The Secret Meaning Behind A Tree Painted White

You may be lucky enough to live in or visit an area that has a variety of trees. What's perhaps even more surprising are the different paint colors you might see on trees in both rural and suburban areas. These are often used to indicate different messages to passersby, such as when to keep away from private property. For these reasons, it's important to know what it means when you see these different colors painted on trees. If you've ever seen a tree with its trunk partially painted white, though, the paint serves an entirely different purpose than sending humans messages. Homeowners sometimes use white paint on their trees to help protect the plants from sunscald, as well as subsequent damage from freezing temperatures, infections, and even certain pests.

One common issue with tree growth is sunburn, or sunscald. Also called "southwest disease",  sunscald is especially problematic in younger trees during the winter months. This can happen when the sun reflects off of snow and back onto tree bark, particularly on the south side of the tree. Tree sunburn also frequently happens on clear, sunny days. Once the tree is damaged, it can then be prone to other problems such as frostbite and pest infestations. In particular, wood-boring pests can attack damaged parts of a tree and lead to even more damage. To help offset some of these problems, homeowners and farmers sometimes paint parts of their trees white to help reflect sunlight and prevent subsequent scalding issues.

If you're curious about protecting your own trees from sunscald and related damages, it's important to know a few rules before applying any old paint to a tree. First, you should use indoor, water-based, latex-containing paint only. Dilute the paint with equal amounts of water in a bucket. It's also important to apply the paint in the correct spot for the most protection without unnecessary work. This means that you don't necessarily need to paint the entire tree, but you should focus on areas above the snow line and other exposed areas that are the most vulnerable to damage. You may need to re-paint the tree once it has gradually lost some of the white latex paint. Alternatively, you can use white-colored tree wraps instead of paint to help protect your trees.

Also, older trees may not benefit from this method as much as younger ones. This is because younger trees tend to have thinner bark and are therefore more susceptible to scalding damage. One caveat here is if you have an older tree that was recently trimmed and now has an exposed bark that might be vulnerable to sunburn. However, you should not paint wounds from pruning, as this has been proven to be a gardening myth you should stop believing. Finally, it's also worth noting that sunscald damage is most noticeable during the spring months. If you have a tree with significant damage or if you have identified a diseased tree in your yard, you might consider contacting a specialist for advice.