Whitewashing is done to protect tree bark from sunburn.
How to do it correctly? This question was answered by the expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", scientist-agronomist and landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh.
Preparation for whitewashing
Often, summer residents whitewash trees in the garden in the spring, but it is better to do this in the fall.
First, prepare the trees, choose cloudy weather for this work.
Unfold a polyethylene film under the fruit trees, then use a wooden or plastic shovel to clean the trunks and large branches from lichens, moss and mummified fruits.
Seal mechanical damage and small wounds on the trunk with garden pitch.
Then prepare a mixture for whitewashing. It should include: organic glue or laundry soap so that it sticks well, and also buy a fungicide in the store, slaked lime or chalk.
It is also worth adding clay to the mixture, which seals cracks in the bark well, and add "Bordeaux mixture" or other copper-based products to prevent the development of fungi.
To prepare, place 2 kg of lime in a large container, carefully pour 10 liters of boiling water over it, cover with a cloth or other material and wait until it stops boiling.
Then add fungicide, 1 kg clay, 1 shovel of rotted manure and mix everything well. Or buy a ready-made mixture in a special store.
For example, garden water-based paint, which does not wash off for 1-2 years. Paint trees with it at temperatures above 0°C, because it dries for a long time - a whole day.
Whitewashing equipment
Prepare the mixture in a deep and wide container; the working tools you need are brushes or a narrow paint roller, a respirator and a spray gun.
Whitewashing procedure
Paint or whitewash the tree trunk starting from its lower part and ending with the skeletal branches.
Apply whitewash or paint thoroughly to all folds and pits on the bark so that no dark spots remain on it.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
