why do people paint the trunks of their trees white?

Answer 1

The practice of painting tree tunks white comes from heat protection in citrus groves. Once was the practice to trim citrus tree branches up from ground level -- high enough that direct sunlight could hit the trunks. This was back in the days when labor was cheep and growers had the belief that citrus trees should look like all other commercial trees. That being no branches down to the ground. The natural growth habit of citrus (and many other trees too) is to develop a skirt of branches that grow to the ground. This skirt provides shade. Shade protects the trunk from heat scald also known as sunburn. Sunburned trunk bark on citrus is damage which will degrade the tree. Shade also helps cool the tree and shade prohibits most weeds from growing within the skirt and thus sucking water and nutrients from the tree's own and private primary root area.

Consequently, growers realized that if the trunks were whitewashed (economical when you consider just how many trunks there are in an orchard), the white would reflect sunlight andt the white wash solution would act as a barrier to the sun's rays. Thus, no more trunk scald and the practice became wide spread; picked up by everyone else even though the nongrowers didn't know the why. "Oh, that's nice." and they did it. Then came all the made up reasons for doing it when a neighbor asked, "Why you do that?"

As orchards became more expensive to maintain with labor costs rising, the whitewashing fell to the wayside as its practice became unecessary. Unecessary because growers no longer pruned to have a clear trunk. Branches are alowed to grow naturally, the trunks, are shaded and more fruit is available because there are more branches.

So the bottom line is, whitewashing or painting with latex etc. is not necessary for any and all trees EXCEPT when one prunes a tree that is suseptable to sunscald/sunburn. And that probably only pertains to citrus.

Answer 2

Well, the white paint is there for one of two reasons. One reason is that painting is an insect repellent. On the other hand Greek roads-especially in areas with small population- are often not well illuminated and painting the tree trunks is a way to reflect light in the night.

Answer 3

I was in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam this summer and noticed that the tree trunks were painted white. I asked why and they told me simply so that the trees would be visible at night, to avoid accidents. This seemed reasonable to me because a pesticide or other chemical to protect the bark could certainly be made colorless. After all, white tree trunks are not very attractive.

Answer 4

I heard that there is an insecticide, white in color, that is painted on the trunks, although some people paint them for a uniform decorative look.

Answer 5

My neighbor does this for all his trees and up keeps it annually. White latex paint helps protect against killing of the thin layer between the bark and tree and the bark from sudden temperature changes in late fall and winter. It makes it easier to see insect holes and weed them out. He has fruit trees.

Answer 6

That's sort of an old wives solution for destroying bugs on the fruit of the tree. The paint made the tree slippery, so the bugs couldn't climb the tree, but it oftimes didn't work.

Answer 7

I have heard two different things one is for looks and the other has something to do with bugs or something but not for sure sorry

Answer 8

To keep Deer & Rabbits away!!