Paint on trunk helps fruit trees

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Q: My neighbor suggests that I paint the trunk of the new apricot tree I just planted. Really? A.R., North Valley

A: Fruit tree trunk painting is a time-honored process thatll keep your trees healthier. So, yes, I agree with your neighbor, and there are several reasons why this helps.

In these parts, during the winter months, we have those spectacular days when the sun shines bright and most anything with a southern exposure gets warmed by it. If the tree trunks get too warm, they sort of thaw and can move sap. Then, inevitably, well have a brutal cold snap soon after.

Its that thaw/freeze action that can cause internal damage in the blood vessels, if you will. With the warmth of the sun they expand, then rapidly contract with the cold. That action can cause wee fissures or cracks of the vessels causing the sap to pool internally. Eventually the pooling works its way out of the trunk. You notice the damage as a sticky, sometimes smelly, weeping up on the tree trunk during the growing season. Painting helps prevent sunburn on the trunks during the summer months, too, especially on younger, newly planted fruit trees.

Next, think of the paint as a pest preventer! Bunnies wont want to nibble on your tender young tree if its painted because it wont smell yummy. Then, too, the paint will help to keep your trees from being attacked by borers especially, if youve painted the whole trunk starting at just below ground level.

Scooch the soil away from the base of the tree and you should notice a gentle swelling or collar at its base. Start your painting just below that collar, remembering to push the soil back to the trunk once the paint is dry, and continue up the trunk to the first branches. You can use latex paint (be sure to use latex) for this process since itll allow the tree trunk to breathe, so to speak. Also, you can find tree paint at most nurseries and certainly online, too. I even found a couple of homemade tree paint recipes while poking about the Internet. So your neighbor really is correct. Paint your young fruit tree trunks; theyll be glad you did!

Q: There are a few bare spots in my lawn that I want to reseed. Can I do that now? N.F., Albuquerque

A: I think itll depend on the type of grass you plan on seeding with.

In the heat of the summer, seeding with a warm season grass such as Bermuda or tiff green you should be able to succeed. Rough up the spots and rake them smooth, being sure to remove any old thatch in the spots. If the spots are below grade fill them with a mixture of topsoil and finely milled compost, making sure to tamp it down. Just before seeding, very gently rough up the topmost layer of the spots so the seeds have a way to grab onto the soil. Spread your seed, and then retamp the spots so the seed gets held firmly in place.

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Paint on trunk helps fruit trees