We have a few chaste shrubs that we are trying to turn into trees by removing leaf growth from the bottom 1/3 of the plant each year. So far so good - they look great and are starting to look like trees (the goal).
I seem to vaguely remember when I was growing up in the midwest, some people painted the trunks of trees white - and I think the purpose was to ensure that no new buds would emerge from the trunk of the tree. (Or was it to save trees from insects?)
Am I remembering correctly?
Would painting the trunk of the tree damage the tree, and if not, any particular kind of paint?
If not, would it stop growth of new buds?
White paint or fabric wrapping on trees is to prevent “sunscald,” a condition which frequently concerns gardeners in the southwest. If the condition exists at all, it’s probably not a problem in the Midwest (and, of course, you haven’t told us where you live).
Good point, although next to my name you might see the word Vegas, as in Las Vegas.
I grew up 80 miles south of Chicago…and I could swear I remember the local gardening expert used to paint his tree trunks white every spring. As I said, I am not sure what the point was…to stop buds from forming, to save from insects, or maybe as herman_and_Bill said, just for decoration.
It’s not like it is a big deal to remove the new growth, but if painting them would have the same effect, well…
Close to a road, it might be to keep cars from running into them.
If the colors are reversed, they graft english walnut trees onto 4’ tall black walnut saplings because the black walnut trees get better root systems, so from a distance it looks like they painted the bottom 3-4’ of trunk black…