Why certain trees have white paint on their branches has always piqued my curiosity.
Every time I passed these trees, I couldn’t help but wonder if they represented something significant.
I recently learned that people who plant trees utilize this very subtle yet effective technique to make a very powerful statement about the trees.
We discovered that the paint color is a code that provides crucial information about the health and destiny of the tree.
It’s possible that you’ve noticed that trees with orange dots on them are frequently chopped down.
For the same reason, purple signs on trees typically indicate that they are on private property or that trespassing is prohibited.
However, the purpose of the white paint is entirely different. In order to prevent sunburn, trees are covered with it during the winter.
For trees, the winter months bring significant temperature changes.
During the day, the tree’s bark may get heated by the sun and begin to expand. However, the temperature drops sharply at night, causing the bark to contract and cool down more quickly.
The abrupt temperature swings have the potential to split the bark, severely harming the tree’s trunk.
The white paint is helpful because of this.
By reflecting sunlight away from the tree’s trunk, the light paint hue helps prevent the trunk from becoming overly hot during the day.
Consequently, this reduces the possibility of splits and cracks brought on by abrupt temperature changes.
It functions similarly to a natural sunscreen for trees, protecting their bark from the harsh winter elements.
Now that I was aware of the purpose of white paint, I was curious to find out more about its application.
It seems that water-based latex paint is typically used for this task by tree planters.
It’s crucial to properly dilute the paint for the finest results.
Mix one gallon of paint with one gallon of water as a general rule. This mixture makes the paint less thick, making it easier to apply to the bark of the tree.
Paint is often applied with a paintbrush.
Instead, some tree planters find that spraying the thinner paint onto the bark is more effective and can cover a larger area.
Regardless of the technique, the trunk needs to be covered completely to keep the cold weather out of all of its components.
The question of how frequently to use the white paint was one of the things that most intrigued me.
Tree planters typically paint the stems just once a year.
It was instructive to discover the rationale for the white paint job on trees.
It’s fascinating that something as basic as paint can have such a significant impact on trees’ health, particularly over the winter.➕
