Put away your easel and palette. . . this is a technique for preserving the health of your fruit trees with a multifunctional biodynamic “paint”. Last Thursday I spent an hour or so assisting a small crew at Camphill Soltane in applying this paint to trees in their apple orchard. Mason Vollmer, Camphill Soltane’s Agricultural Director and chief orchard artist, was kind enough to share the recipe:

Beauty of painted trees in the winter orchard.
FRUIT TREE PAINT
4 parts finely sifted compost
3 parts kaolin clay (dry like ‘surround’)
2 parts diatomaceous earth (horticultural kind, not the pool filter kind)
1 part dried blood meal (1/4 part may be adequate)
Combine the dry mix with water (or biodynamic preparation if you have it) and a little interior latex or natural milk paint for improved adhesion. Mr. Vollmer describes the ideal consistency as that of a “melted milkshake”. Using a brush or coarse 3/4″ roller, apply to the main trunk and branches from the bottom up. A long handle is recommended to reduce the amount of paint that ends up on you instead of the tree. For better coverage and efficiency, some orchards apply the paint with a sprayer. It is a good idea to scrub older trees prior to painting, especially if the bark has accumulated moss or lichen. Use a tough nylon bristle brush for this task, which is better accomplished after a rain as scrubbing a dry tree makes for hard labor.

Mason Vollmer in the Camphill Soltane orchard.
The tree paint is multifunctional topical forming a biodegradable skin that persists for a season. Each component of the paint benefits the fruit tree in a different way. The compost provides a rich micro-ecology of beneficial organisms that aid in healthy growth and production. The clay protects the tree from winter sunscald and helps smother pest eggs. Diatomaceous earth is toxic to pest larvae (but not to people). Bloodmeal is both a fertilizer and mammal repellent that can help prevent damage from deer, voles, rabbits, and more. Paint your trees annually for best results.





