In February, the days are getting longer and the sun is warming more and more, which causes the plants to slowly wake up from winter dormancy. It is a particularly difficult time for them, which is why it is so important to protect them properly. This is especially true of older trees in worse condition.One of the known ways to reduce frost damage is the bleaching of tree trunks.
We perform this treatment at the beginning of winter or at the turn of January and February at the latest.The lime used to whiten the trees at the beginning of winter may already have been washed away by the rains, so it is worthwhile to whiten the trunks of stone species such as cherries, plums and peaches again.Significant differences in temperatures between day and night are particularly dangerous for fruit trees.
When it is sunny during the day, the dark trunk of a tree heats up strongly. We can check on our own that the bark is warm.When the temperature drops significantly at night, the bark is exposed to cracking.To avoid this, we whiten the trunks. Slaked lime, dissolved in water, is the most suitable for this purpose. We should add 1-2 kilograms of lime for half a bucket of water.
In order for the mixed mixture to spread well on the trunk, you can add potato flour, clay or a bit of emulsion paint.These additives will also cause the lime to be washed off the tree trunks more slowly.It is also worth remembering that bleaching trunks does not protect plants against pests or diseases.Lime does not prevent caterpillars or beetles from roaming the painted bark.
