Valuable tips for caring for the bark of fruit trees

How to care for tree bark

It is no secret for any gardener that the bark of fruit trees implies not only internal care - plant feeding, soil care: external factors also play an important role. In particular, the importance of this care increases during the period of frost, when plants, including trees, are at risk.

Caring for the bark is another step in protecting the plant from pests and external climatic factors, because it reflects factors such as temperature drops, frost and exposure to direct sunlight. The deterioration of the state of the bark is caused by the wind, the invasion of insect pests and bark beetles, which must be destroyed without fail, otherwise the plant will die before the period of its flowering or fruiting.

Bark care is usually carried out manually. The trunk of the tree must be cleaned of mosses and lichens, as well as of fungal growths and fungi. By cleaning the bark, the gardener prepares it for whitewashing, removing various carriers of diseases. After these elements have been removed from the bark, they must be burned so that infection and bacteria do not spread to other trees.

Further, the bark is disinfected, and for this the gardener uses mixtures and solutions specially bought in the store. Most often, copper-containing preparations are suitable for disinfection - Hom, OXIhom, copper sulfate and many others. Gardening does not stand still, and experts create drugs of the latest generation, which also easily cope with such manifestations.

Also, if there is damage in the bark, they can be repaired. To do this, the gardener mixes the putty on his own, selecting individual components for them. Since ancient times, such means as a chatterbox made of clay, garden pitch have been especially popular, and "RanNet" is known from new means.

Then they start whitewashing. It is carried out in two stages at once. The first is necessary in order to prepare the bark for the autumn-winter period, and the second whitewashing is done after the tree wakes up after hibernation, that is, in the spring. Whitewashing trees is necessary in order to kill pests and insects that can hide in cracks in the tree bark, as well as to protect against rodents. In addition, the white color in the spring and summer period saves the bark from sunburn from direct sunlight.

The bark of fruit trees and means for whitewashing them

For trees, two means are used - paint and lime. Gardeners still argue about which one should be chosen and which one should be given less preference. The advantage of lime is that it is completely natural and therefore does not harm the bark in any way. In addition, its cost is available to absolutely any gardener. Of the shortcomings of lime, we highlight the fact that it is completely not resistant to moisture, in the rainy period it is quickly washed off from the bark, just as its entire effect is washed off. Because of this, trees remain completely defenseless during the dangerous winter period.

Whitewash paints can be used in two types - either water-based or acrylic. Water-based paints are very close in their properties to lime - they can protect the tree from pests, from direct sunlight, as well as from low temperatures. They do not contain scarce oils, can be diluted with ordinary tap water and will not lose their properties, and also dry out quickly enough.

Acrylic paints ideally cover the bark, they are formulated with protective substances, which saves time buying additional solutions for protecting against insects and rodents. However, acrylic paints are quite expensive and have a serious chemical composition that is still safe for humans.

Thus, the choice of a means for whitewashing a tree is made by the gardener himself, based on his preferences, material capabilities and opportunities to spend time on additional procedures for processing tree bark. Experts cannot unambiguously advise this or that type, leaving this question always open.