Whitewash apple trees in autumn lime

The logical end of the season for each gardener are autumn work. And we are mainly talking about the protection of plants. Actually, this expression refers to the cleaning and whitewashing of trees. This is necessary so that next year they remain as healthy and strong. Whitewashing apple trees in autumn is important for their protection from the effects of insects and harmful microorganisms.

What is it for?

Autumn time implies not only cleaning on garden plots. At this time gardeners direct their efforts to clear the earth of weeds and to update the plants with the help of new seedlings.

First of all, the trunks of apple trees must be cleaned, and then - whitewashed. These are very important actions. And they are aimed at saving the bark of trees. After all, this is their protective layer. It is the autumn whitewash of apple trees that allows us to take care of the plant. The effects of sun, rain, wind and frost lead to cracking of the cortex and the appearance of serious defects, whole clefts that will become very convenient shelters for the wintering of many insects, including pests. And our goal is to prevent this. After all, every crack is a real hotbed of diseases. Therefore, if you do not perform the necessary processing of the tree in time, do not ask yourself where the scab and fruit rot come from. Usually the treatment and preparation of apple trees for winter begin in late September. All work should be completed before stable frosts begin.

Preliminary cleaning of the trunk

Apple trunks can be beaten only after cleaning. Otherwise, it will not be so effective. Initially, to collect the peeled bark around the tree, you need to lay a thick cloth or tarpaulin. All damaged areas on the stem of the plant should be carefully and thoroughly cleaned, collect waste to prevent them from falling to the ground. To work requires a special tool. The garden scraper is best suited. If you do not have one, you can use the standard metal brush. Cleaning is usually accompanied by raising a lot of dust around the tree, so it's better to protect your eyes with plastic goggles and hands with gloves. The trunk should be processed fairly neatly, slowly, so as not to damage living tissues on the tree, otherwise your actions can only do harm. It should be remembered that young seedlings should not be thoroughly cleaned. Their bark has not yet formed, it is still elastic. The maximum that can be done is to lightly process their trunks with a brush. But do not be zealous. When all the scraped bark is collected, it must be taken out of the garden and destroyed. The easiest way is to burn it, so that harmful bacteria no longer spread to the territory of your garden.

Whitewashing Goals

Some gardeners neglect the autumn whitewash of apple trees, not knowing the important reasons for such a procedure and mistakenly assuming that the spring processing of the trunk with lime is quite enough. But it should be borne in mind that for a season on the tree there was a congestion of a large number of pathogens of various diseases and malicious spores. That is why apple whitewashing in autumn is very important, as pathogenic microorganisms perish when exposed to lime. In addition, the trunk of a tree treated with such a solution is not so much exposed to sunburn and frost. After all, if you do not protect your garden plants in the fall, then in winter they may just die, especially if it is a question of young seedlings.

Composition of autumn whitewash

In order for the procedure to have the expected result, the correct solution should be prepared. Since it is quite popular, even whitewashing of apple trees has become mandatory, the composition of the means does not need to be prepared independently. Now you can buy a ready-made mortar in the store, although an experienced gardener prefers to do everything and check independently, so that everything turned out right.

The components of the trunk treatment are: 10 liters of water, 2.5 kilograms of lime, 0.5 kilograms of copper sulfate and 100 grams of joinery glue. The solution must be mixed thoroughly so that all the ingredients can dissolve. Then leave it all for a few hours. The main function of this procedure is disinfection. But in order to whitewash apple trees in the fall was effective, it must be done systematically. One-time treatment will not have a long-term effect.

How correctly to whiten apples?

Whitewashing apple trees in the autumn with lime is undoubtedly an important procedure. But it should be done correctly. No need to argue that whitewashing is done only for beauty. This is not an ordinary painting, but the protection of trees from all sorts of damage. Therefore, it is necessary to whiten not only the lower part of the apple tree, but also the bases of the largest branches. Thus, the processing is carried out at a level of at least 1.5 meters. Young apple trees whiten to the point where the trunk begins to branch. Now you need to determine the whitewash time correctly. It must be a necessarily dry, better clear day. This weather will allow the solution to "grasp" well and dry out. Whitewashing during wet weather or even in the rain will not have the desired effect. The water will simply wash the lime.

Some nuances

In autumn, apple trees are usually beaten in relation to "mature" trees, which have already begun to bear fruit. Young seedlings, bought and planted for the winter, should not be processed. Because lime can simply clog pores, preventing the plant from fully developing, which can even lead to its death. At the same time, the trunks of these apple trees still need to be protected, so it is better to tie them with agrofiber. It is not necessary to use polyethylene film for this, it will only accumulate moisture and provoke the development of fungi and mold on the trunk. If during the cleaning of the apple tree, damage to the trunk was observed, then they should be treated with a garden fume. If it was not at hand, the healing mixture can be prepared on its own. It is made on the basis of clay, which adds manure and copper sulfate. The mixture of consistency should resemble sour cream. The treatment can be carried out with both a conventional brush and a spray gun.

Often, apple trees are whitened not only to protect the trunks from insects and mechanical damage, but also in order to prevent the encroachment of various rodents.