Whitening of fruit treesis one of the most important treatments in the orchard. The task of bleaching is to keep fruit trees in good condition and prevent damage to the bark. Unfortunatelythere has been a lot of false beliefaround bleaching, and most people do it at the wrong time! Toproperly whiten fruit treesread our advice - how to whiten trees with what to whiten andwhen to whiten trees in an orchard ?
Bleaching of fruit trees
Fig. depositphotos.com
What is the bleaching of trees done?
Bleaching of fruit trees is performed to protect tree trunks and barkfrom damage resulting from sudden temperature changes.
Very low temperatures occurring in winter may cause plants to freeze over orchard. Externalsymptoms of frost damage arefrosts of the branches, vertical cracks in the trunks and scale wounds. Frost damage to trees usually occurs after periodic warming and hardening of the outer bark and wood tissues.
Favorableconditions for the formation of gangrene wounds occur in January and February , when on sunny days tree trunks and thicker limbs heat up strongly, and at night, during a sharp drop in temperature, tissues stimulated to live
Damage to internal tissues is manifested by browning of cells and we can often observe them in the cross section of young one-year-olds that have finished their growth late.The formation of such frost damage on the trunks and base of tree branches canbe prevented by bleaching fruit treesgrowing in our orchard.
When to whiten trees?
The most commonmistake when bleaching fruit trees is to perform this treatment in the early springwhen it is too late. So what is the best time to bleach trees?
Bleaching of fruit trees should be done no later than the beginning of January , and the best date for bleaching trees is the second half of December. In the event that part of the lime is rinsed off by rain, the treatment should be repeated, ensuring that the trunks of fruit trees are whitened until the beginning of March.
The common belief that lime applied to the bark destroys pests hibernating in cracks in the barkheats up less, and thus is not subject to too large fluctuations in temperature during the winter.Thereforewhitewashing of fruit trees at a later date (in March or April) is already pointless , although many gardeners make this mistake. Therefore, we should remember to whiten fruit trees before the onset of winter, and not after it is over.
Does it make sense to whiten trees during a warm winter?
As a result of global warming, winters in Poland are becoming milder. Many people say that if there are no severe frosts, bleaching does not make sense. Meanwhilethis treatment is also necessary during warm winterwhen there are no big frosts.
"This problem was described by Dr. Zbigniew Gruca in the Działkowiec monthly (January 2020, article Terrible temperature fluctuations - I highly recommend it!). If it is relatively warm in December and January, with only slight frosts, trees wake up too quickly from winter dormancy. As a result,can feel spring in January and start growing prematurely Thus, trees lose their frost resistance and may freeze in the event of frost in February or even in March.Bleaching of trunks reduces the heating of trees from the sun&39;s rays, thus preventing premature vegetation startin mild winters. "
What and how to whiten trees?
The most common method iswhitewashing trees with limeAlthough the whitewashing of fruit trees is quite a simple procedure, it is worth finding out more abouthow to whiten treesand what make the lime not washed away too quickly by rain.
For whitewashing fruit trees, it is best to use milk of limeThe cheapest lime that is suitable for the preparation of milk of lime is calcium oxide, i.e. common quicklime , used, among others Building. Such lime should be dissolved in water in the amount of 2 kg per 10 l of water.
In order for lime not to be washed away too quickly from tree trunks during rain , it is worth adding substances to improve its adhesion.For this purpose, it is recommended to add 10% white emulsion paint or starch made of potato flour. The starch works very well, as shown by one of our Frorowiczs - see the post on the forum.
After the lime is thoroughly mixed with the additives, apply the mixturewith a brush to the trunks of fruit treesand the base of thicker limbs. The south side of the trunks and thick branches should be painted a little higher. On this side, tree trunks heat up the most, which makes them the most vulnerable to the occurrence of scale wounds in these places.
If we are looking for solutions simpler than preparing a lime mixture for bleaching yourself, it is worth buyingready-made lime for bleaching trees with increased adhesionIt is an excellent quality lime, and thanks to its increased adhesion, bleaching does not need to be repeated after each rain.Ready-made bleaching lime can be ordered at a favorable price in our storeI recommend that you immediately get a garden ointment to protect wounds after cutting, which will also be useful soon.
Other ways to protect trees for winter
Apart fromwhitewashing of fruit trees , another way to protect trees from frost damage, which can be used in home gardens and on the plot, is to wrap the trunks with paper or straw. However, in no case should you use foil for wrapping, which not only will not help, but may even multiply the damage that has occurred.Newly planted seedlings of fruit trees can also be protected by placing plastic orchard covers on their trunks. Such casings prevent hares and rodents from gnawing tree trunks, which are looking for food in our gardens in winter.
An even better way ispainting tree trunks with HANTUS . It is a tree paint that has 2 functions at the same time:
- prevents animals from gnawing trees and seedlings,
- protects trees against bark cracking as a result of frost.
Painting trees with HANTUS can thereforereplace the traditional whitewashing of fruit trees with lime , and at the same time it will protect trees against being bitten by deer, deer, hares and rodents. Against rodents and hares, paint trees from the ground up to a height of 80-100 cm. If it is also supposed to protect against deer and deer, it is worth painting higher - up to the height of 1.8 m.
Importantly, HANTUS does not contain any chemical poison. It issafe for people and the environment
