Tired of looking at unsightly burlap winter covers on your evergreens?
Spraying Shrubs With Wilt-Pruf
You can banish burlap from the winter scene and protect your choice shrubs by simply spraying them with Wilt-pruf, a transparent plastic that nurserymen have been using with amazing results for several years.
Besides being a winter protector, this plastic also enables you to transplant shrubs with greater safety.
Magic Power of Wilt-Pruf
The magic power of the plastic is its ability, when sprayed on foliage, to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the leaves.
The amount of moisture absorbed through its roots is put on a more equal footing with the amount transpired through the foliage.
Never Reduce Exchange of Gases
The plastic does not reduce the exchange of gases through the leaves, however, and therefore does not retard growth.
Winter burning of evergreens is caused primarily because the plant gives off more moisture than the roots can absorb when the ground is frozen.
The plastic, therefore, is a great aid in winter protection because when thoroughly sprayed, choose boxwoods and rhododendrons.
Even coniferous evergreens in exposed situations do not need the customary unsightly devices to protect them from sun and wind.
Winter Burning of Plants
Plants subject to winter burning should be watered well before winter sets in. If experience has indicated a need, protectors against weighty snow may still be necessary even if the plastic is used.
It is not a cure-all or a substitute for good cultural practices, but nine cases out of ten will help solve the problem of unsightly winter coverings.
Wilt-Pruf as Transplanting Aid
In its role as a transplanting aid, plastic acts similarly. Roots are lost and damaged when a plant is moved, and until new roots develop, the plant has difficulty absorbing enough water to replace that which is lost through the foliage and bark.
Because Wilt-pruf helps the plant strike a better balance between water uptake and outgo, severe wilting is prevented, and the plant re-establishes itself more rapidly.
Effectivity of Wilt-Pruf
Nurserymen have found the results with the plastic so effective that it has enabled them to move large deciduous trees and shrubs in full leaf during the summer.
The plastic is transparent, actually brightens the appearance of plants, and an application lasts for over a month.
It is harmless to tender foliage and prevents stem drying of dormant roses.