Garden var: composition, what it is, instructions for use, how to replace, reviews

Garden var is a solid or liquid composition made from natural ingredients used to treat wounds of trees and shrubs. The tool can be purchased at the store, but it is better to make at home. Do-it-yourself garden pitch is quite easy to make. There are several recipes available for this, for example, on wax, paraffin, resin and other components.

What is a garden var

This is a mixture that is used to soak wounds and scratches, as well as tree cuts. We can say that garden var is such a special remedy that serves as a natural antiseptic that protects plants from infection.

What is garden var made of

Regardless of the specific recipe, the composition of the garden pitch is about the same. The composition of the mixture includes the following components:

• resin, rosin;
• medical alcohol;
• olifa, solidol;
• propolis or beeswax;
• basis – edible fats (animal or vegetable);
• agrotechnical mixture, for example, “Heteroauxin”.

Var can be prepared independently from improvised means

What is a garden var for?

Garden var plays the role of a natural antiseptic that prevents the penetration of fungi, bacteria and other pathogens. Along with this, it promotes wound healing, “cauterizes” damaged surfaces. The benefit of the var is that it stops the flow of sap, preventing the liquid from flowing out of the tissues of the plant.

Garden pitch is a putty that is applied to damaged areas of plants. Therefore, it is recommended to stock up on such a tool for all summer residents, farmers and gardeners.

How to make garden pitch at home

The name of the tool reflects the technology of its manufacture. At home, garden var can be prepared on the basis of various components, which are mixed, then boiled until a homogeneous consistency is obtained and left to cool at room temperature.

Do-it-yourself garden var: paraffin recipe

One of the popular recipes is based on the use of paraffin. For cooking, you will need to take paraffin, rosin, as well as vegetable oil (ratio 3: 1: 2).

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Melt the paraffin over medium heat.
2. Rosin is crushed (turned into dust) and added to melted paraffin.
3. The mixture is brought to a boil and the oil is added in a thin stream.
4. Then you need to cook also on medium heat for 10 to 30 minutes.
5. The container is removed from the heat, cooled at room temperature and kneaded to a homogeneous consistency.

How to make garden pitch 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:

1. The beeswax is melted and heated to a boil.
2. Then add the remaining components (you can simultaneously).
3. Boil over low or medium heat for up to 30 minutes, cool and knead.

Beeswax is a natural antiseptic, so it protects plant sections well from infection.

How to make a garden var on lamb fat

You can also prepare a garden var for trees and shrubs based on mutton fat (fat tail). This drug is cold-resistant, so it can be used at any time of the year. For cooking, they take rosin and ordinary wax, as well as fat tail and a little medical alcohol (ratio 4: 2: 1: 0,5)

They operate as follows:

1. Melt together fat tail, wax and rosin (the fire should be weak).
2. Bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes and cool for a few minutes.
3. When the temperature drops slightly (steam is no longer formed), alcohol is added.
4. Cool to room temperature and bottle.

How to cook garden pitch on coniferous resin

You can take pine or spruce resin, any vegetable oil, as well as turpentine and wax (ratio 4:3:3:2). The wax should be melted over low heat, and then add all the ingredients and turn off the stove (boiling is optional). Cool and pour into a container.

Yellow wax is often used as a basis for making var

Var for garden trees on manure

They take clay and fresh cow dung (2:1 ratio), add a little crushed straw and a pinch of copper sulfate. In this case, you do not 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 a cold-resistant garden var yourself

The cold-resistant preparation is characterized by universal use, since it can be used even in late autumn and winter. There are several recipes for this, for example:

1. Ointment Reshetnikov: 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.
2. The composition of Raevsky: 60 ml of medical alcohol is mixed with 500 g of tree resin and two large spoons of linseed oil.
3. Composition of Gauga 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 garden pitch

Instructions for using garden pitch are quite simple. The mixture, if necessary, is brought to a liquid state (melted), and then applied to the cut. If the wound is old, it must first be cleaned.

Basic rules of work:

1. The composition is applied as quickly as possible, because it hardens instantly.
2. A fresh wound is not treated immediately, but after a few hours or the next day, so that it has time to dry.
3. It is best to work in dry weather.
4. If the area of ​​damage is very large, then it is pre-washed with a weak solution of copper sulphate, and after applying a layer, it is covered with old rags and tied with ropes.
5. The mixture is applied in a thin, even layer. This can be done with a spatula or brush, you can also use a roller.
6. The putty may crack slightly after a few days or weeks. Then it is carefully peeled off and a new layer is laid. The procedure is repeated until the wound is completely healed.

On large wounds, the mixture is applied with a spatula or roller.

When and how to use garden var

The tool is used in the warm season, because in winter it quickly hardens, and then the composition is difficult to apply to the surface of the trees. However, there are special cold-resistant compounds that do not have this drawback.

Garden mix is ​​used in such cases:

• improper pruning;
• removal of wind-damaged branches;
• consequences of inaccurate vaccination;
• damage caused by rodents, as well as those associated with various diseases or pests;
• cut tree branches (for domestic purposes).

How to soften garden pitch

Often the drug is released in solid form. To soften the garden pitch, it must be heated until completely melted. In this case, you should not boil. On trees or shrubs, only a cooled or barely warm product should be applied. This can be done with a regular brush or spatula. It is advisable to perform all work with gloves.

Tree preparation

If the wound is fresh, it does not need special preparation – it is enough to wash it with a weak solution of copper sulfate. If it is old, you must first 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 interfere, they must either be tucked up and fixed, or cut off.

How to use a garden pitch when pruning trees

Trees and shrubs are cut with secateurs or garden shears. Then you need to wait 1-2 days for the wounds to dry well. The sections are treated with copper sulphate, and then garden pitch can be applied with a brush, spatula or roller.

How to apply garden pitch on cracks and damage

Cracks usually have a small surface area. Therefore, a narrow brush is used for processing, or a rag is wound on a stick and the surface is thoroughly impregnated with the composition.

The mixture is applied in a thin, even layer.

How to use garden var when grafting

To treat damage after vaccination, it is necessary to make an even cut, it will be much more convenient to apply the composition on it. If the wound is old, it is preliminarily cleaned with a sharp knife.

What can replace garden var

At home, garden pitch can be replaced with ordinary paraffin. It is used instead of beeswax, while the remaining components are best left.

How to replace garden pitch for apple trees

For garden trees, including apple trees, instead of pitch, you can use:

1. Clay putty (clay, chopped straw and mullein in a ratio of 2:2:1).
2. A mixture of mullein with clay in equal quantities.
3. Just a clod of earth is an “emergency” option when there is nothing else (it is fixed with a rag or bag).
4. The package can also be used on its own – especially if the damage is minor.
5. Wax is another good substitute for var.

Which garden variety is better

Depending on the characteristics of the composition and properties, garden var is divided into 2 types:

1. thermoliquid: it is applied in a warm season, and before use it needs to be warmed up.
2. Cold resistant: does not need warming up. It contains medical alcohol, so it can be used in winter.

Cold-resistant are used both in the cold period and in the hot, and heat-liquid – only in the summer. Therefore, we can say that the first group of vars is more efficient.

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 var

Store-bought drugs can be stored for the entire shelf life, which is 5 years. The same period applies to self-made products. Some summer residents store solid mixtures for up to 10 years.

Var can be stored up to 5 years

Pros and cons of using garden pitch in gardening

Garden var shows high efficiency, especially when treating extensive wounds associated with wind damage, saw cuts or improper pruning. Experienced gardeners note that the product has the following advantages:

• the drug is easy to prepare from improvised materials;
• it is very cheap;
• when the composition hardens, it adheres well to the surface of the branch and does not fall off from it;
• also the var on the tree does not stain the body and clothes when touched;
• the composition contributes to the reliable protection of wounds from infections, as well as their rapid healing.

However, the tool also has its drawbacks:

• if the wound or cut is too large, you have to apply a lot of the mixture, which leads to a gradual rotting of the wood;
• in winter, early spring and late autumn, it will not work to use the var – it quickly hardens (but cold-resistant formulations can be used at this time of the year).
• in extreme heat, an alcohol-containing composition can burn plant tissues.

That is why in some cases it will be necessary to replace the garden pitch with other means.

Instead of a pitch, you can use a clay-based talker

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself garden pitch is easy to prepare if you have all the necessary components at 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.

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