Q: The leaves on my fig tree appear burned after this rain. I foliar sprayed it with neem oil and soap and fish protein isolate. These trees were planted last fall and mulched with 1 foot of woodch ...

If tree trunk protection is needed against sunscald on thin-barked trees such as ash, birch, linden, red oak or maple, there is a much better way to go.

What your friend was most likely referring to was painting the tree with a 1:1 mixture of water and water-based indoor latex paint. This is what I use to paint the tree trunk and branches.

If a tree’s top growth is under threat, it may send out suckers from the lower part of its trunk in an effort to survive. This is often seen in ash trees that are under attack by emerald ash borers.