Painting fruit tree

[Yarg]

Someone stated that by painting his fruit trees with a mixture consisting of 1/3 each of water, white latex paint and spackle powder... Commonly done to prevent Southwest injury actually kept the rabbits and moles, both of which he had a lot of from chewing and girdling.
Most of my trees have window screen which I know is the preferred choice here but has anyone tried this method in a high rodent cycle year like I'm having.. thanks

 

[TenPoint]

I've done both. Paint and screen. Really can't go wrong.

 

[wooduck]

Paint , screen and vole bait , very little activity

 

[homerj]

I've seen nothing about the paint/drywall compound keeping rabbit damage down, maybe voles. A person would be crazy to not protect fruit tree trunks with either hardware cloth or aluminum window screen. 3' high is the minimum I'd go. If you never get any snow, then you could probably get by with 18"

 

[chummer]

I stopped using screen because I have a theory it is killing my tress when our snow pack gets to 5’. I have cages for rabbits but I have never had a painted tree touched by rodents. I paint all the way around up to first branches. I mix some sevin in too.

 

[homerj]

because I have a theory it is killing my tress when our snow pack gets to 5’.

please share your theory.

 

[chummer]

My snow pack turns into a glacier. We get 300-400” of snow a year. It comes in November and leaves in April. I have had many zone 3 and 4 trees die after the snow melt when they looked great going into the winter. My theory is the screen prevents the trunk from drying or breathing during that stretch. I stopped using screens a few years ago and replanted some of those same varieties which have had no problem since. Chestnut crap is my test case. 4 all died with screens, 4 in the same holes alive with out screens. I also use the same screen process at home and the trees do fine.

 

[homerj]

My snow pack turns into a glacier. We get 300-400” of snow a year. It comes in November and leaves in April. I have had many zone 3 and 4 trees die after the snow melt when they looked great going into the winter. My theory is the screen prevents the trunk from drying or breathing during that stretch. I stopped using screens a few years ago and replanted some of those same varieties which have had no problem since. Chestnut crap is my test case. 4 all died with screens, 4 in the same holes alive with out screens. I also use the same screen process at home and the trees do fine.

Interesting