 kg of wood ash and a bar of laundry soap are dissolved in a bucket of water.
- Covering up wounds. After removing the old bark, cracks, depressions, wounds may remain on the apple tree trunk. They cannot be left open. Such recesses should be covered with earthen solution or special garden putty. A good protective agent is a mixture of manure and clay, diluted in water. Only after these three steps can you start whitewashing the apple trees.
Popular solutions and their preparation
Various compositions are used to whitewash apple trees. But more often lime is used for this purpose. In the case when processing of young trees is required, experts recommend replacing it with chalk.
Paint
Whitewashing gives a reliable long-term result. Use water-based versions or acrylic. Water-based paint adheres well to the trunk and perfectly reflects the sun's rays, but does not have a pronounced disinfecting effect, it is more suitable for spring. Acrylic paint reliably protects the apple tree from pests, including fungal infections. No additional ingredients are required. The disadvantage of this procedure is its significant cost.
Lime
It is one of the most popular tree care substances. It is easy to use, lime is inexpensive. You can add some clay to make it better fixed on the trunk. It will add viscosity to the solution.
It makes no sense to whitewash trees with just "white water" with a low concentration of lime, it will wash off quickly, and you will have to paint in the garden more than once.
The solution for processing is prepared with the following proportions:
- water - 4 liters;
- lime - 600 g;
- milk - 1 glass or instead PVA glue - 4 tbsp. spoons.
Stir all components well until smooth. To enhance the disinfecting effect, it is good to add another 2 tbsp to such a mixture. spoons of copper sulfate. This will protect the apple trees from many diseases. You can replace copper sulfate with iron. But too often, copper preparations should not be used, as it will accumulate in the soil, inhibiting the growth of the tree.
Other
In addition to paint and lime, clay and mullein can be used to whitewash apple trees. The first option is an excellent insulating material that protects the trunks from excessive heating or hypothermia, as well as from the effects of strong winds. This natural material does not block the pores of the wood, it can breathe.
The mullein mortar, due to its sticky ability, reliably fixes the mixture on the trunk. It also acts as a kind of fertilizer. To prepare the mixture, 2-3 kg of clay is mixed with 10 liters of water, then mullein is added until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
How to whiten an apple tree correctly?
The composition is applied with an ordinary brush to previously prepared (peeled) apple tree trunks. The composition should evenly, completely cover the tree, without gaps. If the apple tree is adult, then the brush should be wide.If desired, you can use a spray gun, but in this case, the consumption of white will be uneconomical.
The height to which the white level should reach is at least 1.5 meters, it is better to paint the apple trees 2 meters. You can whitewash the trunk to the first skeletal branch, as well as some branches to their third or even half.
You should also rake the ground at the base of the tree and paint it down 4-5 cm. After the protective layer has dried, the soil should be returned to its place.
To prevent the autumn whitewashing from being washed away by the rain immediately, you should protect the tree by surrounding it with a polypropylene bag. It is important to choose them in white.
This material will reliably protect the barrel from moisture, but will not interfere with the penetration of air. The trunk of the apple tree must be wrapped first with a thick rope, and then with a bag. This will create an air gap. The product is fixed until spring. When the threat of severe frost has passed, it is removed.
Common mistakes
Whitewashing will not bring the desired results if done incorrectly.
Here are the main mistakes that inexperienced gardeners make:
- Low whitewash trees, at a distance of about half a meter. The minimum level of whitewash should be 1.5 meters.
- Very young apple trees are not whitened or treated against pests at all, since there are no cracks on their trunks. Alas, young seedlings are very susceptible to disease and pest attacks. They are best treated with a chalk solution.
- Treating young seedlings with the same solution as old trees. This is the wrong approach, since young plants have a very thin and delicate bark, it will not withstand the aggressive effects of lime.
- Using too thin a whitewash consistency. In this case, the product will be easily washed off by the first rain or the bark will show through from under it. There is very little sense from such whitewashing, so it is not worth saving.
- Whitewashing trees with too thick composition. This is just as bad as a very thin layer. With a coating thickness of more than 3 mm, they will begin to crack.
- Whitewashing of trunks without preliminary cleaning. Such treatment will protect against temperature extremes, but not from pests. But it is important not to injure the wood when stripping, otherwise there will be more harm from this procedure than benefit.
- The use of only spring whitewashing. It's better than not whitening the trees at all. But their reliable protection from negative factors can be provided only by double whitewashing - in spring and autumn.
- Failure to comply with the terms of work. For the winter, apple trees should be whitened only when they have completely shed their leaves before the frost begins. In the spring, it is important to have time to whitewash the trees before the young foliage appears.
- Gray color of the protective layer after drying. If it so happens that the whitewash has been absorbed, it is necessary to apply another protective layer.
- Long-term storage of the prepared solution. It is necessary to mix the components before carrying out work. If the mortar is left standing for several days, it will lose its protective properties.
Whitewashing apple trees is a simple procedure. But it should be done regularly. This ensures that the trees in the garden are always healthy and enjoy a bountiful harvest.
