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papamishka89 t1_iuhzxjj wrote

Reply to comment by TheOldSchlGmr in I found a strange note in my garden. It had 4 items. by genuinelygrim

Painting tree trunks white is a time honored method of young tree protection often found in orchards and tree farms. There are several purposes but chief among them is to prevent cracking and splitting of the tender new bark, which can allow introduction of disease, insects, and fungus.

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Jack3ww t1_iui6f28 wrote

why white will other colors not work

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Moldy_slug t1_iuinjzy wrote

When trees are young, the bark is tender and can get damaged by direct sunlight (basically sunburned). Once the bark is damaged insects and diseases can infect the tree more easily. Paint protects the tree like sunblock, reflecting sunlight from the trunk so the bark isn’t damaged.

White is the most reflective color, so it’s best for preventing sun scalding. Other colors will absorb more heat/UV from sunlight so they’re not as good protection… particularly dark colors can be worse than nothing since they’ll heat up more than natural bark.

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