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Garden varnish is a solid or liquid composition of natural ingredients used to treat wounds of trees and shrubs. The product can be purchased at the store, but it is better to make it at home. It is quite easy to make a garden varnish with your own hands. There are several recipes available for this, for example, using wax, paraffin, resin and other components.
What is garden var
This is a mixture that is used to soak wounds and scratches, as well as tree cuts. We can say that garden varnish is a special remedy that serves as a natural antiseptic that protects plants from infection.
What does garden varnish consist of?
Regardless of the specific recipe, the composition of the garden varnish is approximately the same. The mixture contains the following components:
- resin, rosin;
- medical alcohol;
- drying oil, grease;
- propolis or beeswax;
- basis - edible fats (animal or vegetable);
- agrotechnical mixture, for example, “Heteroauxin”.
You can prepare the broth yourself using available materials.
Why do you need garden varnish?
Garden varnish plays the role of a natural antiseptic, preventing the penetration of fungi, bacteria and other pathogens. Along with this, it promotes wound healing and “cauterizes” damaged surfaces. The benefit of varnish is that it stops the flow of sap, preventing liquid from flowing out of the plant tissues.
Garden varnish is a putty that is applied to damaged areas of plants. Therefore, it is recommended that all summer residents, farmers and gardeners stock up on such a product.
How to make garden varnish at home
The name of the product reflects the technology of its manufacture. At home, you can prepare garden varnish using different ingredients, which are mixed, then boiled until a homogeneous consistency is obtained and left to cool at room temperature.
DIY garden varnish: recipe with paraffin
One of the popular recipes is based on the use of paraffin. To prepare, you will need to take paraffin, rosin, and vegetable oil (ratio 3:1:2).
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Melt paraffin over medium heat.
- The rosin is crushed (turned into dust) and added to the melted paraffin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and add oil in a thin stream.
- Then you need to cook over medium heat for 10 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the container from the heat, cool at room temperature and knead until smooth.
How to make garden varnish with beeswax
To prepare, you need to take rosin and beeswax (2:1 ratio), add interior fat (2 times less wax) and proceed as follows:
- Beeswax is melted and heated to a boil.
- Then add the remaining components (possibly at the same time).
- Boil over low or medium heat for up to 30 minutes, cool and knead.
Beeswax is a natural antiseptic, so it protects plant cuts well from infections.
How to make garden pitch with lamb fat
You can also prepare a garden varnish for trees and shrubs using lamb fat (fat fat). This drug is cold-resistant, so it can be used at any time of the year. To prepare, take rosin and regular wax, as well as fat tail and a little medical alcohol (ratio 4: 2: 1: 0.5)
Proceed as follows:
- Melt the fat tail, wax and rosin together (the heat should be low).
- Bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes and cool for a few minutes.
- When the temperature drops a little (steam is no longer formed), alcohol is added.
- Cool to room temperature and seal in bottles.
How to prepare garden varnish with pine resin
You can take pine or spruce resin, any vegetable oil, as well as turpentine and wax (ratio 4:3:3:2). Melt the wax over low heat, then add all the ingredients and turn off the stove (it is not necessary to boil). Cool and pour into a container.
Yellow wax is often used as a base for preparing varnish.
Var for garden trees with manure
Take clay and fresh cow dung (ratio 2:1), add a little chopped straw and a pinch of copper sulfate. In this case, there is no need to cook anything - just mix all the ingredients with water. The consistency should be quite thick, like sour cream, otherwise the mixture will not stick to the trunks.
How to make your own cold-resistant garden varnish
The cold-resistant drug is characterized by universal use, since it can be used even in late autumn and winter. There are several recipes for this, for example:
- Reshetnikov ointment: take fir resin, ordinary wax and alcohol (10:1:1), melt over low heat, but do not bring to a boil. Then cool and add alcohol.
- Raevsky's composition: 60 ml of medical alcohol is mixed with 500 g of tree resin and two large spoons of linseed oil.
- Composition of Gaug prepared on the basis of 400 g of pine resin, 10 g of baking soda and 60 ml of medical alcohol with 4 g of gum. The resin is melted, all components are added, and alcohol is poured in at the very end, when the solution begins to cool.
How to use a garden pitcher
The instructions for using garden varnish are quite simple. If necessary, the mixture is brought to a liquid state (melted), and then applied to the cut.If the wound is old, it must first be cleaned.
Basic operating rules:
- The composition is applied as quickly as possible because it hardens instantly.
- A fresh wound is not treated immediately, but after a few hours or the next day, so that it has time to dry.
- It is best to work in dry weather.
- If the area of damage is very large, then it is first washed with a weak solution of copper sulfate, and after applying the layer, it is covered with old rags and tied with ropes.
- The mixture is applied in a thin, even layer. This can be done with a spatula or brush, or you can use a roller.
- The caulk may crack a little after a few days or weeks. Then it is carefully cleaned off and a new layer is placed. The procedure is repeated until the wound is completely healed.
Apply the mixture to large wounds with a spatula or roller.
When and how to use garden pitch
The product is used in the warm season, since in winter it hardens quickly, and then the composition is difficult to apply to the surface of trees. However, there are special cold-resistant compounds that do not have this drawback.
Garden mixture is used in the following cases:
- improper pruning;
- removal of wind-damaged branches;
- consequences of careless vaccination;
- damage caused by rodents, as well as associated with various diseases or pests;
- cutting down tree branches (for domestic purposes).
How to soften garden pitch
Often the drug is released in solid form. To soften the garden varnish, it must be heated until completely melted. However, you should not boil it. Apply only cooled or lukewarm product to trees or shrubs. This can be done using a regular brush or spatula. It is advisable to carry out all work wearing gloves.
Tree preparation
If the wound is fresh, it does not need special preparation - just wash it with a weak solution of copper sulfate. If it is old, you first need to clean it with a sharp knife. In this case, all edges and the very base of the wound should be as smooth and clean as possible. If branches or young shoots get in the way, they need to be either tucked in and fixed, or cut off.
How to use garden varnish when pruning trees
Trees and shrubs are pruned with pruning shears or garden shears. Then you need to wait 1-2 days for the wounds to dry well. The sections are treated with copper sulfate, and then you can apply garden varnish with a brush, spatula or roller.
How to apply garden varnish to cracks and damage
Cracks usually have a small surface area. Therefore, for processing, use a narrow brush or wrap a rag on a stick and thoroughly saturate the surface with the composition.
Apply the mixture in a thin, even layer
How to use garden varnish when grafting
To treat damage after grafting, it is necessary to make an even cut; applying the composition to it will be much more convenient. If the wound is old, it is first cleaned with a sharp knife.
How can I replace garden varnish?
At home, you can replace garden varnish with regular paraffin. It is used instead of beeswax, but it is better to leave the other components.
How to replace garden varnish for apple trees
For garden trees, including apple trees, instead of pitch, you can use:
- Clay putty (clay, chopped straw and mullein in a ratio of 2:2:1).
- A mixture of mullein and clay in equal quantities.
- Just a lump of earth - an “emergency” option when there is nothing else (it is fixed with a rag or bag).
- The package can also be used on its own - especially if the damage is minor.
- Wax is another good substitute for wax.
Which garden variety is better?
Depending on the composition and properties, garden varnish is divided into 2 types:
- Thermofluid: It is used in the warm season, and it must be warmed up before use.
- Cold Resistant: does not need heating. Contains medical alcohol, so it can be used in winter.
Cold-resistant ones are used both in cold and hot periods, while warm-liquid ones are used only in the summer. Therefore, we can say that the first group of vars is more effective.
Storage rules
Almost any storage conditions: in the temperature range from -40 to +40 °C. At higher temperatures, the composition begins to melt, although even in this case it does not lose effectiveness. The place should be dry and dark: access to sunlight is completely excluded.
Shelf life of garden varnish
Store-bought drugs can be stored for the entire shelf life, which is 5 years.A similar period applies to self-made products. Some gardeners store solid mixtures for up to 10 years.
Var can be stored for up to 5 years
Pros and cons of using garden varnish in gardening
Garden var shows high effectiveness, especially when treating extensive wounds associated with damage from wind, sawing or improper pruning. Experienced gardeners note that the product has the following advantages:
- the drug is easy to prepare from scrap materials;
- it costs very little;
- when the composition hardens, it adheres well to the surface of the branch and does not fall off;
- also, wood varnish does not stain the body and clothes when touched;
- the composition promotes reliable protection of wounds from infections, as well as their rapid healing.
However, the product also has its disadvantages:
- if the wound or cut is too large, you have to apply a lot of the mixture, which leads to gradual rotting of the wood;
- In winter, early spring and late autumn it will not be possible to use varnish - it hardens quickly (but cold-resistant compositions can also be used at this time of year).
- in extreme heat, an alcohol-containing composition can burn plant tissue.
That is why in some cases it will be necessary to replace garden varnish with other means.
Instead of pitch, you can use a clay-based mash
Conclusion
It’s easy to make your own garden varnish if you have all the necessary ingredients on hand. This is a natural remedy that not only disinfects wounds, but also promotes their rapid healing. Since the shelf life is at least 5 years, the solution can be prepared immediately in large quantities and used as needed.
