When to whiten trees in the spring? Spring whitewashing of trees in the garden

Any experienced gardener knows: to ensure that the garden brings a big harvest, it is required to provide care for trees. In the spring, it is necessary to loosen the soil and water, take care of the bark. The latter experiences heavy loads during temperature fluctuations, during frost and in heat. Protect the bark with whitewash. This process will prevent damage to the surface of the tree and prolong the life of the garden plant.

Why do they blemish the trees?

Whitewashing as care of trees in the spring carries out two functions: preventive and aesthetic.

The bark has a dark color. As you know, the darker the color, the more it attracts the sun's rays. Therefore, the untreated core quickly heats up, and the likelihood of getting a sunburn increases. To prevent this unpleasant damage, it is better to protect the wood with whitewashing. It is important to remember that the stem is the most sensitive part of the tree. The plant may die if this area is injured and it has not been cured. Whitewashing in this case is an excellent preventive tool.

In addition, the treated plant looks well-groomed. Pay attention to the trees in the parks: garden workers whitewash the bottom of the trunk to give it a beautiful appearance. However, as a rule, the stages of stripping the cortex and its treatment are ignored.

Pros and Cons of the procedure

Often owners of gardens ignore the process of caring for trees. Meanwhile, the bark under the bright sun overheats, there are wounds. And then there comes a point where whitening trees in the spring is simply necessary. It is to the affected surface that various diseases pester, causing the tree to die. To avoid this, it should be treated with a solution of whitewash. After this simple procedure, any pests and sunrays will not be afraid of the tree.

However, there is an opinion that whitewashing does not bring any benefit, but on the contrary: the solution penetrates deep into the cortex, clogging the pores. The tree is poisoned and ceases to "breathe". In addition, in addition to harmful creatures, the larvae of Ladybird die . They serve as protectors of the garden from aphids. In this case, environmentalists say that the natural balance of nature is violated. But this is just one of the opinions. Obviously, there are more positive moments in this procedure than negative ones.

When to whiten trees in the spring?

So, it is decided to make whitewashing. Then the question arises as to when to whiten the trees in the spring. As a rule, the best time for the procedure is the May holidays, that is, the first days of the month. Nothing terrible will happen if you blanch the stems a little earlier, for example, in mid-April. You can start painting when the garden starts to wake up, the vegetative period comes. If the whitewash was applied already last year and still keeps well, you can postpone the procedure until the middle or even until the end of May.

We prepare the preparation for processing ourselves

White for trees are manufactured by different methods. Consider the most popular:

• Requires 1 kg of manure, 0.2 kg of copper sulphate and 1 kg of lime, pour 8 liters of water. Then you should thoroughly mix all the ingredients and allow them to brew until they completely dissolve. This will take about 2-3 hours. The whitewash will have a bluish tinge, it is formed due to the addition of vitriol. This element is an excellent preventive tool for the development of fungal diseases.
• Take 2 kg of slaked lime, 1 kg of fatty clay, manure (1 shovel), 0.25 kg of copper sulfate. Pour 10 liters of water. Mix all the ingredients, let them brew.
• Dissolve 0.4 kg of copper sulfate in hot water. Then add 2 kg of slaked lime, 100 g of casein glue and 10 l of water, mix thoroughly.

The whitewashing of the trees with lime will guarantee the strength and durability of the solution.

The first stage: cleaning the trunk and branches

The solution is ready. You can proceed to the procedure. To begin with, the tree should be cleaned of old bark, lichens and mosses. It is recommended to wear garden gloves before work. Metal and plastic items for cleaning will not work, because they are traumatic for the bark. Ideal option is a wooden knife. If it does not exist, you can use a regular small chip, only it needs to be sharpened.

In carrying out this stage of work, it is important to remember that after the winter period, various pests may be present in the bark to be cleaned. Therefore, all waste must be burned. To make it easier to assemble the peeled bark, you can lay a strong film under the tree before you start working. It is important to prepare the surface for whitewashing in wet weather.

The second stage: disinfection of the crust

The following procedure is best performed in dry weather. Otherwise, the entire procedure will be in vain. For disinfection, a solution should be made. To do this, take about half a kilogram of copper sulfate and pour it with a bucket of water. You can add a Bordeaux mixture. Then, in a finely dispersed way, it is necessary to sprinkle the surface so that the drops do not drip down the tree, but settle on the bark, forming fog.

There is another recipe for the solution, which is the most effective. For its preparation you need to take 0,2 kg of ash, add to it 5 g of laundry soap and dissolve in one liter of hot water. The resulting composition does not need to be sprayed, it's enough just to moisten them with a rag and wipe it with the desired piece of wood. Ash in this case serves as a good disinfectant, and an excellent fertilizer.

There is another variation of the solution: 2 kg of ash is poured into a bucket of water (10 liters), the ingredients are mixed for 20 minutes, after which the mixture is put on the fire and brought to a boil. The cooled solution is mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 1 and applied to the treated area by spraying. If you take the ratio 1: 2, then you can just wash the tree with the resulting mixture.

The third stage: wound repair and whitewash

For the treatment of wounds a special tool is purchased. You can prepare it yourself:

1. Garden var. For such putty, 200 g of beeswax and rosin (about 100 g) should be taken. Separate each other components to melt on fire and mix, adding to them 100 g of fat, necessarily unsalted (it should soften). Then pour the solution into cold water and form a lump. To the mass was plastic, you must warm it up before applying to the wood.
2. Chatterbox made of clay. Dilute 0.2 kg of clay, 0.1 kg of cow manure and a small amount of straw, previously finely chopped. Consistency should resemble thick sour cream.

There remains the final stage. When to whiten trees in the spring? It is best to do this on a dry, clear day.

A positive result of the work done will be evident: the plant will cease to hurt, yield will increase. And the greatest effect will be if the fruit trees in spring and autumn are processed annually.