Whitewashing trees will turn from a useful procedure into a pointless exercise if you do not follow the deadlines.
When it is necessary to whitewash trees, says the expert of the online publication Belnovosti, scientist-agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh .
When to whitewash trees
Many summer residents, out of old habit, whitewash their trees for spring holidays (Easter, Victory Day), and it’s completely in vain.
Trees should be whitewashed in the fall after the sap flow has stopped to protect them from winter sunburn.
Also, whitewashing of trees is carried out from mid-February to mid-March.
During this period, trees often suffer from frost cracks. After March 17-20, there is no point in whitewashing trees.
For whitewashing, it is recommended to use a solution based on slaked lime, enriched with copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture (to protect against fungal infections).
If you add laundry soap or glue (casein, PVA) to the solution, the whitewash will stick better.
For 10 liters of water you need two to three kilograms of lime, 500 grams of copper sulfate and 100 grams of glue.
Before whitewashing, the trunk must be cleared of moss with a scraper or a metal brush. All cracks found must be cleaned and sealed with garden pitch.
The whitewash is applied with a flat brush or a special brush, carefully painting the entire trunk and the lower part of the skeletal branches. After the whitewash has dried, repeat the procedure.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
