Whitewashing trees is by no means a decorative procedure. It is carried out to protect the bark from cracking, harmful insects and diseases. However, like many other treatments, it has a number of contraindications. For some trees, the protective solution will be useless, and for some even harmful.
First of all, you should not whitewash trees with severe bark damage (tears, deep cracks, holes) or large bare areas. Lime and other corrosive substances in the composition can cause chemical burns. As a result, the tree will experience severe stress, which will negatively affect the future harvest.
Before whitening damaged areas, they should first be covered with garden varnish or another preparation similar in properties. In this case, whitewashing will become additional protection. If it is decided to ignore the damage, then the whitewash should be replaced with a cloth winding. It is not an alternative to the solution, but it is also able to protect the trunk from the sun and some pests.
Do not whitewash trees with pronounced signs of bark diseases. The protective solution is not applied to the sites of growths, ulcers and atypical color changes. In addition to the fact that this can lead to chemical burns, the solution will slow down air exchange, which is already impaired in a sick tree. The solution is to partially wind the barrel with cloth.
As for the age of the tree, there are also limitations in this regard. It is not necessary to whitewash too young trees planted in the current year. First, there is no particular need for this. The thin trunk heats up and cools evenly, so the appearance of cracks on the elastic young bark is unlikely. Secondly, the bark of seedlings is too tender, so there is a high risk of getting a chemical burn. Thirdly, the application of the solution negatively affects the development of a young culture, inhibiting it. The solution can be applied starting from the second, or better from the third year of life.
Also, in order to save time and solution, you can refuse to whitewash trees, on the bark of which you have never noticed any damage after wintering. This is especially true for tall shrubs or small trees such as hawthorn, viburnum.
Read on my website -Cons of lime mortar for whitewashing trees
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