Whitewashing apple trees with chalk and lime: when possible, in summer, autumn or spring

In order for fruit trees to produce a good harvest, they need care. An important step in maintaining the he alth of the inhabitants of the garden is whitewashing. It makes it more elegant and beautiful and protects it from diseases, pests and adverse climatic factors. Next, consider how to properly whitewash apple trees and is it needed at all?

Do I need to whiten apple trees?

Fruit trees, including apple trees, need whitewashing. Applying a light composition to the bark in the spring will protect against injury due to the bright sun. The trunks of trees are dark in color, so during the day they heat up significantly.At night, in spring, the air temperature drops noticeably. Because of this difference, the bark cracks. Infection and insects will quickly get into these gaps, which lead to diseases and death of the plant. The bleached trunks will reflect light, heat up less and they will not crack. Such protection is needed for both young and old plants.

Important! Whitewashing tree trunks in autumn is a pest control measure. Various insects inhabit the bark for wintering. With the help of whitewash, trees are disinfected from adult insects, larvae, eggs, pupae.

Age of whitewash tree

Not all apple trees turn white. Very young people do not undergo such a procedure. They are only wrapped up for wintering, but without a plastic film. Sometimes whitewashing is still carried out, but with a weak, gentle solution of chalk. Lime will burn the tender bark; it cannot be used for young animals. It is better to use woven materials, burlap.When the tree begins to bear fruit, it should be whitewashed. After that, whitewashing is carried out annually.

When is the best time to whiten apple trees?

The most common option is spring whitewashing of trees, but experienced gardeners carry out this procedure at least twice: in spring and autumn. The weather for work must be dry so that the composition is not washed away by rain immediately, so that it is firmly fixed on the bark.

Autumn whitewashing is carried out in October or early November. If the trees were not painted for the winter, then the spring painting period should be postponed to February. If the apple trees wintered under protection, then they whiten them in March or April. In May, whitening apple trees is too late.

If the solution has washed off the tree after the spring whitewash, then the protective procedure can be additionally carried out in the summer.

How to prepare a tree for whitewashing?

In order for the processing of apple trees to have an effect, it is important to properly prepare them for such a procedure. It includes three required steps.

Cleaning. The trunks of apple trees get rid of the old bark, especially generously covered with lichens. Large segments are removed with a spatula or wooden spatula. The final cleaning is carried out with a metal brush. This procedure is best done after rain or high humidity. Then the bark will be easier to remove. Removed parts must be burned to prevent the spread of infections and garden pests. For convenience, you can spread an oilcloth around the tree before cleaning.
Disinfection. This stage of preparation for whitewashing is best done in dry weather so that the rains do not wash away the disinfectant solution. It can be done in several ways. You can spray the apple tree with a spray bottle with a solution of copper sulfate, paying special attention to damaged areas.You can also wash the trunk with a solution of ash or ash with laundry soap. The main thing is to work with gloves. To do this, 2 kg of wood ash and a bar of laundry soap are dissolved in a bucket of water.
Covering up wounds. After removing the old bark, cracks, depressions, and wounds may remain on the trunk of the apple tree. They cannot be left open. Such recesses should be covered with clay mortar or a special garden putty. A good protective agent is a mixture of manure and clay diluted in water. Only after these three stages, you can start whitewashing apple trees.

How to whiten an apple tree?

The composition is applied with a regular brush on pre-prepared (cleaned) trunks of apple trees. The composition should evenly, completely cover the tree, without gaps. If the apple tree is mature, then the brush should be wide. If desired, you can use an airbrush, but in this case, the consumption of white will be uneconomical.

The height to which the white level should reach is at least 1.5 meters, it is better to paint the apple trees by 2 meters. You can whitewash the trunk up to the first skeletal branch, as well as part of the branches up to their third part or even half.

You should also rake the ground at the base of the tree and paint it down 4-5 cm. After the protective layer has dried, the soil should be returned to its place.

To prevent the autumn whitewash from being washed away by rain immediately, you should protect the tree by surrounding it with a polypropylene bag. It is important to choose them in white.

This material will reliably protect the barrel from moisture, but will not prevent the penetration of air. The trunk of an apple tree must be wrapped first with a thick rope, and then with a bag. This will create an air gap. The product is fixed until spring. When the threat of severe frost has passed, it is removed.

Common mistakes

Washing will not bring the desired results if done incorrectly.

Here are the main mistakes that inexperienced gardeners make:

Low whitewash trees, about half a meter away. The minimum level of whitewash should be 1.5 meters.
Very young apple trees are not bleached at all and are not treated for pests, because their trunks do not have cracks. Alas, young seedlings are very susceptible to disease and pest attacks. They are best treated with a solution of chalk.
Processing young seedlings with the same solution as old trees. This is the wrong approach, as young plants have very thin and delicate bark, it will not withstand the aggressive effects of lime.
Using a too thin whitewash consistency. In this case, the product will be easily washed off by the very first rain or the bark will be visible from under it. There is very little use from such whitewashing, so you should not save.
Whitening trees with too thick composition. This is as bad as a very thin layer. If the coating thickness of the white is more than 3 mm, it will begin to crack.
Carrying out whitewashing of trunks without preliminary cleaning. This treatment will protect against temperature changes, but not from pests. But it is important not to hurt the wood when stripping, otherwise this procedure will do more harm than good.
Using only spring whitewash. It's better than not whitewashing the trees at all. But their reliable protection from negative factors can only be provided by double whitewashing - in spring and autumn.
Failure to meet deadlines. For the winter, apple trees should be whitened only when they have completely shed their leaves before the onset of frost. In spring, it is important to have time to whiten the trees before the young foliage appears.
Grey color of the protective layer after drying. If it so happened that the whitewash was absorbed, it is necessary to apply another protective layer.
Long-term storage of the prepared solution. It is necessary to mix the components before carrying out work. If the lime mortar sits for several days, it will lose its protective properties.

Apple tree whitewashing is a simple procedure. But it should be done regularly. This ensures that the trees in the garden will always be he althy and enjoy a bountiful harvest.