Winter is fast approaching. Frosts will soon arrive, which may adversely affect the condition of fruit trees. Fortunately, we can protect them against difficult conditions thanks to… bleaching. We present the most important information about this treatment.
We consider whitewashing fruit trees to be a protective procedure. It involves applying a lime mixture to the tree trunks to protect them against damage resulting from sudden changes in temperature.
Low temperatures cause orchard plants to freeze. As a result, vertical cracks in the trunks and gangrenous wounds occur. This happens especially after periodic warming. The bark and wood tissues are hardened.
Gangrenous wounds most often occur in January and February, when trunks and branches heat up during the day, and at night the tissues freeze due to a sudden drop in temperature.
In addition, in winter they are more susceptible to fungal diseases. Moreover, pests such as aphids and spider mites may overwinter in the bark. Bleaching will have a disinfecting effect on plants.
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It is best to whiten fruit trees from the end of November to January. The most important thing is to perform this procedure before the frost arrives and after the autumn rains stop.
Bleaching is carried out when the daytime temperature is about 5 degrees Celsius. It is important that the forecast does not predict rain for 1-2 days. Moreover, the tree bark must be dry.
It may happen that after whitewashing it suddenly starts raining. In such a situation, the treatment must be repeated on a dry day.
We whiten fruit trees with a mixture of lime and water. The ingredients used and the appropriate proportions are important. So how to make lime milk?
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of quicklime (available in gardening stores);
- 10 liters of water;
- a handful of clay for better grip (optional).
Preparation:
Just mix all the ingredients and apply the resulting mixture to the trunks and branches.
We whiten fruit trees from the base, along the trunk, up to the first branch. We do it at a height of 1.5-2 m.
Remember to apply milk of lime to the base of thick branches and in places where they connect to the trunk, because these points are sensitive to frost.
Whitewashing can be done slightly higher on the southern and western sides of orchard plants to protect them from the very hot sun. Then we apply milk of lime to the trunks and thicker branches.
