Fruit trees in particular should be whitened, as the coat of lime paint is also called. There are good reasons for this, which serve to keep the trees healthy.
Lime protects the trees from cold and pests
Three reasons for liming trees
Tree trunks and branches painted white can be seen in many gardens. However, the gardeners do not always know exactly what it is all about. The white coating offers tangible health benefits for the treated tree, especially in damp locations and in wet weather.
1. Freeze protection
For example, the lime coat is an effective frost protection, which can be particularly important for fruit trees planted in exposed and very sunny locations. Especially in sunny but dry and cold winters, the tree bark can be seriously damaged by frost cracks. This is due to the intense solar radiation, which puts the tree into vegetation mode in the middle of winter: As a result, the sap pressure increases, the moisture in the wood freezes - and the bark bursts open. Fungi and other pathogens can now penetrate unhindered. The white paint prevents this, as the paint reflects the sunlight and thus renders it ineffective.
2. Prevention
In general, prevention of diseases and pests is another good reason for whitening trees. The coating makes the bark more resistant to fungi, it also compacts it and thus deprives the wood of wintering pests.
3. Fertilization
Many trees feel most comfortable in a calcareous site. These species also benefit from the lime coating for another reason, after all, the lime paint slowly washed away by rain gradually seeps into the soil and is then taken up again by the roots as a nutrient. Over-acidified soils can be brought back to a more suitable pH value with lime fertilization, and the lime coating helps to maintain the optimal pH value over the long term. But be careful: Not all plants are lime-tolerant, so not all trees should be painted.
How to paint your fruit tree
The best time for a lime coat is autumn between October and November. And that's how it works:
- For young trees with smooth bark, no preparatory work is usually necessary.
- For older trees, remove loose bark from the tree bark.
- This works very well with a wire brush or a blunt blade.
- Then apply the lime paint.
- Also remove braids with the wire brush, but this is not absolutely necessary.
- Lichens are displaced by the paint.
tips
Once the paint has been washed away by rain, it can be renewed.