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Didn't want to hijack the thread about screens and sun scald, so here's my question. How much coverage should I have when I paint my trees? Should I paint down inside the tubes?
Here's what I put on last weekend when the temps were warm enough.
Im horrible at getting out and taking care of mine but in addition to a little heavier white on the south side you maybe could have run it up to the branched out areas to be perfect.
Is the washer/zip tie your tree label? just curious
I'll give them another squirt this weekend if it's warm enough. Zip tie and washer are the tree label, I plan on changing that system some day when I find something more permanent that doesn't go on the tree.
Paint does look thin. Might want to add some plaster of paris to the paint.
Thought leaving some weeds to help shade was good. Voles totally ate up a plum tree or two. Might of done more damage, But saw this while I was cleaning up some old apple tree stump holes tonight. Had a plum tree grwoing great this summer with some clover growing a dit tall isnide the fence cage.
only problem with leaving some vegetation around your trunks is that it gives the mice an area (haven) to hang out in.... my preference is bare dirt three feet in dia around the tree, window screen shades the trunk I have not had bark split in the area protected by the window screen. Another "ideal" is to lift your cage up high enough that predators - fox -yotes can nose around the base of the tree
Had trimmed back the brush overtaking a prairiefire crab this summer and noticed it was getting a lot of afternoon sun around the trunk the other day. So in regards to sun scald just piled some of the brush on the S and SW sides. Note, this was prickly ash so not worried about promoting nesting in the brush itself but did provide some partial shade. Edit: there is also some window screen but does not protect above 3 ft.