How Thick White Latex Paint Protects a Tree Trunk

Sunscald Protection

• White latex can help protect a tree trunk from cracks and other damage caused by sunscald. The paint works by reflecting heat and intense sunlight away from the tree. This technique is used on deciduous trees that lose their protective canopy of foliage in winter. Although homeowners may consider it unsightly in gardens and home landscapes, painting trunks may help save valuable trees in orchards and forested areas.

Insect Protection

• Painting the trunks of deciduous fruit trees with latex paint may help repel beetles that bore their way into the layer of wood beneath the bark to lay eggs. When the larvae hatch they feed on the wood, causing significant damage to the tree. Since insecticides can’t penetrate into the wood, preventing the borers from entering the tree and laying eggs is essential. When you find eggs and larvae in the wood of a tree, you can scrape out the damaged area, including the rotted wood surrounding the injury, and cover the wound with a layer of white latex paint to prevent further injury.

Newly Planted Trees

• Trees are often planted in the fall, and young trunks are left exposed to harsh sun and insects looking for winter homes and egg-laying sites. Protect young trees by painting them from a point 2 inches below the soil line to 2 feet above ground. Full-strength latex paint can kill a young tree, so mix the paint evenly with water before application.

Alternative

• Some horticulturalists, including Ron Wolford of the University of Illinois Extension, maintain that painting can do more harm than good by trapping moisture under areas where the paint cracks as the tree grows. Tree wrap, which is available in hardware and garden supply stores, is an alternative to painting. Wrap the trunk in late fall in an upward spiral, overlapping about a third of the wrap as you go. If left on year-round, tree wrap provides a hiding place for insects and may girdle the tree, so remove the wrap in spring.